Rachol Seminary

Rachol is about 7 kms from the commercial town of Margao, in Salcette taluka. On the top of a small hillock near Rachol and the small village of Raia, lies the famous Seminary surrounded by the remains of a moat of an old Muslim fort and unending vistas of rice fields.

This grand institution has been in active service from its inception in 1580, taking into its stride over the years, constant threats from Muslim and Hindu marauders from the neighbouring kingdoms. Its predecessor at Margao was ransacked by Muslims and this led to it being moved to the present location at Rachol which had a fortress nearby.

Initially, the complex built by the Jesuits between 1606 and 1610, consisted of a hospital and a school for the poor besides the college for the trainee priests. It also housed what was only the third setup of a printing press in the subcontinent.

Father Thomas Stevens (said to be the first Englishman to set foot on Indian soil) setup the press, which managed to bring out some sixteen books, including the first translation of the Gospels into an Indian language. The Christian Purana published in 1616, was in Marathi. In 1626, Father Ribeiro brought out the first Portuguese-Konkani dictionary.

The central courtyard of the Seminary, below which lies a huge water tank, is surrounded by pillared walkways. Excavations in this courtyard have unearthed the headless statue of Nandi, the vehicle of Lord Shiva, proving the theory that the Seminary was built on the site of an ancient Shiva temple.

Fragments of Hindu sculptures unearthed during construction of the seminary are also to be found inside the college premises. The great hall of the seminary has renaissance paintings of the Goan high clergy and some Portuguese royals.

The Seminary has a church built in 1576, dedicated to Saint Ignatius Loyola - the founder of the Jesuit order, which remains in excellent condition. Inside the church, there is a uniformed statue of Saint Constantine (the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity), on the richly carved and gilded main altarpiece. It is said that fragments of his bones, brought from Rome in 1782 are enshrined here along with a small glass vial which once contained a little amount of the Saint´s blood.

Behind the altar is an exquisitely carved statue of infant Jesus called "Menino Jesus", which was brought from the African colonies by a Jesuit priest for installation in his Colva church. The statue remained in Colva, where it reputedly performed quite a few miracles until its relocation to Rachol.

Also nearby, are the remains of the fortress of Rachol which was strategically located to ward off threats from the Muslim and Hindu armies. Only a single gateway of this fortress can be seen today which straddles the road going towards the seminary.

The Seminary once housed the famous Museum of Christian Art, containing church artifacts collected from all over Goa. This has since been relocated to the Convent of Santa Monica ear Old Goa.

See Also Other Seminaries:

| Pilar Seminary | Rachol Seminary |