ADDENDUM

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moira,_Goa

A Flemish jeweller and the parish church of Moir

Moira Church at dusk

The co-founder (with Frederick Noronha) and moderator of Goa-Research-Net,

Teotonio R. de Souza Teotonio R de Souza, a Moir ganvkar of the
fifth vangodd (local village clan), brought out a brochure on Moir, when it
celebrated 350 years of its Church in 1986. It was released by the then
Archbishop-Patriarch Raul Gonalves on the feast day of Moir Church.

As historical research is a continuous process, ever to be updated with

discovery of fresh sources of information, Teotonio R. de Souza adds: There
were two Flemish brothers in Goa at the time Moira Church was first built. They
were the diamond dealers Jacques and Joseph de Coutre. At the beginning of
the 17th century the Dutch arrival in the Indian seas led the Portuguese
administration in Goa to keep a close watch on such foreigners in Portuguese
India, particularly if they were of Dutch origin.
Some of them, including Coutre brothers were arrested and packed to Lisbon.
They managed to find their way to freedom with the help of their diamonds!
Coutre's autobiographical account in manuscript is found in the National Library
of Madrid. It was edited and published recently. He describes his adventures in
Goa and elsewhere in Asia.

Assisted the Franciscans

Teotonio R. de Souza also drew attention to a notarial deed drawn in Goa on 14
March 1623 and now preserved in the National Library of Lisbon [3] It records
that it was Joseph de Coutre (who passed as "Couto" in Goa) who assisted the
Franciscans financially to build the first structure of Moira church of Our Lady of
Conception. This changes somewhat the story told by Fr. Paulo de Trindade.
The church building was not financed entirely by the Moidekars! The Coutre
brothers were counting upon their dedication to religious causes, or rather the
Catholic causes, to score some points before the tribunal of the Inquisition.
There was another such case at that time in Goa, the Augsburg-born
commercial entrepreneur Ferdinand Cron (15591637)with important links with
Augsburg bankers. He was better connected than Coutre brothers in the official
Portuguese circles, but even so he was eventually expelled in 1624. He had
contributed generously to the chapel for St. Francis Xavier on the eve of his
canonization, and had also tried to help the Capuchins, but the envy and rivalry
of the local casados (white settlers) cast suspicions against him as a Dutch spy
to pack him off to Europe. Like the Coutre brothers, his wealth gained him
mercy and favour in the Madrid court that ruled Portugal at that time. More on
Cron can be read in the writings of late Professor Hermann Kellenbenz who has
studied the German-Portuguese connection, utilizing the archives of Fuggers in
Nuernberg.[1] Kellenbenz was for many years the keeper of the archives of that
powerful banker family that gave loans to kings and popes, and financed during
a period the Portuguese pepper trade.

A mass haul of Moidekars by the Goa

Inquisition (1664)
See also Goa Inquisition

Reporting another of his findings in the National Archives of Portugal (Torre do

Tombo), Teotonio R. de Souza tells about a mass-haul of Moidekars, both
ganvkars (from all vangodd) and some non-ganvkars, men and women, by the
Holy Office of the Inquisition during its auto-da-f in the Cathedral See on 7
December 1664. While some were pulled-up for the first time, there were others
taken in for 14th relapse! However, most (almost all) men were accused of light
faults associated with practices of Hinduism: Antnio Pinto (1st time), Joo
Correia and Jorge de Souza (2nd time), Diogo Lobo (3rd time), Joo Fernandes
and his brother Tom (dhobi)(4th time) Miguel de Siqueira and Antonio Mendes
(5th time), Diogo da Cunha and Andre de S (6th time), Antnio da Gama, Joo
Correia, Francisco Borges, Manuel de Nazareth (7th time), Ventura Mendes,
Diogo de Siqueira, Joo de S (8th time), Estevo da Cunha, Pedro de
Nazareth, Diogo Mendes, Joo Lobobabuji,Loureno de Souza, Baltazar da
Cunha, Vicente Ribeiro, Diogo Correia, Simo Coelho (shudra)(12th time),
Filipe Nazareth, Loureno d'Azavedo, Tom Fernandes (dhobi), Gonalo
Vellozo, Franciso da Cruz, Joo Nazareth, ganvkar of Moir but resident in
Santa Ines (13th time), Francisco da Cunha, married to Ursula Gomes (14th
time and condemned to 4 years of labour in the gunpowder factory). There were
women too, from Moir or married in Moir. Most of them got harsher treatment
of 57 years of hard labour in the gunpowder manufactory: Maria Loba, Andreia
de Souza and Catarina de S (1st time), Phelipa Pereira (from Aldon, resident
in Moir), Felipa Cotta (also from Aldon, resident in Moir), Maria de Souza
(widow of Andre de Souza), Ines Fernandes (regateira, shudra)(2nd time),
Francisca Barboza (from the mainland, resident in Moir)(3rd time), 15 other
women from Moir (4th time), Maria Rodrigues (regateira, shudra) married to
Bartolomeu Rodrigues, condemned after death! Having consulted the files
relating to autos-da-f celebrated in Goa during the following years till the end
of the 17th century and till mid 18th century, Teotonio R. de Souza has not
found any more Moidekars being troubled by the Inquisition! One can easily
understand that during the first 50 years after conversion it must have been very
hard to lose the old habits and beliefs. But Moidekars proved to be good
learners to adapt to new demands or at least to escape the watchful eyes!