All that remains of the greatest of Macau's churches is its magnificent stone facade and grand staircase. The church was built in 1602 adjoining the Jesuit College of St. Paul's, the first Western college in the Far East where missionaries such as Matteo Ricci and Adam Schall studied Chinese before serving at the Ming Court in Beijing as astronomers and mathematicians. The church, made of taipa and wood, was brilliantly decorated and furnished, according to early travelers. The facade of carved stone was built in 1620-27 by Japanese Christian exiles and local craftsmen under the direction of Italian Jesuit Carlo Spinola.
After the expulsion of the Jesuits, the college was used as an army barracks and in 1835 a fire started in the kitchens and destroyed the college and the body of the church. The surviving facade rised in 4 colonnaded tiers, and is covered with carvings and statues which eloquently illustrate the early days of the Church in Asia. There are statues of the Virgin and saints, symbols of the Garden of Eden and the Crucifixion, angels and the devil, a Chinese dragon and a Japanese chrysanthemum, a Portuguese sailing ship and pious warnings inscribed in Chinese.
After restoration work, lasting from 1990 to 1995, the back side of the Ruins of St. Paul's was turned into a museum. The ruins are regarded as the symbol of Macau and now offer visitors a new site where they can view the remains of the former Church of the Mother of God, visit a Crypt where the relics of the Martyrs of Japan and Vietnam rest, and a museum of Sacred Art where there are exhibits of paintings, sculptures and liturgical objects from churches and monasteries in the City.
Guia Chapel
This chapel was first built in the 17th century as part of the Guia Fortress. The present chapel dates from 1637, containing the image of the Virgin and a fine old painting of St. John the Baptist. During the restoration of the chapel in 1996, the oldest vestige of paintings that dates back to the construction of the hermitage in 1622 were founded. The murals are characterized by Oriental and Occidentals symbols.
Chapel of Our Lady of Penha
The first chapel was founded in 1622 by the crew and passengers of a ship which had narrowly escaped capture by the Dutch. The chapel served as a point of pilgrimage for sailors embarking on a hazardous voyage.
The chapel was completely rebuilt, along with the Bishop' s Palace in 1837.
Chapel of St. Francis Xavier
Built in 1928, this chapel follows the baroque style of Macau's major churches. It has a cream and white facade with oval windows and a bell tower. It stands behind the monument commemorating the local victory over pirates in 1910.
The chapel contains some of the most sacred relics of Christian Asia. In a silver reliquary is a bone from the arm of St. Francis Xavier, who followed his missionary successes in Japan by coming to the China coast, where he died in 1552 on Sanchuan Island, 50 miles from Macau. The relic was destined for Japan but religious persecution there persuaded the church to keep it in Macau' s St. Paul' s. It was moved first to St. Joseph′ s and in 1978 to the chapel.
Persecution of Christians in Japan led to 26 foreign and Japanese Catholic priests being crucified in Nagasaki in 1597 and many hundreds of Christian Japanese being killed during the 1637 Shimabara Rebellion. The bones of the Martyrs and some of the rebels were brought to Macau and kept in St. Paul' s. After fire destroyed the church, the bones were gathered and taken to the Cathedral. They were moved to St. Francis Xavier Chapel in 1974. Other bones stored in the chapel are relics of martyrs from 17th century Vietnam.
A few years ago, the relic was taken to St. Joseph' s Seminary and the Sacred Art Museum, but many people still come to this Chapel, especially Japanese Christians.
Chapel of St. James
This tiny chapel built in 1740 in the Barra Fort on the top of the peninsula is now an architectural part of the Portuguese inn, or pousada, which has been established on the foundations of the fort. It is a charming sanctuary with a statue of the saint and blue and white tiles depicting Our Lady of Fátima and the saintly Queen Isabel. St. James is the military protector of Macau, and legend tells that he frequently goes on patrol around the city, and, at times, his boots are found to be muddy. A soldier used to be given the duty of cleaning the boots of the statue. On one occasion the man forgot his duty it is said and received a crack on the head from the saint's sword.
Chapel of St. Michael
Set in the beautiful, landscaped Catholic Cemetery, this small chapel, built in 1875, is one of the best maintained buildings in Macau. Its exterior is painted green and white. A stained-glass window filters coloured light into the chapel.
Our Lady of Carmel Church
Built in 1885, this church stands on a hill overlooking the sea, Taipa Village and the restored mansions of Old Taipa Praia.
Our Lady of Fátima Church
Built in 1968, this is Macau' s newest church and serves the people of the industrial Bairro Tamagnini Barbosa in the north of the city. It stands in a quiet courtyard behind wrought-iron gates. The design is contemporary with a large square tower containing two bells. A broad staircase lead to the spacious church. Inside, the side walls are lined with stained-glass panels and the altar consists of a wooden crucifix on a red brick wall.
Our Lady of Sorrows Church
This small church was built in 1966 to serve the needs of the settlement of Ka Ho, where the families of cured lepers and a few new cases live. It has a magnificent bronze crucifix over the north door. It was created and given to Ka Ho by Italian sculptor Francisco Messima. Also associated with the building of this church is the name of another Italian sculptor, Oseo Acconci.
Protestant Chapel
To serve Macau's small Protestant minority this chapel is appropriately situated in the cemetery where 150 British and American graves recall the days of the foreign trading and naval presence in Macau. The small stone building is sometimes called the "Morrison Chapel" in honour of Robert Morrison, a missionary who translated the Bible into Chinese, and the stained glass window contains the art picture of an open Bible with Chinese characters for "In the beginning was the Word". On either side of the altar are plaques recalling James B. Endicott, an American trader who is buried in Hong Kong, and Henry Davies Margesson who drowned off Yokohama when returning home to England after 23 years in China.
