St Francis Xavier’s silver casket in Goa to be restored in Italy Relic Has Been In Old Goa For Close To 360 Yrs

St Francis Xavier’s silver casket in Goa to be restored in Italy
Relic Has Been In Old Goa For Close To 360 Yrs

TIME TAKES TOLL: The casket was designed by Italian Jesuit Marcelo Mastrili in the 17th century and thus needs urgent restoration

Panaji:

The iconic silver casket that has held the relics of St Francis Xavier in the Basilica of Bom Jesus in Old Goa for close to 360 years is set to travel to Florence in Italy for a touch of long-and-much-needed restoration. It will be taken after the saint’s feast on December 3 and will likely return before the feast in 2019.


The casket was designed by Italian Jesuit Marcelo Mastrili in the 17th century, while the original coffin was put together through a collaborative effort of Goan and European artisans. “It is the casket that needs urgent attention, as the last restoration came as far back as 1637,” rector, Basilica of Bom Jesus, Fr Patricio Fernandes said, adding that restoration cannot be done in situ.

Studios in Florence have the equipment and experts for the work, he said.

The casket with the Spanish saint’s shrunken relics presently lies atop a mausoleum on the right side of the altar in one of Goa’s most popular church. For thousands of local and outstation pilgrims, and tourists from all over the world, the church with its exposed laterite walls, is synonymous with the saint’s relics.

Time and neglect have taken their toll causing the reliquary to change colours. “Oxidization has slightly corroded the silver and the casket has lost its lustre. Patina, or a film of green or brown hue, forms on the surface due to oxidation,” an ASI official said.

The mausoleum with its four artistically carved reliefs also needs conservation, but this can be done in situ. Another Italian, the grand duke of Tuscany is known to have gifted the mausoleum in 1696 and set up in the chapel of St Francis Xavier on November 8, 1698.

The interest in its restoration was triggered a few months ago after some heritage lovers raised concern over its crumbling status.

Soon, an Italian team of three experts from Opificio delle pietre dure in Florence flew into Goa, in May, on a fiveday tour. The team, headed by the institute’s director of restoration sector (bronze), inspected both, the mausoleum and silver casket. Opificio is a Florence-based public institute of the Italian ministry for cultural heritage.

The rector had initially brought on board the archaeological survey of India (ASI) and Goa Church in a bid to work out modalities for the restoration of the art that holds sentimental value for thousands of devotees and others.

ASI protects and restores churches, including the Basilica, other edifices and ruins in and around the world heritage complex of Old Goa. The team submitted a two-page report to Basilica officials within a fortnight. The Basilica authorities discussed the report with architects, historians, church representatives and others concerned with heritage.

The casket with the saint’s relics are taken to Se Cathedral across the complex for an exposition once in 10 years.


TIME TAKES TOLL: The casket was designed by Italian Jesuit Marcelo Mastrili in the 17th century and thus needs urgent restoration

Ayushi Bhave Mumbai's Shravan Queen

Ayushi Bhave Mumbai's Shravan Queen and Bhavana Dube, Vaishnavi Shenavi

‘Intelligent’ crows to clean a theme park in France

Six crows trained to pick up litter, including cigarette butts will be put to work at a French historical theme park. The birds will be encouraged to collect and deposit small bits of rubbish into a box which will then deliver a nugget of food.

They will be put to task at the Puy du Fou park in the western Vendee region on Monday. Nicolas de Villiers, the resort’s president, said: “The goal is not just to clear up, because the visitors are generally careful to keep things clean, but to show nature itself can teach us to take care of the environment.”


He added that rooks – a member of the crow family, which also includes jackdaws and ravens – are especially suited to such a role because of their intelligence. “They like to communicate with humans and establish a relationship through play,” he said.

It is not the first time crows have displayed such intelligence either. In June, scientists at the University of Cambridge, created a vending machine that showed the bird’s ability to solve problems. The device required a particular size of paper token to release a treat. Observers found the crows could remember the right size of paper. They even trimmed bigger pieces until they could fit into the machine. 

New Egyptian sphinx discovered in Luxor?

