Showing 1-14 of 14 results
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A-Ma Statue
This colossal 20m statue of the goddess atop Alto de Coloane, was hewn from a form of white jade quarried near Beijing and was erected in 1998. Below it is enormous Tian Hou Temple (; - ), which, together with the statue, form the core of A-Ma Cultural Village, a religious complex containing a museum, retreat and medical centres, a vegetarian restaurant and handicraft shops.
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A-Ma Temple
North of Barra Hill, this temple - called Ma Kok Miu in Cantonese - is dedicated to the goddess A-Ma, better known as Tin Hau. The original temple on this site was probably already standing when the Portuguese arrived, although the present one may only date back to the 17th century.
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Chapel Of St Francis Xavier
This delightful little church on the waterfront was built in 1928 to honour St Francis Xavier, a missionary in Japan. For many years a fragment of the saint's arm bone was kept in the chapel, but it has now been moved to St Joseph Seminary on the Macau Peninsula. Have a look in the room to the right of the chapel, where an interesting painting of a Kum Iam-like Virgin Mary is on display.
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Chapel Of St Joseph Seminary
To the southwest of the Dom Pedro V Theatre is the Chapel of St Joseph, consecrated in 1758 as part of a Jesuit seminary. Its 19m-high domed ceiling has exceptionally fine acoustics, and the church is used as a concert venue.
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Church Of St Anthony
Located just outside the Casa Garden and next to the roundabout, this church, built from 1558 to 1608, is considered to be the oldest in Macau and was the Jesuit's earliest headquarters. The local Portuguese used to hold wedding ceremonies here, hence its name in Cantonese: Fa Vong Tong (Church of Flowers). It burnt down three times and the present architecture is a restoration from 1930.
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Church Of St Augustine
Southwest of Largo do Senado via Rua Central is the Church of St Augustine. Though its foundations date from 1586, the present church was built in 1814. The high altar has a statue of Christ bearing the cross, which is carried through the streets during the Procession of the Passion of Our Lord on the first Saturday of Lent . At the time of writing, the church was closed for maintenance.
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Four-Faced Buddha Shrine
Northeast of the Macau Jockey Club racetrack's main entrance is the Buddhist shrine guarded by four stone elephants and festooned with gold leaf and Thai-style floral bouquets. It's a popular place to pray and make offerings before race meetings.
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Kun Iam Statue
This 20m-high bronze figure, emerging Virgin Mary-like from a 7m-high lotus in the outer harbour, is probably the only statue of the goddess of mercy in the world not facing the sea. It is quite relaxing once you've entered Kun Iam's 'blossom' - the Kun Iam Ecumenical Centre (Centro Ecuménico Kun Iam; 2875 1516; admission free; ; - Sat-Thu). Information is available on Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism.
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Kun Iam Temple
Dating from 1627, this is Macau's oldest and most interesting temple. The likeness of Kun Iam, goddess of mercy, is in the main hall while the adjacent rooms honour her with a collection of pictures and scrolls. On a less religious note, the first treaty of trade and friendship between the US and China was signed in the temple's terraced gardens in 1844. These days the incense-shrouded complex is thronged with fortune tellers and visitors.
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Lin Fung Temple
Built in 1592 as a Taoist temple but now dedicated to Kun Iam, it's where mandarins from Guangdong province would stay when they visited Macau. The most celebrated of these visitors was Lin Zexu , the commissioner charged with stamping out the opium trade, who stayed here in September 1839.
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Macau Cathedral
East of Largo do Senado is the cathedral, a not particularly attractive structure consecrated in 1850 to replace an earlier one badly damaged in a typhoon. The cathedral, which was completely rebuilt in 1937, has some notable stained-glass windows and is very active during major Christian festivals and holy days in Macau.
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Pou Tai Temple
This Buddhist temple is the largest temple complex on the islands. The main hall, dedicated to the Three Precious Buddhas, contains an enormous bronze statue of Lord Gautama, and there are brightly coloured prayer pavilions and orchid greenhouses scattered around the complex. The temple also contains a popular vegetarian restaurant.
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Ruins of the Church of St Paul
The most famous sight in Macau, the façade and stairway are all that remain of this early-17th-century Jesuit church, called Tai Sam Ba in Cantonese. With its wonderful statues, portals and engravings that effectively make up a 'sermon in stone' and a Biblia pauperum (Bible of the poor), some consider the ruins to be the greatest monument to Christianity in Asia to help the illiterate understand the Passion of Christ and the lives of the saints.
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Sam Kai Vui Kun Temple
Literally 'a community hall for three streets', this temple was a meeting place for merchants then an adjudication court before the Chinese Chamber of Commerce came into existence in 1912. Also known as Kwan Tai Temple, dedicated to Kwan Yu, the god of war and justice, it gets particularly busy in May, June and July when locals celebrate three festivals in the god's honour.
Showing 1-14 of 14 results