St. Anthony's Church
This church stands on the site of a chapel founded in 1558, the first to be built in Macau. The history of the present building is told briefly on a plaque by the door: "Built in 1638. Burnt in 1809. Rebuilt in 1810. Burnt again in 1874. Repaired in 1875". However, there is a cross in the churchyard bearing the date of 1636. Another fire necessitated another restoration in 1930 and further work was done on the facade and tower in 1940.
Previously, members of the Portuguese community would hold wedding ceremonies there, so giving rise to the Chinese name of Fa Vong Tong (Church of Flowers).
St. Augustine's Church
The original church was built by Spanish Augustinian friars in 1586 and taken over by the Portuguese three years later. The present building dates from 1814 and has a spacious interior with three aisles separated by colonnades. The marble-clad high altar contains a statue of Christ carrying the cross.
It is said that when this statue was taken to the Cathedral by Church authorities it would mysteriously return to the altar of the church. In commemoration the procession of Our Lord of the Passion (Nosso Senhor dos Passos) is held every year on the first Sunday of Lent. The statue is taken to the Cathedral for a night and next day is carried through the streets where the Stations of the Cross are set up, and, attended by the clergy and hundreds of citizens, is restored to St. Augustine's.
When the Augustinians were expelled in 1712, the Passos procession was cancelled. It was a time of food shortage and the local Chinese associated the two events. They asked that "the man with the cross" walk the streets again and when the Church agreed the shortage ended.
Among the people buried in the church is Maria de Moura, a romantic heroine who in 1710 married Captain António Albuquerque Coelho, in spite of this, having lost an arm when attacked by one of her unsuccessful suitors. She died in child-birth and is buried with her baby and António's arm.
St. Dominic's Church
Standing on the site of a chapel and convent built by the Dominicans in the 1590's St. Dominic's Church dates from the early 17th century. It has an imposing facade of cream-coloured stone with white stucco mouldings and green-shutted windows. Inside, white pillars support a flat ceiling and apron balconies trim the walls. The great baroque altar contains a cream and white statue of the Virgin and Child and a painting of Christ. The church has a fine collection of exquisitely-carved ivory and wood saints.
St. Dominic's Church has a violently dramatic past. In 1644 a military officer who supported the Spanish against the Portuguese was murdered at the altar during Mass. In 1707 the Dominicans sided with the Pope against Macau's bishop in the Rites Controversy. When local soldiers tried to enforce an excommunication order on them, the friars locked themselves in the church for three days and pelted the soldiers with stones. In 1834 the monastic orders were suppressed and for a time the church was used by the government as barracks, stable and public works office.
St. Dominic's Church was renovated in 1997 and opened to the public with a museum, on the 1st, 2nd and 3rd floor. The museum shows paintings, sculptures and liturgical ornaments that illustrate the history of the Roman Catholic church in Asia.
St. Francis Xavier Church
(Rua da Francisco Xavier Pereira)
Built in 1951, this small attractive church is attached to an old people' s home, near the hill of Mong-Ha. The interior is simple and tranquil with a black marble altar. High louvred shutters along the walls open onto pleasant courtyards and gardens.
St. Joseph's Seminary and Church
This church was opened in 1758 as part of the Jesuit seminary of St. Joseph. Located on a hill, with twin brick roofed towers, it was a famous landmark that was often a subject for artists. It is laid out in cruciform shape, with a high domed ceiling. Its exceptionally fine acoustics make it an excellent venue for concerts during the annual International Music Festival. A door beside the altar leads to an exquisite walled garden containing an ancient well and plant nursery.
St. Lawrence's Church
Today the most fashionable church in Macau, St. Lawrence's Church was first built of wood in the 1560's, replaced by Taipa in 1618 and reconstructed in stone 1801-3. Further renovations took place throughout the 19th century.
The church is an imposing structure, standing in a garden filled with palm trees. It can be approached from the rear or, by way of a grand staircase and ornamental gate. Painted in cream and white, St. Lawrence's Church has twin towers, one of which was once an ecclesiastic prison, and a fine Chinese tile roof.
The interior is richly decorated. It has a magnificent wooden ceiling painted turquoise with white and gold beams, from which hang elegant chandeliers. The high altar contains a handsome figure of St. Lawrence in gorgeous vestments. Above him hangs a crown held by a cherub and behind is a stained glass window with a dove of peace. Over the window is a wooden lamb.
St. Lazarus Church
The first building on this site was the Hermitage of Our Lady of Hope, or more popularly St. Lazarus, established in 1570 to serve lepers. At the same time a settlement for lepers was built outside the old city walls. (This was transferred to D. João Island in 1882 and to Coloane in 1947, where it is today).
The present St. Lazarus was built in 1895 and renovated in 1966. In the forecourt is the Cross of Hope from the original chapel.
Cathedral
The present building stands on the site of several previous cathedrals. The original cathedral was the church of Our Lady of Hope of St. Lazarus, declared the mother church of the Macau diocese which included the religious provinces of China, Japan, Korea and other islands adjacent to China. The first stone Cathedral, consecrated in 1850, was almost destroyed in a typhoon 24 years later and had to be extensively repaired.
The Cathedral was completely rebuilt in 1937. It has two solid towers and massive doors. Inside, its chief beauty lies in its fine stained-glass windows.
Many of the major events of the church calendar focus on the Cathedral, especially at Easter when, in addition to the procession of Our Lord of the Passion, there is a solemn parade of Good Friday and special masses on Easter Sunday.
