This imposing edifice – the former governor’s residence and now a museum – dates from 1610 and is the island’s historical showpiece. The interior, which is currently under renovation and closed to the public, gives a remarkable glimpse into what upper-class life must have been like during the island’s 18th-century heyday. In addition to knick-knacks from Portugal, Arabia, India and China, there are many pieces of original furniture, including an important collection of heavily ornamented Indo-Portuguese pieces. In the chapel (currently open), don’t miss the altar and the pulpit, the latter of which was made in the 17th century by Chinese artists in Goa. On the ground floor is the small but fascinating Maritime Museum , with gold coins, ship compasses, Chinese porcelain and other items recovered from local shipwrecks. Behind the palace are the Church of the Misericórdia (still in use) and the Museum of Sacred Art , containing religious ornaments, paintings and carvings. The museum is housed in the former hospital of the Holy House of Mercy, a religious guild that assisted the poor and sick in several Portuguese colonies from the early 1500s onwards. The ticket price includes entry to all three museums and an English-speaking guide.
