Feast of Our Lady of Bom Success in Mandur, India

The Chapel of Our Lady of Bom Success in Mandur

Mandur is located in the district of North Goa, India, in the region originally known as the Islands. It is a small village with about 3000 people, belonging to the parish of Our Lady of the Refuge of Mandur, established on February 1^st, 1710.

The small chapel of Our Lady of Bom Success was probably built in the late 17^th century, as a result of the evangelization of this area. It belonged, in all likelihood, to a Christian family, as there are references to it having been built on land belonging to the Alcântara Gracias family.

The chapel is mentioned by Fr. Jacinto Reis in Invocações de Nossa Senhora em Portugal de aquém e Além-mar e seu padroado (1967).

In the 1970s, improvements were made by one of the descendants of Alcântara Gracias, the owner of the house next to the temple.

The chapel is one of the places of worship listed, as of 1984, by the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH).

It currently belongs to the Archdiocese of Goa and Daman.

In 2025, the book Xant Amcho Mandurcho Ganv, in Konkani, about the Christian roots of Mandur, was published by the notable Goan writer Fr. Manuel Gomes (b. 1953), from the Archdiocese of Goa and Daman.

Feast of Our Lady of Bom Success in Mandur

The village of Mandur holds a special commemoration for the Feast of Our Lady of Bom Success, focused on the small, primitive chapel.

The venerated image of Our Lady of Bom Success is carried in a palanquin lavishly decorated with flowers of all colours by Christian and Hindu faithful, as is common in these regions.

The procession begins at the chapel and travels through the village, accompanied by the brothers of the fraternity, with several stops along the way, allowing the faithful to ask for the maternal blessing of Our Lady, Mother of God.

Ichnographically, Our Lady is represented with the Child Jesus in her left arm, both crowned.

The invocation, of Portuguese origin, is associated mainly with asking for the protection of the Mother of God during journeys, especially for seafarers.

In Mandur, the festival is celebrated in February, on a date close to the traditional celebration of Our Lady of Candelaria (February 2^nd).

The invocation of Our Lady of Bom Success in India

Devotion to Our Lady of Bom Success in India began in the 16^th century, with the arrival of the Portuguese.

The oldest reference is possibly to the miraculous image belonging to Friar Agostinho dos Reis (17^th century?), a native of Caparica, in the municipality of Almada. The image was probably brought from his homeland, where Our Lady of Good Success was venerated.

Friar Agostinho dos Reis was a religious man from the convent of Saint Augustine in Goa, whose church was completed in (c.) 1617, with a side chapel dedicated to Our Lady of Good Success. In 1623, the statue was solemnly placed in the church of the Holy Cross of Miracles, where it received special and widespread devotion.

Small and large shrines dedicated to Our Lady of Good Success were built in other parts of India: Bassein (1621), Bagnagar (1652), Candolim (17^th century?), Nagoa (1755).

The day of worship varies in each region, but is always associated with a liturgical feast of the Virgin Mary: September 8^th (Nativity), September 15^th (Our Lady of Sorrows), February 2^nd (Purification), August 15^th (Assumption).

REFERENCES

• MATTOSO, José (Dir.), Património de Origem Portuguesa no Mundo, arquitectura e urbanismo: Ásia, Oceania. Lisboa, Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian, 2010.
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5aNdTp36aA (consultado a 17.11.25)