Margoa Excursions

Six km from Margoa, near the village of Raia, is the Rachol Seminary and Church. The Museum Of Christian Art here, which was partly funded by the Gulbenkian Foundation, has some interesting displays. These include textiles, some of the silver once used in churches of Old Goa, a magnificent 17th century silver monstrance in the shape of swan, and a mobile mass kit (complete with candlesticks)  standard issue for missionaries out in the jungle. The museum is open daily from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm and 2:30 to 5:00 pm, closed Monday.
     The church dates from 1610 and the seminary has interesting architecture, a decaying library and paintings of Christian characters done in Indian styles. This is not a tourist site, so you ask wandering around. There are buses from Margoa, but make sure you get one to Rachol Seminary, not IIIa de Rachol.

Twenty km east from east of Margoa, in the village of Chandor, are several interesting colonial mansions. One of the grandest, the Menezes Briganza Houser, is open to the public. The family has lived here since the 17th century and the rooms are furnished with antiques, hung with chandeliers, and the windows are glazed with stained glass. There's  a  ballroom, even a baroque private chapel. For information on the erratic opening hours, contact the tourist office in Margoa. There are frequent buses to Chandor from Margoa.

 To the east of the Margoa to Cortalim road, near the village of Nuvem, is the Christ Ashram exorcism centre. It has been condemned by Catholic authorities because the trappings are Catholic but the ambience is definitely Hindu.