Pilar Monastery: Ornate Interior with Gilded Altarpieces

Interior of the Pilar Monastery
Located in Goa Velha, about 5 miles (8 km) from the historic Basilica of Bom Jesus in Old Goa, Pilar Monastery (officially the Monastery of Our Lady of Pilar) is a historic but active religious institution and the headquarters of the Society of the Missionaries of St. Francis Xavier, commonly known as the Society of Pilar.

According to Catholic tradition, the Virgin Mary appeared to St. James the Apostle on a pillar in Zaragoza, Spain, on January 2, 40 CE. She subsequently became known as Nuestra Señora del Pilar (Our Lady of Pilar). The word pilar in Spanish means pillar. The apparition is considered unique because it is traditionally believed to have occurred while Mary was still alive, making it different from later Marian apparitions.

The Pilar Monastery church is one of only two churches in Goa dedicated to Our Lady of Pilar. The other, at Seraulim in South Goa, was built in 1630 and became a parish on May 28, 1635.

The image shows the sanctuary of the monastery church, with an ornate gilded altarpiece rising behind the main altar and two smaller gilded altarpieces flanking it.

As seen in the image, the central niche holds the statue of Our Lady of Pilar, while the niche below holds St. Francis Xavier, whose mortal remains are preserved at the Basilica of Bom Jesus in Old Goa. The four smaller niches hold St. Francis of Assisi and St. Didacus of Alcalá on the left, and St. Clare of Assisi and St. Elizabeth of Portugal on the right. [verify] The upper section holds a painting of Calvary, and above it a cartouche bears an inscription that appears to read “N. Sra. do Pilar”.

High above the chancel arch hangs a painting that appears to depict the Assumption of the Virgin. Mary, in a blue mantle, stands on clouds with folded hands and no halo, while a group of haloed figures, mostly men and including a young, long-haired figure on the left, gazes up at her.

The statue of Our Lady of Pilar occupying the central position in the main altarpiece was brought from Spain in 1952. Before being brought to Goa, the statue was venerated for three days at the Basilica de Nuestra Señora del Pilar in Zaragoza, Spain.

The design of the main altarpiece has been attributed to the Franciscan Fr. Manuel Baptista, while its execution has been associated with a local Indian artisan described in Portuguese sources as a mestre canarim, roughly meaning a local master craftsman from the Canara region, likely referring to the present-day Karwar, Udupi and Mangaluru region of Karnataka.

The Portuguese word mestre is particularly interesting because it means master, teacher, or master craftsman, and survives as mestri in languages, including Konkani, Kannada, and Tulu, spoken along the coastal region of Karnataka.

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