Rajan Parrikar Photo Blog

Abbé Faria – Pioneer of Hypnotism

Remembering a distinguished son of Goa.

Today is the birth anniversary of Abbé Faria (May 31, 1756 – Sep 20, 1819), a pioneering researcher in the field of hypnotism. Pace Franz Mesmer, Faria recognized that the agency of hypnosis is the power of suggestion.

Abbé Faria was born in the coastal village of Candolim in Goa. He died in Paris and is buried in Montmartre although the exact location of his grave remains unknown. A fictionalized Abbé was featured in Alexandre Dumas‘s novel The Count of Monte Cristo, later adapted in a number of films, the last in 2002. Read the brief account of his eventful life in the Wiki entry.

In 1945, a monument honouring this great man was erected in the heart of Panjim, and the Goan sculptor Ramchandra Pandurang Kamat commissioned to create the artwork. The plaque on the northern side reads: JOSÉ CUSTODIO FARIA (ABADE FARIA) FUNDADOR DE DOUTRINA E METODO DA HIPNOSE PELA SUGESTÃO (José Custodio Faria, Abbé Faria founder of the Doctrine and Method of Hypnosis by Suggestion). [Reference: Snapshots of Indo-Portuguese History – I by Vasco Pinho]

In the first image below, the Palácio do Idalcão (Adilshah’s Palace), built c. 1500, is to the left of the frame and on the right, the heritage Mhamai Kamat House (19th C).

Abbe Faria statue in Panjim, Goa

Largo do Palácio, Panjim
5D Mark II, TS-E 17L

 
Abbe de Faria statue in Panjim, Goa

The power of ‘suggestion’
5D Mark III, 70-200L f/2.8 IS II

 
Abbe Faria monument in Panjim, Goa

Abbé Faria: Artwork by Ramchandra Pandurang Kamat
5D Mark III, Zeiss ZE 100 Makro Planar

 
 
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