Christian Art | rama toshi arya's blog

5:30 a.m. and the Mount Mary Basilica opens its doors to the world with bells ringing from its grey stone clad towering twin towers. It’s a beautiful wake up call. Beats any alarm clock any day. 🙂

Bandra’s soul lies in its centuries-old Portuguese churches dotted around its four square kilometers. In the 16th Century, the Portuguese Jesuits were given ownership of Bandora, as it was then known, leading to six parish churches working zealously, right up to present times, towards meeting the spiritual and communal needs of its inhabitants. Continue reading →

The subtleties of facial expression carved into ivory
(Crucifix, 18th Century, Ivory, wood, paint, gilt and mother of pearl)

If there is only one museum that you visit in Goa, let it be the Museum of Christian Art in Old Goa. One of the very few of its kind in Asia, the museum, housed in the convent of Santa Monica (1627), is a treasure trove of Indo-Portuguese statues, paintings, and sculpture used in the celebration of Holy Mass. Dating from the 16th to 20th Century, each object is a piece of art revealing the depth and splendor of an era; Created by Hindu artists they represent a style unique to Goa alone. Continue reading →