‘Exhibition Gallery’ Portraying the Heritage and Architectural Significance of Historic 450 Years Old Church of Our Lady of Rosary aka Rosario Cathedral, Bolar, Mangaluru Inaugurated, on Sunday, 2 August 2020 by new Parish Priest of the cathedral Rev Fr Alfred J Pinto, in the presence of outgoing Parish Priest Rev Fr J B Crasta, other clergy, nuns and a bevy of Parish Pastoral Parishad members and parishioners.
Mangaluru: Good news for all the people who will be visiting the Church of Our Lady of Rosary of Mangaluru (Portuguese: Igreja Nossa Senhora do Rosário de Mangaluru), aka Rosario Cathedral, a Roman Catholic Cathedral in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Mangaluru, dedicated to Our Lady of the Rosary, and the first Roman Catholic Church in this region- because now you don’t have to go in circles to get the right details/glimpses of this Cathedral after an ‘Exhibition Gallery was inaugurated this morning, Sunday, 2 August 2020 by the newly appointed Parish Priest and Rector, V Rev Fr Alfred J Pinto, which portrays the heritage and architectural significance of the historic Cathedral- and you get all the information that you needed pertaining to this Historic Cathedral.
Sources reveal that, Historically, this was the only parish church in Mangaluru reserved for the high-caste Mangalorean Catholics. The church of Our Lady of Rosary of Mangaluru was originally the church of the old Portuguese factory. It was built by the Portuguese in 1568. Oral tradition states that the image of the Virgin Mary at the High Altar was found by the fishermen at sea; when it got caught in their net. It was later brought to the church and installed there. The church was the main centre of devotion for the Bamonn caste who revered the image of Our Lady of the Rosary on the High-altar. It was mentioned by the Italian traveller Pietro Della Valle when he visited Mangaluru in 1623.
The Church was desecrated and destroyed by Mysorean ruler Tipu Sultan in 1784. Reconstruction of the church later began in 1813. In 1910, the structure of the old cathedral was demolished and the present cathedral erected in its place. The church of Our Lady of Rosary is the only church in the Mangalore Diocese which has a dome crowning the spacious sanctuary. The cross on the cathedral’s dome was traditionally lit every night to serve as a beacon for seafarers. The Royal stone emblem of the Portuguese King marking their landing at Mangalore lies at the entrance of the Church. In 1851, the Church of Our Lady of Rosary, Mangalore, was declared a Cathedral. In 1910, Henry Buzzoni, a Jesuit priest started further beautification of the Cathedral. The formal dedication was done in 1915 by Bishop Paul Perini of Mangalore (1910-28).
Now over 450 years later, with the launching of the ‘Exhibition Gallery” one can get the clear picture/history of this Cathedral by going through the images displayed in the Gallery. On display is a topographical map to show the geographical importance of the site. It is then followed by historical archival maps from the 15th and 18th century which gives an idea of the urbanisation along with the port at the time and the importance of the Cathedral that has been placed alongside it.
New Parish Priest of Rosario Cathedral Rev Fr Alfred Pinto
Outgoing Parish Priest/Rector of the Cathedral Fr J B Crasta
Furthermore, on display is detailed heritage documentation of the architectural manifestation of the cathedral. This national award-winning work was carried out by students of the Srinivas School of Architecture at Valachil in Mangaluru, under the mentorship of their professor A Caroline D’Souza in 2018 for the competition held by the Council of Architecture, New Delhi for the excellence in the documentation of Architectural Heritage in India. The outgoing Parish Priest of this Cathedral, Fr J B Crasta’s sensitivity and conscientious nature towards the heritage and architectural significance of Rosario Cathedral and the Mangaluru Diocese at large had made him a very valuable primary resource.
Under the patronage of Fr. J B Crasta an exhibition of this work was initially done in January 2020 as a finale towards the 450th year anniversary. Yet another exhibition was conducted as well on a more public platform at INTACH, Mangaluru Chapters Office in June 2019. Now as Fr JB Crasta’s stint as Parish Priest comes to a close today at the Cathedral, he ensured that this labour of love has achieved a permanent display for all the future visitors to partake of. Kudos to you, Fr J B Crasta for your initiative and hard work in making your dreams come true, by adding yet another feather to your cap, of all the projects/activities you did as the Parish Priest during your tenure.
Speaking to Team Mangalorean, Fr J B Crasta said, “The Rosario Cathedral was selected to be documented because it’s an important cultural heritage resource for the citizens of Mangalore. This exhibition is made more special because it is inaugurated in the year the Cathedral completed 450 years since its inception by the Portuguese in 1568 CE. Documentation is one of the foremost steps towards conservation of a heritage resource which is done via detailed measure drawing of the building which leads to the production of scaled drawings. This was achieved using simple measuring tapes along the horizontal plane. A laser Distometer was used to achieve vertical dimensions”.
He further said, “At the outset, the team tried to understand the historical, architectural and cultural significance of the structure in order to comprehend the task at hand. In addition to this an intensive archival study, multiple sketches in site and photo documentation of various architectural elements were carried out. There were a number of challenges the team faced in completing the task at hand and adhering to the competition timeline owing to the sheer complexity, scale and volume of the structure. Heritage in South Canara has largely been ignored at the mainstream and most residents are unaware of the unique local history along the Konkan Coast. We hope this exhibit brings about a sense of pride and anticipates initial measures towards the protection of heritage resources in the city of Mangaluru”.
” I would further like to extend my gratitude towards the team of 12 students of Srinivas School of Architecture headed by Prof. Caroline D Souza, Adithya Hebbar, Amrita Adiga, Harsha Raj, Krithika Holla, Thanvi DC, Tilak Raj, Neha B, Sumukha Achar, Vishnu Rajgopal, Narayan VS, Ganesh Prabhu and Pramod Prabhu whose hard work culminated is this aesthetic and resourceful gallery. My thanks also to Steevan Fernandes, who mounted the Pictures and representatives of Parish Pastoral Parishad, who also had played a role in the launching of this Exhibition Gallery. I also wish the incoming Parish Priest Fr Alfred Pinto all success in his endeavours, and my sincere thanks to the parishioners for their unstinted support towards me, during my tenure as their parish priest” added Fr J B Crasta.
Rev Fr J.B.Crasta, the outgoing parish Priest and Rector gave a brief history of the Church and explained the purpose of the architectural gallery for the Cathedral. Fr Rocky Fernandes, the Principal of Rosario Degree college, Fr Victor D Souza, the Principal of Rosario PU college, were among a bevvy of Parish Pastoral Parishad members and parishioners, who graced the inaugural ceremony.
