18) THE TOMBSTONE OF VASCO DA GAMA IN FORT COCHIN-MISCONCEPTIONS

Grave Marker of Vasco da Gama in St Francis Church, Fort Cochin

24th December, 2024 marks the 500th death anniversary of Vasco da Gama da Gama. Today, one of the most popular tourist attractions in Fort Cochin is the grave of Vasco da Gama shown inside the St Francis CSI Church, often boasted as the first European church in India. However, not many realize that the actual remains of Vasco da Gama are preserved in the Jeronimos Monastery [Mosteiro dos Jerónimos] of Lisbon in Portugal and what is shown in Cochin is not a grave but a tombstone only. Therefore, what is Cochin's connection to Vasco da Gama’s death? It was in Cochin where Gama died of Malaria on 24th December, 1524, barely three months after his 3rd journey to India. He is said to be buried in the ‘Main Chapel of St Antony’s Monastery’ [Capella mor de Mosteiro de Santo Antonio], which is the current St Francis church. In 1538, his remains were transferred from Cochin to Monastery of Nossa Senhora das Relíquias, Vidigueira in Portugal by one of his sons, where they remained for three centuries. On 8th June, 1880, his remains were brought to St Jeronimos Monastery, where it is preserved now. Thus, although Vasco da Gama was originally buried in Cochin, his body remained there only for 14 years.

Interestingly, St Francis Church is not the only candidate in Cochin named for Gama's burial site. Early Portuguese writers suggested the ‘Monastery of St Antony’ [where the current Head Post Office building behind the St Francis Church is located] and the Santa Cruz Cathedral [no longer exists as the grand Portuguese church was demolished by the Dutch, and followed by the British] as other candidates. An English lawyer, Thomas Chisholm Anstey who visited Cochin in mid-19th century, wrote specifically of the tomb of Vasco da Gama in the Santa Cruz Cathedral, and that it was defiled when the British destroyed the church in 1806. Nonetheless, today, St Francis Church in Fort Cochin is widely accepted as the first burial site of Vasco da Gama.

Another issue is with the current tombstone of Gama on display in the church. For a legendary explorer such as Vasco da Gama, one usually expects a grand epitaph carved with elegant designs. On the contrary, the current simple tombstone has no decorations and other than 7 or 8 faint letters engraved on the top, barely any inscriptions are visible. There is also no trace of the 'Coat of Arms' of the da Gama family on the current headstone. This is surprising considering many of the tombstones preserved in the church are lavishly decorated with heraldic designs and lengthy inscriptions. A possibility is that the inscriptions and designs have faded out significantly. One has to remember that if the original tombstone of Vasco da Gama exists, it has survived 500 years of wear and tear! 

Inscription on the tombstone of Vasco da Gama

The question is-was this the same tombstone of Vasco da Gama shown throughout the ages? Surprisingly the answer is no. We don’t know when, but from some point of time, the grave Vasco Fernandes Pimentel (d. May, 1567), the Governor of Cochin [1564-1567], was shown as the tombstone of Vasco da Gama! The error was identified in the late 19th century. Today, you can still see the broken tombstone of Vasco Pimentel inside the church, though the writings are faint, the word “Vasco” is quite legible. However, it is not known when and how the current tombstone of Vasco da Gama was discovered. It is also not clear if the tombstone is placed on the exact site where the grave of da Gama was originally located, or was it transferred from a different location. So far, I haven’t come across any information regarding the circumstances under which the current tombstone was discovered.

The tombstone of Vasco Pimentel (d. 1567) and the enlarged view highlighting the word Vasco

It is sad that even today the tombstone of Vasco da Gama is misrepresented. A miniature portrait of Vasco da Gama hangs from the window near the Dutch tombstone of Mrs. Lea Van Dielen's [d. 1688] and as a result some assume the epitaph belonged to him! See for instance, the images uploaded by two popular stock photography agencies here and here. Similarly, here is another case, where the Dutch tombstone of Adriaan Van Lier (d. 1680) is assigned for Vasco da Gama! 

Location of the tombstones of Vasco da Gama (d. 1524), Adriaan Van Lier (d. 1680) and Lea Van Dielen (d. 1688)

All the photographs above are taken on December, 2024

What is more embarrassing is that even one of Kerala’s premium Archaeological Museums, the 'Hill Palace Museum' in Thrippunithura has got it wrong. During my recent visit to the museum, while I was going through a panel on the ‘Portuguese Face of Cochin’, there was an image of a tombstone with the title ‘Tombstone of Vasco da Gama’. Upon a closer look, I could see that it is the tombstone of Adriaan Van Lier, the Dutch Senior Merchant [Oppercoopman] of VOC [Dutch East India Company], who died on 12 December, 1680, i.e. 156 years after Vasco da Gama's death! I hope the authorities will take the necessary measures to rectify this error.

The tombstone of Vasco da Gama according to a panel in the Hill Palace Museum, Thrippunithura

Enlarged view of the tombstone of Adriaan Van Lier [d. 1680] wrongly assigned for Vasco da Gama [d. 1524]

For a more detailed description and photographs of the tombstones of Vasco da Gama and others mentioned in this post, see my earlier post here and here.