Opened in 1994 within the Rachol Seminary and later shifted to the 17th Century Convent of Santa Monica in Goa, the Museum of Christian Art is a collaboration between Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, Portugal, and the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH), New Delhi. The Museum of Christian Art is located in the four-hundred-year-old Convent of Santa Monica which contains the Chapel of the Weeping Cross which is miraculous according to legend. The Church is considered to be one of the finest examples of architectural restoration in Goa. The collection of the Museum features nearly five centuries of artisanship that evolved from a unique confluence of Indian and European artistic styles. The items on display are representative of an evolving style of religious art, traversing several genres and forms including sculpture, painting, liturgical objects, jewellery, furniture and embroidery, in materials such as stone, wood, metal, ivory and textiles. The Museum’s collection contains a portable altar meant for eucharistic celebrations outside the church. It has unfolding sections that could be opened to keep ritualistic objects and a plain, functional exterior. The sculpture of Nirmala Matha is perhaps the most unique exhibit on display as it is a small ivory sculpture of Mother Mary crafted in the manner of a Hindu goddess. The artist seems to have been inspired by the famous royal painter of Travancore, Raja Ravi Verma and images of Goddess Lakshmi. Amongst the sculptures on display, a painted silver statue titled Infant Jesus Saviour of the World, the statue of Nirmala Matha and a statue titled the Holy Trinity are amongst the most popular attractions. Pieces of furniture on display at the Museum include a standing alms box, a tabernacle door and a portable altar. The jewellery includes a pectoral cross decorated with blue and white stones along with a gold and platinum chain and a rosary made of gold, coral and enamel. The textiles include priestly vestments that combine medieval European and Mughal embroidery to give ritualistic textiles a native touch. The paintings on display feature stories from the Old and New Testaments as well as on newly emerging Catholic saints. Most of them have gold gilded frames and carved wooden corners typical of 17th-century artefacts.