World Heritage Macau

The Church of Sto. Domingo is one of the most beautiful churches in Macau. You will not miss this yellow and green building as you walk from Leal Senado plaza to the ruins of St Paul’s.

Sto. Domingo is a baroque Filipino style church built by the Spanish Dominican friars from Acapulco, Mexico in the mid 16th century. They also built a monastery next to the church which does not exist anymore. The plaza in front of the church used to be a marketplace. Originally built in wood, Sto. Domingo was finally rebuilt in stone in the year 1828. The basic layout is influenced by both Portuguese and Spanish styles. On the facade of Sto. Domingo is the emblem of the Domincan Order.

Don’t walk past without going inside. The Dominicans are well known for their love of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It is not surprising therefore to have an image of the Madonna and Child in the altar piece. Above is the seal of Sto. Domingo painted on the ceiling. You can find this seal all over the place. Even some of the church vessels and instruments carry it. There is a bier dating from 1683. There are also some beautiful statutes of St. Caetano, St. Francis and St. Dominic. They have carved ivory heads.

The nave has two wide side aisles. The flooring is of ceramic mosaic tiles with floral decorations. The wooden roof is beautifully carved with ventilation lattices. There is a wooden balcony running along the upper sections of the side walls. The choir loft is above the main doors and from there you can overlook the plaza in front of the church.

The church is also historic because it was where here that the first Portuguese newspaper, A Abelha da China (The China Bee), was published on Chinese soil in 1822.

There is a small museum of sacred art in the bell tower at the back of the building with about 300 items on display.

Tel: 8399 6699 (fortress); 2835 7911 (Museum).

Mount Fortress, built in 1617-26, occupies a hilltop to the east of the ruins of St. Paul′ s. It was constructed by the Jesuits as part of a complex which also included the college and church of St. Paul′ s. The canons were used only once, when the Dutch invaded Macau in 1622. This was also the first residence of the governors of Macau.

At that time, besides the cannons, Mount Fortress also included military barracks, munitions warehouse and supply depots. It was the primary defence centre along the eastern and western coastline in Macau. In the centre of the top platform, there was a 3-storey tower fitted with cannons on each floor. There were four rows of houses that served as military barracks close by. The Fortress was also equipped with wells and an arsenal that held sufficient ammunition and supplies to survive a siege lasting up to two years.

The walls are built on 3.7 metre wide granite bases. They are made of solid rammed earth, further strengthened by a thick stucco of ground oyster shells. The parapet sections were crenulated for the installation of 32 cannons and the two corners of the south-east wall have watchtowers. The north-western and south-western granite walls facing the Chinese mainland do not have any battlements, indicating that the fortress was built only for defence against attacks from the sea.

The site used to be a restricted military facility until around 1965 when the barracks were converted into a weather observatory. Over the following decades trees grew from the platform of the fort, which was transformed into a public park where residents and visitors came to enjoy the views. In 1996, the meteorological services moved their operations to Taipa Island. The fort ramparts and walls were restored in 1992, 1993 and 1996.

Macau Museum was built into the side of Mount Fortress in 1998. It occupies an extensive area and is divided into two parts, namely the Museum Building and the Administrative Office. The Museum Building has three floors. Within the museum, introductions about the origins of Macau can be found, as well as information on holidays, folk art, living art mixed with the Chinese and the Portuguese, as well as the situation after the handover. There are also some very nice models of typical Chinese and Western style buildings. The administrative office contains a gift and souvenir shop.

Although the Museum does not possess a collection of a high monetary value, it includes a vast number of objects of a great historical value which have been carefully chosen and are appealingly exhibited.


