The Chapel of St. Jerome is a historic

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

chapel on the island of

Chorão Alexandre Magno Abrão (April 9, 1970 – March 6, 2013), known professionally as Chorão, was a Brazilian singer-songwriter, skateboarder, filmmaker, screenwriter and businessman. Best known for being a founding member and the vocalist/main ly ...

Goa Goa (; ; ) is a state on the southwestern coast of India within the Konkan region, geographically separated from the Deccan highlands by the Western Ghats. It is bound by the Indian states of Maharashtra to the north, and Karnataka to the ...

, India. After closing of the Chorão Seminary, although it had been abandoned for centuries, the chapel still stands. Acoustic phenomena are even now observed in the chapel. The chapel was built in 1761.

History

St. Jerome chapel is the only remaining relic of the Chorão Seminary. This chapel was known as the chapel of the Celestial School. The reason for its being called celestial was due to the fact that the chapel belonged to the Chorão Seminary, where spiritual things were taught. It Is situated on a hill, is polygonal in shape and has an elegant dome. This dome rests on columns of Greek style. Besides the porch it had seats all round. The inmates of the Chorão Seminary in the evenings spent their time here enjoying rest and fresh air. The same was done by Jesuit novices. As a homage to Jesus the Redeemer, the Vicar of the Church of

Our Lady of Grace Church (Chorão Island) Our Lady of Grace Church is a Roman Catholic church in Chorão (island), Chorão, Goa, India. It is bounded on its north and west by the Mapusa River, with Salvador do Mundo remaining exactly opposite to it. To the south is the Mandovi River, ...

Fr Jose Filipe de Andrade started its repairs in the year 1900. He cleared away the vast grove of trees that blocked the view of the building, repainted the pictures of

St. Jerome Jerome (; ; ; – 30 September 420), also known as Jerome of Stridon, was an early Christian priest, confessor, theologian, translator, and historian; he is commonly known as Saint Jerome. He is best known for his translation of the Bible ...

, which serves as a panel to the altar; there is above the altar the following inscription "TO JESUS THE REDEEMER -YEAR 1901". The chapel was re-opened for public worship on 17 August 1901. Since 1901, the feast of the Patron is annually celebrated with a mass offered in this chapel. It had been classified by the Portuguese regime as a

National Monument A national monument is a monument constructed in order to commemorate something of importance to national heritage, such as a country's founding, independence, war, or the life and death of a historical figure. The term may also refer to a sp ...

by a decree No. 1360 of 31 March 1932 and placed in charge of the State. The permanent Body of Archaeology on behalf of the Public Works Dept in 1903 repaired the veranda of the chapel and cleared the vast forest that surrounded the chapel. In 1959 at the request of the then vicar of Our Lady of Grace Church (Chorão Island) Fr Tome Caetano de Nazare, the Dept of Public Works effected many improvements. The interior wall, the columns and the flooring of the circular corridor were plastered with cement. A new wooden roof was placed with Mangalore tiles. Besides in the interior of the chapel itself, the ceiling vault as well as the candle sticks and the panels on the altar were painted. The picture of St. Jerome referred to above was again retouched. The expenditure incurred amounted to Rs 7000.The Island of Chorão (A Historical Sketch) 1962 By Francisco Xavier Gomes Catão page 43

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chapel of St. Jerome (Chorao Island) Roman Catholic chapels in Chorão (island) Portuguese colonial architecture in India Roman Catholic chapels in India Roman Catholic churches in Goa

History

See also

References