Shadows of sacrifice: The martyrs of Cuncolim

The Martyrs of Cuncolim are commemorated annually in Goa, particularly in the Cuncolim village, where their sacrifice is honored and remembered as a pivotal moment in the history of Goa.

Published on:

27 Jul 2024, 6:13 pm

The Martyrs of Cuncolim are commemorated annually in Goa, particularly in the Cuncolim village, where their sacrifice is honored and remembered as a pivotal moment in the history of Goa.

When discussing the political dimensions of the events of July 15, 1583, one needs to consider the relationship between Portuguese controlled regions of Salcéte along with regions outside the Portuguese domain, namely, those which were under the sultanate of Bijapur and the Vijayanagar empire, which had controlled the area before the Portuguese had taken it over. The circumstances through which the village of Cuncolim and the other villages involved came under the jurisdiction of the Portuguese Crown, their geographical situation and their political-administrative status are relevant while understanding this situation. Cuncolim, Velim, Veroda, Ambelim, and Assolna were five villages in the territory of Salcéte, situated between the Sal and Oudh rivers towards the southern end of the Portuguese-controlled region, and bordering the neighboring territory of Bijapur. Along with Margão and Verna, Cuncolim was one of the largest villages in Salcéte, and in that sense the head of this group of villages. During the Bijapur (and earlier Bahmani) overlordship, many landowners in Salcete grew into petty warlords who bore arms and were responsible for collecting taxes at the local level, which reinforced their statuses. In addition, the Adil Shahs of Bijapur usually recruited soldiers for the forces they had in the region from the five villages mentioned above.

But the biggest casualty in the Cuncolim narrative is the complete absence of Bijapur, even though the region in which Cuncolim was situated was administered by governors appointed by the Adilshahi administration of Bijapur, and was notable for providing soldiers to the Adilshahi army.

Cuncolim was inhabited by a devout Hindu population, mostly belonging to the warrior Kshatriya caste. The village was prosperous compared to its neighboring areas due to its fertile land, with abundant fresh water from rivers descending from the hinterland of Goa. Surplus agricultural production had enabled this village to develop crafts of a very skilled order and it was known for its metal work. As Afonso de Albuquerque wrote in his letters back to Portugal, guns of good quality were manufactured in Cuncolim, which he found comparable to those made in Germany.

There were 12 vangodds (clans) of gaocars (freeholders) in Cuncolim. Their names, in order of precedence, were Mhal, Shetkar, Naik, Mangro, Shet, Tombdo, Porob, Sidakalo, Lokakalo, Bandekar, Rounom and Benklo. The Gaocars, who held common ownership of the village and paid all taxes, were also the founders and caretakers of the main village temple.

On 15 July 1583, five Jesuits met at the Orlim Church and from there proceeded to Cuncolim, accompanied by one Portuguese Gonçalo Rodrigues and 14 native converts, with the objective of erecting a cross and selecting ground for building a church. Meanwhile, several villagers in Cuncolim, after holding a council, advanced in large numbers, armed with swords, lances, and other weapons, towards the spot where the Christians were. Among the 14 natives, one was Domingos da Costa, a youth from Cuncolim, who was a student at the Rachol Seminary, and had accompanied the priests guiding them on their expeditions to Cuncolim and pointed out to them the Hindu temples. He was killed by his very own Hindu uncle for assisting the priests.

In accordance with Anthony D'Souza’s, writing in the Catholic Encyclopaedia, Gonçalo Rodrigues levelled his gun at the advancing crowd, but was stopped by Fr. Pacheco who said: "We are not here to fight". Following this, the villagers attacked the party. Father Rudolph received five cuts from a scimitar and a spear and was killed on the spot. Next, the crowd turned on Fr. Berno who was mutilated, and Fr. Pacheco who, wounded with a spear, fell on his knees extending his arms in the form of a cross. Fr. Anthony Francis was shot with arrows, and his head was split open with a sword.

Br. Aranha, wounded at the outset by a scimitar and a lance, fell a deep declivity into the thick crop of a rice field, where he lay until he was discovered. He was then carried to a Hindu idol, to which he was bidden to bow his head. Upon his refusal to do this, he was tied to a tree and was shot to death with arrows. The spot where this tree stood is marked with an octagonal monument surmounted by a cross, which was repaired by the Patriarch of Goa in 1885.

Alphonsus, an altar-boy of Fr. Pacheco had followed him closely, carrying his breviary. His hands were cut off on his refusal to part with the breviary and he was cut through his knee joints to prevent his escape. He survived in this condition until the next day when he was found and killed. He was later buried in the Church of the Holy Spirit in Margão.

Following the massacre, the captain-major in charge of the Portuguese army garrison at the Assolna Fort was determined to take revenge of the locals for having killed the Jesuit priests. As retribution, the Portuguese army raided and destroyed orchards in the village and unleashed many atrocities on the local population. The Kshatriya gãocars of Cuncolim were then invited for talks at the Assolna fort situated on the banks of River Sal where the present-day Assolna church stands and in an act of betrayal, sixteen of them were summarily executed without trial by the Portuguese authorities. One of them escaped execution by jumping into the Assolna River through a toilet hole and fleeing to Karwar.

Further, it is important to mention that the village of Cuncolim was not united against the missionaries. For, not only were the locals divided among themselves, but a Christian villager is reported to have rescued one of the Portuguese missionaries attacked on that fateful day. Following the execution of their leaders, the villages of Cuncolim, Velim, Assolna, Ambelim and Veroda refused to pay taxes on the produce generated from their fields and orchards to the Portuguese government. As a result, their lands were confiscated and entrusted to the Condado of the Marquis of Fronteira.

Following the massacre the bodies of the five martyrs were thrown into a well, water of which was afterwards sought by people from all parts of Goa for its miraculous healing. The well still stands today inside the St. Francis Xavier chapel situated at MaddicottoCuncolim and is opened for people to view once a year on the feast day of St.Francis Xavier, celebrated in the first week of December.

The bodies themselves, when found, after two and a half days, allowed no signs of decomposition. They were solemnly buried in the church of Our Lady of the Snows at Rachol, and remained there until 1597 when they were removed to Saint Paul's College, Goa and in 1862 to the cathedral of Old Goa. Some of these relics have been sent to Europe at various times. All the bones of the entire right arm of Blessed Rudolph were taken to Rome in 1600, and his left arm was sent from Goa as a present to the Jesuit College at Naples. Some relics are also stored in a glass casket at the Basilica of Bom Jesus, Old Goa.

In accordance with the request of the Pacheco family, an arm and leg of Blessed Alphonsus were sent to Europe in 1609. The process of canonization began in 1600, but it was only in 1741 that Pope Benedict XIV declared the martyrdom proved. On the 16 April 1893, the five martyrs were beatified at St. Peter's in Rome.

This beatification was celebrated in Goa in 1894, and the feast has ever since then been kept with great solemnity at Cuncolim. The Calendar of the Archdiocese of Goa has fixed July 27 as their feast day.