Macau Cathedral, Macau Peninsula, Macau
After taking pictures of the dramatic facade with its 66 Stone Steps and simply looking tirelessly at the Ruins of St. Paul’s during our Macau Day Tour on May 30, 2009, we continued our walk. Along the way, we saw a nice fountain and a church at Largo da Sé.
The church building was so simple and there were not a lot of people and tourists around the area unlike at the St. Dominic’s Square. We had no idea about the church but eventually learned upon entering the church that it was actually the Macau Cathedral.
When we entered the Cathedral of Macau, if I remember it right, there were at least seven people, and I was guessing that most of them were probably even local residents of Macau. People pray solemnly without being disturbed or bothered by the roaming tourists.
I was guessing that most of the people inside the church were local residents because I thought I saw a few of them looking at us who looked like surprised and wondering what we were doing inside the church. It seemed like Macau Cathedral was not really on top of the list as a tourist attraction in Macau.
The interior of the Cathedral of Macau was also simple compared to the cathedrals or just simple churches that I have seen in Europe but I definitely admired its fine stained glass windows.
The Cathedral was built in 1576. “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,” according to the Macau Government Tourist Office Website.
In 1850, the Cathedral was rebuilt and consecrated. But in 1874, 24 years later after it was rebuilt, it was almost destroyed in a typhoon and was extensively repaired. In 1937, the Cathedral was completely rebuilt to what it is today, with two solid towers and massive doors.
The Cathedral Square or Largo da Sé where the Cathedral of Macau is located has recently been refurbished. An imposing fountain was added to provide residents and visitors alike a convenient place to relax.
The Macau Cathedral and the Cathedral Square are parts of the “Historic Centre of Macau”. The Historic Centre of Macau was officially inscribed on July 15, 2005 on the prestigious UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Related Links:
Macau Government Tourist Office
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