Paper short abstract:

Built from 1747 onwards, the church and convent of N. Sra. do Carmo at Chimbel, Goa, has been all but forgotten by architectural historians. Housing the Cloistered Carmelites, an order for Goan clergy of non-Brahmin background, the ruins of the church are a surprising element of Goa's heritage.

Paper long abstract:

This paper addresses the history and architecture of the church and convent of N. Sra. do Carmo, Chimbel, an 18th century religious structure built to house missionary clergy of Goan origin with non-Brahmin background. The present-day ruins of the church and convent are scantly known both inside and outside Goa. Through a topographical survey of the ruins of the church and documental research into the structure's history, we propose to unravel the importance of N. Sra. do Carmo for Goa's history, and demonstrate its heritage value within the larger scope of architecture of Portuguese influence in India. Contextualising the convent's creation within the decline and exodus from the city of Old Goa, we will access its impact in the development of Chimbel and Ribandar, halfway between Old Goa and Pangim. We will also address the eventful history of the Cloistered Carmelites of Chimbel, including the excommunication process by the archbishop fr. Manuel de São Gualdino, in the early 1800s, known as the "Cisma de Chimbel", a prelude to the well-known Schism of Goa in the mid 19th century.