Museum of Christian Art, Christian art museum in Old Goa, India

The Museum of Christian Art occupies the baroque church and convent of the former Augustinian convent of Santa Monica in Old Goa, on the south bank of the Mandovi. The complex, with carved portal pediments dated 1604 and 1639, houses the collection. The main altar has a three-tiered retable crowned by a Calvary group between Saints Peter and Paul.

The museum began at the Seminary of Rachol as a project of the Archdiocese of Goa, with technical and financial help from the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation and INTACH, and opened to the public in 1994 in the former convent of Santa Monica. After renovation from 2017 to 2020 and pandemic delays, it reopened on 23 May 2022. In January 2012 thieves killed a night guard and took gold objects.

Many statues of the Virgin Mary and female saints in the collection are dressed in saris, and an ivory figure of the Hindu goddess Prabhavali was identified with the Virgin. The silver reliquary casket for Saint Francis Xavier shows Mughal-influenced repoussé work. The museum is probably the first of Christian art in India.

The museum occupies the baroque church and convent of Santa Monica in Old Goa, on the left bank of the Mandovi. The building itself, with carved portal pediments dated 1604 and 1639 and inscribed floor slabs, is part of the visit. It reopened on 23 May 2022 after renovation and restoration work.

A special exhibition displays religious textiles from local churches featuring detailed embroidery in colored and metallic threads. These fabrics show how religious practice was expressed through traditional handcraft skills.