Religious, Spiritual sights in Macau
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Ruins of the Church of St Paul
The most treasured icon in Macau, the facade and stairway are all that remain of this early-17th-century Jesuit church, called Tai Sam Ba in Cantonese. With its statues, portals and engravings that effectively make up a ‘sermon in stone’ and a Biblia pauperum (Bible of the poor), the church was one of the greatest monuments to Christianity in Asia, intended to help the illiterate understand the Passion of Christ and the lives of the saints. The church was designed by an Italian Jesuit and completed by early Japanese Christian exiles and Chinese craftsmen in 1602. It was abandoned after the expulsion of the Jesuits in 1762 and a military battalion was stationed here. I…
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A-Ma Statue
Atop Alto de Coloane (176m), this 20m-high white jade statue of the goddess who gave Macau its name was erected in 1998. Below it is Tian Hou Temple (8am-7.30pm), which, together with the statue, form the core of A-Ma Cultural Village, a religious complex with a museum, retreat and medical centres, plus a vegetarian restaurant. It’s popular with Fujianese and Taiwanese worshippers, and is rather commercial. You’ll probably see traders selling stuff supposedly meant to bring luck and wealth, including birds and turtles. Still, it’s a good spot to get a bird’s-eye view of Hác Sá beach on a clear day. A free bus runs from the A-Ma ornamental entrance gate on Estrad…
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A-Ma Temple
North of Barra Hill is a temple dedicated to the goddess A-Ma and Macau’s namesake – called Ma Kok Miu in Cantonese. She is better known as Tin Hau. This is the oldest temple in Macau and was probably standing when the Portuguese arrived, although the present one may only date back to the 17th century. At the entrance is a large boulder with a coloured relief of a lorcha (a traditional sailing vessel of the South China Sea). During the A-Ma Festival sometime between late April and early May, it is crowded with pilgrims. If you can only visit one temple in Macau, make it this one.
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Chapel of Our Lady of Guia
Guia Fort atop the highest point on the peninsula was built in 1638 to defend the border with China. Storm warnings were sounded from the bell in the Chapel of Our Lady of Guia, built in 1622. The walls of the little church have interesting frescoes discovered recently, and there’s a colourful choir loft above the main entrance. On the floor below is a tombstone with the inscription (in Latin) : ‘Here lies at this gate the remains of a Christian, by accident, for his body does not deserve such an honourable sepulchre’. It’s believed the deceased was buried here in 1687.
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Lin Fung Temple
Once Taoist but now dedicated to Kun Iam, this temple (built in 1592) was where people from Guangdong province would stay when they visited Macau, including Lin Zexu, the commissioner charged with stamping out the opium trade, who stayed here in September 1839. The Lin Zexu Memorial Hall, with its old photographs, a model of a Chinese war junk and opium-smoking paraphernalia, recalls his visit.
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Sam Kai Vui Kun Temple
Literally ‘a community hall for three streets’, this temple was a meeting place for merchants and then an adjudication court before the Chinese Chamber of Commerce came into existence in 1912. The temple is 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.
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Kun Iam Temple
This is probably the most active temple in Macau and is also dedicated to the goddess of mercy. It dates from 1627 and its most historic moment was in 1844, when the first treaty of trade and friendship between the USA and China was signed on a stone table in the terraced gardens at the back. Unfortunately some of the reliefs were damaged during the Cultural Revolution.
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Chapel of Our Lady of Penha
Towering above the colonial villas along Avenida da República is Penha Hill, the most tranquil and least visited area of the peninsula. From here you’ll get excellent views of the central area of Macau. Atop the hill is the Bishop’s Palace (built in 1837) and the Chapel of Our Lady of Penha, once a place of pilgrimage for sailors.
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Kun Iam Ecumenical Centre
The 20m-high bronze Kun Iam Statue, emerging Virgin Mary–like from a 7m-high lotus in the outer harbour, is probably the only statue in the world of the goddess of mercy that is not facing the sea. The Kun Iam Ecumenical Centre in the Kun Iam’s ‘blossom’ has information on Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism.
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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 in the world of the goddess of mercy that is not facing the sea. The Kun Iam Ecumenical Centre in the Kun Iam’s ‘blossom’ has information on Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism.
reviewed
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Church of St Anthony
Outside Casa Garden and next to the roundabout, this church, built from 1558 to 1608, 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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Pou Tai Temple
This is the largest temple complex on the islands of Taipa and Coloane. The main hall, dedicated to the Three Precious Buddhas, contains an enormous bronze statue of Lord Gautama, and there are prayer pavilions and orchid greenhouses scattered around the complex. There’s also a popular vegetarian restaurant.
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Church of St Augustine
Southwest of Largo do Senado via Rua Central is the Church of St Augustine. Its foundations date from 1586, but 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.
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Hong Kung Temple
Macau has some interesting Chinese temples dedicated to important but lesser-worshipped deities. The 200-year-old Hong Kung Temple is for worshipping Li Lie, a Han-dynasty general. The boat-shaped sculpture in the middle of the main hall is for offering wine to the deities during religious festivities.
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Na Tcha Temple
Macau has some interesting Chinese temples dedicated to important but lesser-worshipped deities. Na Tcha Temple, sitting quietly beside the Ruins of the Church of St Paul, was built in 1888 and dedicated to the child god of war to halt the plague occurring at that time.
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Church of St Dominic
Northeast of Largo do Senado, this 17th-century baroque church is a replacement of a chapel built in the 1590s. Today it contains the Treasury of Sacred Art, an Aladdin’s cave of ecclesiastical art and liturgical objects exhibited on three floors.
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Four-Faced Buddha Shrine
Northeast of the Macau Jockey Club racetrack’s main entrance is this 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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Nu Wa Temple
Macau has some interesting Chinese temples dedicated to important but lesser-worshipped deities. The Nu Wa Temple, a family shrine-like temple in a faded yellow building, built in 1888, was consecrated to the Chinese equivalent of Gaia.
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Macau Cathedral
East of Largo do Senado is the cathedral, a not particularly attractive structure consecrated in 1850 and completely rebuilt in 1937. It has some notable stained-glass windows and is very active during major Christian festivals and holy days in Macau.
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Church of St Lawrence
The original church was built out of wood in the 1560s but was rebuilt in stone in the early 19th century. It has a magnificent painted ceiling and one of the church towers once served as an ecclesiastical prison. Enter from Rua da Imprensa Nacional.
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Chapel of St Joseph Seminary
Southwest of 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 superb acoustics, and the church is used as a concert venue.
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