5/5 Derek D. 3 years ago on Google
The
structure
in
Chimbel
village,
on
the
outskirts
of
Goa’s
Panaji,
began
to
fall
into
ruin
after
the
1880s
when
it
was
confiscated
by
the
then
Portuguese
government
and
converted
into
an
old
age
home
and
completely
fell
apart
in
1980
after
which
it
was
abandoned
completely.
Today
all
that
remains
of
the
once
impressive
chapel
is
the
façade
and
ruins
of
the
walls
covered
in
overgrown
plants.
The
land
was
being
eyed
by
the
government
for
setting
up
a
sewage
treatment
plant
but
the
villagers
had
a
different
idea.
“Right
from
my
childhood,
I
remember
coming
with
my
parents
to
the
Mount
Carmel
Chapel…
We
used
to
light
a
lot
of
candles
and
serve
snacks…
There
was
a
beautiful
big
garden
with
a
fountain
inside,”
a
resident
of
Chimbel,
Fernandes
recalls.
The
villagers
came
together
to
reclaim
the
last
green
space
in
their
village
and
develop
it
into
an
‘archaeological
park’.
“Chimbel
is
lacking
in
many
respects.
We
have
lots
of
issues
like
garbage,
especially
on
account
of
the
slum
colony,
we
don’t
have
proper
water
supply,
no
proper
health
centre,
no
post
office,
no
police
station
despite
the
rising
crime,”
villager
Ana
Gracias
said.
There
is
no
space
remaining
for
anything
in
Chimbel
anymore
either
for
community
service
or
just
a
conducive
place
where
people
can
meet.
The
chapel
is
living
testimony
of
the
Carmelite
and
of
the
village.
It
is
something
unique
and
very,
very
old.
It
will
give
an
identity
to
our
village,”
Fernandes
said.
After
several
rounds
of
meetings
with
Fernando
Velho,
a
conservation
architect
with
the
Charles
Correa
Foundation,
the
villagers
drew
up
plans
for
restoring
the
ruins
and
making
it
an
easily
accessible
park.
More
than
being
a
symbol
of
the
village,
the
chapel
has
a
peculiar
historical
significance—it
is
the
first
religious
order
in
Goa
to
admit
local
people
as
Catholic
priests.
The
Europeans
considered
themselves
as
superior
and
Indians
as
inferior.
Whereas
this
congregation
known
as
the
Chimbel
Carmelites
broke
the
ice
and
they
began
local
congregation,”
Fr
Archie
Gonsalves,
a
Carmelite
priest,
explained.
For
us,
it
is
a
very
precious
place
because
it
is
the
heritage
of
the
Carmelites.
So,
we
have
joined
hands
with
the
villagers
and
conservationists
and
it
has
resulted
in
the
safeguarding
the
place
which
a
year
ago
would
have
got
completely
destroyed
and
gone
into
a
sewage
plant,”
Gonsalves
said.
For
now,
the
villagers
hope
to
gather
the
funds
and
preserve
what’s
left
of
a
part
of
their
history
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