7/31/2019 The Historic Center of Macau

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-historic-center-of-macau 1/10

7/31/2019 The Historic Center of Macau

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-historic-center-of-macau 2/10

© 2012 Brilliance Press. All rights reserved.

-1-

This is the second in a series of articles about Macau, a Special Administrative Region of 

the People’s Republic of China. As with the show The House of Dancing Water , we took 

too many great photos of the  Historic Centre of Macao (the Portuguese spelling of Macau)

to include all of them in my upcoming list of the Top Ten Things to Savor in Macau. It

merits its own post with a full photo collage.

The colonial area of the city with its mix of Portuguese and Chinese influences was

designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2005. According to UNESCO, "with its

historic street, residential, religious and public Portuguese and Chinese buildings, the

 Historic Centre of Macao provides a unique testimony to the meeting of aesthetic,

cultural, architectural and technological influences from East and West.” 

The Centre stretches over

several square kilometers in

two zones: one between

Barra Hill to the west andMount Hill in the center, and

the other to the east

encompassing the Guia

Fortress, Guia Chapel, and

Guia Lighthouse. The first

zone boasts 20 monuments

of special significance to the

blending of eastern and

western influences harkening

back to Macau’s days as a

Portuguese colony. A

complete list is at the end of 

this article.

During our trip to Macau in April 2012, we visited the monuments near Mount Hill.

They’re shown in the map above. Starting at Senado Square (10 on the map), we walked

to Mount Fortress (21), the Ruins of St. Paul’s (29), and back to the square. The small

area was packed with things to see and made a great daytime walking tour. Unfortunately,

time and weather did not permit us to see the other sites in the Centre -- perhaps during a

future visit.

We started at the  Mount Fortress (Fortaleza do Monte in Portuguese). The hilltop fortresswas built in 1626 by the Jesuits to defend themselves from attack. The colonial

government seized it after Pope Clement XIV dissolved the Jesuits’ Order, the Society of 

Jesus, in 1773, and the Jesuits departed. It served for many years as the residence of the

governors of Macau and a military fort. It is now home to the   Museum of Macau. You can

almost hear echoes of the city’s colonial past near the cannons on the ramparts. The

beautiful garden offers panoramic views of the old city.

7/31/2019 The Historic Center of Macau

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-historic-center-of-macau 3/10

7/31/2019 The Historic Center of Macau

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-historic-center-of-macau 4/10

© 2012 Brilliance Press. All rights reserved.

-3-

7/31/2019 The Historic Center of Macau

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-historic-center-of-macau 5/10

© 2012 Brilliance Press. All rights reserved.

-4-

Next to the Ruins of St. Paul’s is the nondescript  Na Tcha Temple, a Buddhist and Taoist 

temple built in 1888 to honor the Taoist deity of protection, Na Tcha. Perhaps just as

significant is the red- brown wall behind the temple that’s reportedly one of the last

standing sections of the Old Wall of Macau destroyed by the Chinese in 1622.

We walked down the steps of the Ruins of St. Paul’s to the intersection of Rua de Sao

Paulo and Rua de Santo Antonio, where the shopping district of the Historic Centre of 

 Macao  began. Heading away from St. Paul’s, Rua de Santo Antonio became a

cobblestone pedestrian street that headed to Senado Square. 

7/31/2019 The Historic Center of Macau

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-historic-center-of-macau 6/10

© 2012 Brilliance Press. All rights reserved.

-5-

At the base of the steps was an interesting statue depicting a

Caucasian man and Asian woman that apparently signified the

union of eastern and western influences in Macau. In an eternal

pose the woman offers the man a lotus flower, and the man

accepts with an open hand.

As we made our way through the Centre’s shopping district, we

saw a variety of western and Asian storefronts sprouting from

colorful Portuguese-style colonial buildings with signs in

Chinese, English, and Portuguese. It was an interesting melding

of the old and new. Most tourists here were Chinese drawn by

the excellent shopping opportunities.

7/31/2019 The Historic Center of Macau

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-historic-center-of-macau 7/10

© 2012 Brilliance Press. All rights reserved.

-6-

7/31/2019 The Historic Center of Macau

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-historic-center-of-macau 8/10

© 2012 Brilliance Press. All rights reserved.

-7-

Near the junction of Rua de Santo Antonio and Rua Sao Domingos, we passed by the

beautiful St. Dominic's Church. Originally built in 1587, the baroque interior is worth a

look-see.

Turning a corner, we entered Senado Square, or Senate Square, the heart of historic

Macau. The square was paved with a colorful mosaic of cobblestones surrounding a

contemporary fountain bedecked with a metallic globe. The Leal Senado, General Post

Office, the Santa Casa de Misercordia (Holy House of Mercy), a Portuguese charity, and

other colonial buildings bordered the square.

7/31/2019 The Historic Center of Macau

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-historic-center-of-macau 9/10

© 2012 Brilliance Press. All rights reserved.

-8-

7/31/2019 The Historic Center of Macau

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-historic-center-of-macau 10/10

© 2012 Brilliance Press. All rights reserved.

-9-

The monuments described above are only some of the significant ones in the Historic

Centre of Macao. Others include (from Wikipedia):

   A-Ma Temple 

   Moorish Barracks 

   Lilau Square 

   Mandarin's House 

  St Lawrence's Church 

  St. Joseph's Seminary and Church 

  St. Augustine's Square 

   Dom Pedro V Theatre 

  Sir Robert Ho Tung Library 

  St. Augustine's Church 

  Sam Kai Vui Kun (Kuan Tai Temple) 

  Cathedral of the Nativity of Our Lady 

   Lou Kau Mansion   St. Anthony's Church 

  Casa Garden 

  Old Protestant Cemetery and the old

headquarters of the British East Indies

Company

The walking tour from Mount Fortress to Senado Square is accessible by foot and takes

about half a day. If you’re planning a trip to Macau, take your time and set aside at least

two days to visit the Historic Centre.

 M.G. Edwards is a writer of books and stories in the mystery,

thriller and science fiction-fantasy genres. He also writes travel

adventures. He is author of   Kilimanjaro: One Man’s Quest to Go

Over the Hill , a non-fiction account of his attempt to summit 

 Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest mountain. His collection of 

short stories called   Real Dreams: Thirty Years of Short Stories 

available as an e-book and in print on  Amazon.com. He lives in

 Bangkok, Thailand with his wife Jing and son Alex. 

For more books or stories by M.G. Edwards, visit his web site at 

www.mgedwards.com or his blog, World Adventurers. Contact himat  me@mgedwards.com , on Facebook  , on Google+ , or  @m_g_edwards on Twitter. 

© 2012 Brilliance Press. All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or 

transmitted without the written consent of the author .