Menezes Braganca House

Overview

The Braganza House was built in the 17th Century in the village of Chandor. The east wing has a small chapel with a relic of St. Francis Xavier, a fingernail. The artefacts collected by the family over a number of years, have added to the beauty of the house. There is a Great Salon, a big ballroom with the floor made of Italian marble antique chandelier from Europe adorning the ceiling, and heavily carved, ornate rosewood furniture. What stands out among the furniture is a pair of high-backed chairs, beating the family crest, which was given to the family by King Dom Luis of Portugal. Most of the furniture dates back to the 18th Century and is made from local seeso (martel wood), lacquered or inlaid with mother of pearl by craftsman from Curtorim Village.

Highlights

• It has exquisite furniture and Chinese porcelain from Macau

• Houses a collection of family portraits dating back to the 17th and 18th centuries

• The library is believed to be the first private library in Goa

• It has almost 5,000 leather-bound books collected by Luis de Menezes Braganza (1878-1938), a reputed journalist renowned for the part he played in Goa’s liberation movement