The Indo-Portuguese Museum is a museum in

Fort Kochi Fort Kochi, Fort Cochin in English, Cochim de Baixo ("Lower Kochi") in Cochin Portuguese creole, is a neighbourhood of Cochin (Kochi) city in Kerala, India. Fort Kochi takes its name from the Fort Manuel of Cochin, the first European for ...

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

History

The museum was established by the efforts of the late Dr. Joseph Kureethra, Bishop of Kochi, in a bid to protect and showcase the rich cultural heritage and

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

influence. This museum now showcases the Portuguese influences on Fort Kochi and the surrounding areas, especially, the western parts of

Kochi Kochi (), also known as Cochin ( ) ( the official name until 1996) is a major port city on the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea, which is a part of the Arabian Sea. It is part of the district of Ernakulam in the state of K ...

Features

The museum has five main sections: Altar, Treasure, Procession, Civil Life and Cathedral. Among the pieces on display are a piece of the altar made in

teak Teak (''Tectona grandis'') is a tropical hardwood tree species in the family Lamiaceae. It is a large, deciduous tree that occurs in mixed hardwood forests. ''Tectona grandis'' has small, fragrant white flowers arranged in dense clusters ( pan ...

(16th century) from the Church of Our Lady of Hope,

Vypeen Vypin (Malayalam: വൈപ്പിന്‍, Cochin Portuguese: Isla Santa) is one of the group of islands that form part of the city of Kochi (Cochin), in the Indian state of Kerala. Vypin forms a barrier island which lies between the Ar ...

; a

chasuble The chasuble () is the outermost liturgical vestment worn by clergy for the celebration of the Eucharist in Western-tradition Christian churches that use full vestments, primarily in Roman Catholic, Anglican, and Lutheran churches. In the Eastern ...

(19th century) from Bishop's House, Fort Kochi; a processional cross, which is a combination of silver and wood (17th century) from Santa Cruz Cathedral, Fort Kochi; and an Indo-Portuguese monstrance (18–19th century) from the Church of Our Lady of Hope. Other objects on display at the Indo-Portuguese Museum are sculptures, precious metal objects and vestments, among others from the Cathedral of Santa Cruz and other churches of the Kochi diocese. The

Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation The Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation ( pt, Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian), commonly referred to simply as the Gulbenkian Foundation, is a Portuguese institution dedicated to the promotion of the arts, philanthropy, science, and education. One ...

of Lisbon, Portugal, was directly involved in the selection of the artworks displayed in the Indo-Portuguese Museum of Cochin, being responsible for the museological layout. The artworks had been selected among various churches of Cochin area. The foundation also provided technical and financial assistance towards the erection of the building where the museum has been established since 2000 and has published a comprehensive catalogue, which is available at the museum.

Location

The museum is located inside the compound of the Bishop's House at Fort Kochi, its geographic co-ordinates being .

References

https://www.keralatourism.org/destination/indo-portuguese-museum/336

External links

Kerala Tourism article
{{Authority control Ethnic museums in India Museums in Kochi History museums in India Local museums in India Portuguese diaspora in Asia