Heritage Conservation-
The Church Of Santa Monica
Goa: A Case Study

Lina Vincent Sunish

The Museum management, aware of the deteriorating condition of the 450 year old chapel due to climate conditions and neglect, worked on creating a project proposal to conserve the space and bring it back as close as possible to its original form.

The 10th of June 2016 saw the grand reopening of the Chapel of the Weeping Cross in Old Goa after five years of intense work in conservation and restoration. The chapel forms part of the building structure of the Convent of Santa Monica (a protected monument), with the nave section at one end hosting the Museum of Christian Art. The convent, built between the years 1606-1627, is considered Asia’s first and largest convent able to accommodate over a 100 nuns. The Museum was set up in 1994, and houses a very important collection of Christian art objects spanning the 16th to the middle of the 20th century. Problematic though it may seem, seen through the lens of the inquisition, the Goan state is recognised the world over as reflecting a symbiosis of two cultural manifestations, the Indian and Portuguese. Most of the objects on display are Indo-Portuguese in origin, whether ivory, silverware, woodwork or embroidered liturgical vestments, all providing a rich glimpse into the past of the region.