PANAJI: A historic chapel over 500 years old may be among the state’s most prized heritage assets hit by Cyclone Tauktae. The Chapel of Our Lady of the Monte, built in 1519, may be in for an “avoidable tragedy” is corrective action isn’t taken immediately, said Fr Alfred Vaz, president of the Se Cathedral chapter. The monument was lying in ruins around 20 years ago, but high-profile restoration work funded by Fundacao Oriente ensured it got a new lease of life, as project managers stitched, grouted and strenghtened the partly-cracked edifice back into shape. The monument is now known as the venue of the eponymous Monte music festival, held the first weekend of every February. But in recent years, the roof of the chapel, one of the oldest structures in the former capital, had been dilapidated for some time, and gush of the Goa monsoon may have gradually impacted it stucturally. “The condition of the monument has worsened, as more tiles have blown off due to Tauktae. If timely attention is not accorded to urgent repairs, we may be in for an avoidable tragedy,” said Vaz. The chapter led by Vaz, which oversees religious services at the chapel, has been pursuing the matter of its conservation with the directorate of archeology for two years. “More cyclone damage to the roof and the gushing rain water seepage may have weakened the vault above the altar,” said Glean Cabral, secretary of the chapel committee. Fundacao Oriente’s 30-month restoration project is considered unique in India, as it was the first private organisation to carry out this kind of work on a historic monument, which as matter of policy would be done by the department. Closely supervised by the DoA, Portuguese and Indian specialists worked together to restore the chapel with Baroque style and Mannerist influences to its finery with minimal intervention. “The major structural problem was development of a longitudinal crack at the crown, and quarter points in the 21m long vault over the nave,” wrote S C Deshpande and Sandhya Savant in a paper on the project. This paper discussed concepts, methods and details adopted for the restoration. “Rehabilitation works involved foundation strengthening, placing 50mm-diameter stainless steel ties at intervals, stitching and grouting,” they wrote. A DoA official said a Rs 3 crore tender for the chapel’s restoration was delayed due to some technical problems triggered by the cyclone. On Saturday, a contractor worked out modalities at the site for immediate attention to the monument. “Temporary measures are proposed to protect the monument during the monsoon,” a source said.
Goa: After Tauktae battering, historic Monte chapel in urgent need of repairs
