Goa : May 23, 2022

Union Minister of State for Tourism and Ports, Shipping and Waterways Shripad Naik inaugurated the upgraded Museum of Christian Art at the Convent of Santa Monica, old Goa on Monday. Nilesh Cabral, Minister of Public Works Department (Government of Goa), Dr Carlos Perriera Marques, Ambassador of Portugal to India, Filipe Neri Ferrao, ArchBishop of Goa and Daman were present on the occasion.

Union Minister Shripad Naik said, Museum of Christian Art which is preserving priceless and exquisite artefacts, is an excellent example of a unique art form; a perfect symbiosis of Indian and European culture.

The art form, now referred to as Indo-Portuguese, was created by highly skilled local artisans over the last few centuries, who, in producing objects and furniture required in Churches and Convents, consciously or unconsciously superimposed their own Indian artistic style thereby giving them a distinct Indian look, said Shri Naik. A book ‘One Hundred Iconic Art Objects from The Museum of Christian Art’ released on this occasion.

The upgraded work of the museum is done through the funds made available by the Ministry of Culture.  MoCA in collaboration with the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation and INTACH(Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage) undertook an extensive upgradation in 2017-20, to keep pace with current world standards of museology and museography and to vastly enhance visitor experience.

About the Museum

The Museum of Christian Art was set up in collaboration with the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation of Portugal and The Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage, New Delhi. Museum was inaugurated by the then President of India, Shri Shankar Dayal Sharma. The exhibits showcase both European and Goan craftsmanship and most of the articles on display at MOCA can best fall under the wide open umbrella of Indo-Portuguese art objects. MOCA is a treasure house of gold, silver, ivory, wood and polychrome. Each and every object on display here is the result of years of care, restoration and thoughtful study. The exhibits here are some of the finest examples of syncretic art objects that you will ever see anywhere in the world. Its collections span centuries from the middle of the 16th to the middle of the 20th centuries

 

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