Attraction & Sightseeing In Macau
Old Protestant Cemetry -
Pou Tai Un Temple -
Ruins of St. Paul's
Cathedral
San Antonio Church -
St. Augustine's Church -
St. Domingo's Church
The
Old Protestant cemetery is situated directly to the east of the
Praca Luis de Camoues and can be reached by walking north and
downhill from the Ruins of St. Paul's Cathedral.
This is a fascinating little cemetery filled with the graves of
Protestants who either died or passed through Macau since 1814.
Ecclesiastical law forbade the burial of Protestants on Catholic
soil and the Chinese also rejected the idea of having Protestants
buried on their ground. It was not until 1814 that land was sold to
the British East Indian Company who opened the cemetery in 1821. The
graves here are very detailed and personal, recounting life stories
and achievements. Among the more famous people buried here is the
artist George Chimmery.
--To the Top
Pou Tai Un is a picturesque temple with vividly painted and carved
wooden girders and ornate balconies. This is the biggest temple on
Taipa Island and a huge bronze statue of Buddha is enshrined here.
There is a nice vegetarian restaurant here which uses fresh
vegetables picked from the Temple grounds. The food here is not
cheap but it is superb high quality vegetarian food. (Open 9am-8pm.
Telephone: 811007.)
How to get there: Take a bus to The Hyatt Hotel from Taipa Village,
the Temple is directly opposite. Alternately, you could walk the 1.5
km from the village.
--To the Top
 The
Ruins of St. Paul's Cathedral are Macau's most famous landmark. This
spectacular facade, perched atop one of the island's seven hills, is
the symbol of Macau and an image which was projected throughout
China leading up to the hand-over in December 1999.
St. Paul's Cathedral was first built in the 17th Century, the design
of an Italian Jesuit and the work of Japanese Christians. This
mammoth and spectacular building dominated the city until 1835 when
it was savagely destroyed by fire and only the facade, the mosaic
floor and stone steps approaching the building survived. In fact,
the ruins of St. Paul's are still impressive and inspiring despite
this destruction, perhaps even more so as a result of the
devastation.
The magnificent and delicately carved facade looms over visitors as
they climb the steps from the Rua de Sao Paulo. The facade depicts
various scenes from Christianity, harmoniously combining the style
which is the epitome of Macau- a combination of renaissance and
oriental art and design. Even today, the ruins are held to be the
most impressive monument to Christianity in the east.
Behind the facade is Saint Paul's Museum which houses various
religious relics and artifacts including the tomb of the Jesuit monk
who designed the Cathedral and is accredited with introducing
Christianity to Japan.
Museum Opening hours: Daily 9am to 6pm (except Tuesday). Entrance is
free.
--To the Toppp
 San
Antonio Church was the first Catholic Church in Macau. The existing
building is not the original however, and this church is famous for
having burned to the ground three times!
This modern building is dedicated to
Saint Anthony (a military saint) and on 13th June each year a
ceremony is held in which the Chairman of the Macau government
donates part of the military provisions of the area to the memory of
the saints.
Address: The church is a few blocks
north of Sao Domingos.
--To the Top
 The
first Church was built here in 1586 by Italian Catholics who were in
Macau as missionaries.
The present building dates back to 1814 and is a pretty pastel
colored church with an elegant marble clad altar.
St. Augustine's was one of the first churches in Macau to have a
service in English.
Address: St. Augustine's is near the Leal Senado in Largo de Santo
Agostino.
--To the Top
 St.
Domingo's Church was built by the Order of the Dominicans when they
first arrived in Macau in 1687. The church was renovated in 1828 and
expanded to the large and impressive scale that it is in today. The
church is dedicated to St. Domingo and Lady Fatima, (a Portuguese
goddess), and it is a stunning example of 17th century baroque
architecture.
The paintings and statues inside the church (especially the painting
of Christ), are wonderful examples of classical Portuguese art. The
Church has a tiered altar, decorated with images of the virgin and
child and an exquisitely-carved gate marks the entrance on Rua do
Sao Domingo's.
There is a small museum at the back of the church containing various
religious relics and Church regalia including sculpture and relics
from St. Paul's Cathedral.
Opening hours: The Church is only open in the afternoons. To enter,
visitors should ring the bell at the side door.
--To the Top
Sightseeing
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