A second Egyptian sphinx may have been discovered by construction workers improving a major road in the city of Luxor, officials say. The statue – said to have a lion’s body and human head – was unearthed between the two famed Nile-side temples of Karnak and Luxor.

It is about six miles from the Valley of the Kings, the burial place of Egypt’s ancient pharaohs. If the find turns out to be genuine, it could date back as far as 2500BC – making it more than 4,000 years old.


Mohamed Abel Aziz, director general of Luxor antiquities, said the structure would remain embedded in the soil for some time “due to the nature of the environment it is in”, according to the magazine Egypt Today.

A huge flock of flamingos is seen over the wetlands in Uran since Saturday. While locals say it is common to find the birds during winter, spotting them during monsoon is unusual

A huge flock of flamingos is seen over the wetlands in Uran since Saturday. While locals say it is common to find the birds during winter, spotting them during monsoon is unusual

HEAT WAVE PROMPTS FLAMINGOS TO LAY FIRST EGGS IN 15 YEARS

In a feat attributed to the recent heat wave that swept across Europe, rare Andean flamingos at a wetlands reserve in Slimbridge, Britain, have laid eggs for the first time in 15 years. The exotic birds are ‘fickle breeders’ and can go years without nesting successfully. Unfortunately for them, none of the eggs are viable, so no new Andean flamingos will emerge from this batch.. In a bit of human meddling, caretakers decided to get the Andean birds into parenting mode: They took a few eggs from Chilean flamingos, ‘near relatives,’ and planted them among the Andean birds, who became foster parents to new chicks, the reserve said.

Zentangle is the new trick to keep calm

This meditative art form enables one to stay relaxed and create beautiful abstract art through structured patterns

Move over mandala. The latest therapy art form making the rounds is zentangle. Essentially a zen practice, this doodling technique comprises strings and circles that allow the practitioner to enter into a meditative state while making beautiful patterns through repetitive strokes. Meanwhile, many people who are struggling to break free from their sedentary lifestyle are also taking interest in zendala — a hybrid art-making process that blends the traits of mandala with that of zentangle.

Zentangle artist and certified teacher Neha Agrawal says, “Zentangle and zendala are meditative art forms that use pen and paper as medium. These are stress-busting practices that help people to relax their mind and, thus, in turn, improve their concentration power as well as help in anger management. Zentangle is more about enjoying the process, rather than bothering about the final product. For me, it is a means to escape time and space and enter a zone where only positive energy remains.” A former IT professional, Neha works with art lovers from different age groups, including schoolchildren and corporate executives.


In her recent exhibition, she collaborated with another artist Reshma Venkatraman, who specialises in storytelling through paintings — dabbling in oil, watercolour, acrylic, pencil and charcoal. In their joint venture, they have merged watercolour and zentangle on one canvas. “Even though these are two completely different mediums, neither of it actually stands out in the paintings nor do they look disconnected. Instead, they depict a sense of reflection and togetherness from within,” Neha explains. Adding to this, Reshma says, “The human portraits done using these two techniques aim at portraying two facets of a personality — one which is meant for people to see and the other for oneself. But eventually both merge from within.”


Artwork that merges zentangle with watercolours

TOOLS AND STEPS TO DRAW A ZENTANGLE DRAWING

q To get started with a zentangle drawing, all you need is a zentangle tile or paper, a pen or pencil and blending stumps for shading.

q Begin with defining the space for the drawing on the tile/paper, and then divide it into sub-sections.

q At this stage, a certified zentangle teacher can help you to learn different patterns, which can be filled in with a pen/pencil.

q Shading comprises the final stage of the drawing.

DIFFERENT FORMS OF ZENTANGLE

Zentangle is usually abstract. But if a definite theme is being followed in the drawing (that is, a left or right direction is maintained), it is called zia — a zentangle-inspired art. When the drawing is done in a circular pattern, it is called a zendala. This form is similar to mandala or chakras.

BENEFITS OF THE ART FORM

Reduces stress, enables one to relax and enjoy being creative Sharpens focus and enhances meticulousness Improves awareness and enables fresh perspectives towards self and life Supports therapy to manage anxiety Reduces the fear of flying, Helps tackle insomnia, anger, attention deficit and even autism