Paper short abstract:

In 1951 Mário Chicó led a group of experts whose mission was to study and disclose the Portuguese monuments built in the Estado da Índia. With this paper we aim to analyse the perception of the Portuguese monuments of the Old City of Goa that, at the time, were poorly known.

Paper long abstract:

In the first half of the20th century the specificities of the Portuguese monuments built in the Old City of Goa were barely known. In fact, the situation was particularly remarkable if we consider the attention given, during the same period of time, to the Luso-Brazilian Baroque.

Given this situation, in 1951, Mário Tavares Chicó suggested to the Ministry of Overseas the creation of a study brigade whose mission was to identify, register through drawings and photographs, exhibit and organize an archive with all the results obtain in the Old City of Goa.

Thus, Mário Chicó along with Martinho Humberto dos Reis, Carlos de Azevedo and Mário Novais planned the trip that would be held during three months in the Portuguese India and, mainly, in the Old City of Goa.

Therefore, with this paper, we pretend to understand how (and why) little the Portuguese monuments of the Old City of Goa were known in 1951 and, subsequently, analyse the program developed by the Study Brigade for the Portuguese Monuments in India.

Finally, by assay the perception of this specific brigade regarding the former capital of the Portuguese India and the results of the 1951's mission, we pretend to identify the benefits that arise from this situation of a very fragile and incomplete knowledge of the Portuguese monuments built in that colonial territory.