Museum Opening hours: From 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Closed Mondays. Open public holidays.
Tickets: children (under 11), elderly people (over 60) and students - 8 patacas; adults - 15 patacas,

This is one of Macau’s enduring symbols and is a ‘must see’ for all visitors to Macau. The ruins you see today were the facade of what was originally the Cathedral of St Paul’s, built in 1602 and destroyed by fire in 1835, and the St. Paul’s College which stood adjacent to the Church. In 2005, the Ruins of St. Paul were officially enlisted as part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The cathedral was the largest Catholic church in Asia at the time, and the royalty of Europe vied with each other to bestow upon the cathedral the best gifts. With the decline in importance of Macau, which was overtaken as the main port for the Pearl River Delta by Hong Kong, the cathedral's fortunes similarly ebbed, and it was destroyed by a fire during a typhoon in 1835.

The ruins now consist of the southern stone façade — intricately carved between 1620 and 1627 by Japanese Christians in exile from their homeland and local craftsmen under the direction of Italian Jesuit Carlo Spinola — and the crypts of the Jesuits who established and maintained the Cathedral. The façade sits on a small hill, with 66 stone steps leading up to it and it is particularly impressive when approached along the road from the Senado Square..

Resisting calls for the dangerously leaning structure to be demolished, from 1990 to 1995 the ruins were excavated under the auspices of the Instituto Cultural de Macau to study its historic past. The crypt and the foundations were uncovered, revealing the architectural plan of the building. Numerous religious artefacts were also found together with the relics of the Japanese Christian martyrs and the monastic clergy, including the founder of the Jesuit college in Macau, Father Alessandro Valignano.

The ruins were restored by the Macanese government, and the facade is now buttressed with concrete and steel in a way which preserves the aesthetic integrity of the facade. A steel stairway allows you to climb up to the top of the facade from the rear for an interesting view over Old Macau.

Senado Square has been Macau’s urban centre for centuries and it is still the most popular venue for public events and celebrations today. We visited during Chinese New Year and the whole square was brilliantly decorated and crowded with people both during the day and at night. Senado Square has always been the city centre. In the past, this was where the governors inspected military troops and the police force when they took up their posts.

Known as Avenida de Almeida Ribeiro square in the official annals of Macau, Senado square was constructed by the colonial rulers of Macau showcasing their glory and design ability. It contains an elegant fountain, space for public events, trees, benches and cafes. Most of the buildings around the square are neoclassical in style and some are classified monuments or classified buildings of architectural interest. The square is paved with a wave-patterned mosaic of coloured stones, created by Portuguese experts.

Possibly the most impressive building fronting Senado Square is the Holy House of Mercy, used by a charitable institution, founded in 1569. This two-storied building in neo-classical style has an elaborate front elevation. The architectural elements between the central section of the main façade and the remaining part differ in details. On the ground floor section there are double sets of pilasters between the arches, round ones in the middle and square ones on the sides. The upper level follows the same rhythm, with its central section topped by a triangular pediment. The building underwent renovations in the 18th century and the façade was altered in the 19th century to accommodate a more neo-classical image.

The square contains some shops and restaurants well worth a visit. We had lunch here one day and really enjoyed watching the crowd of locals and tourists wandering around, taking photographs and enjoying the activity. If you head away from the Senate building you come to St. Dominic's Square with St Dominic's Church (founded in 1587) and the old Chinese bazaar area. This is another area for great photographs. It is worth seeking out the Sam Kai Vui Kun Temple (restored in 1792), which is testimony to Macao's enduring respect to Chinese and Portuguese communities as equals.


Close by, there is the Cathedral Square with the Cathedral Church (rebuilt in 1850), and the headquarters of Macao's Diocese.

If you are facing this building you are in the centre of ‘Old Macau’. This is probably the most photographed building in the city and it is often cited as an outstanding example of Portuguese architecture. Unfortunately, the rapidly growing traffic along the street is diminishing the appeal of the building considerably.

The building was constructed in 1784 as Macau’s first municipal chamber. Two hundred and twenty five years later it still serves the same function. The name "Leal Senado" or Loyal Senate, derives from the title "City of Our Name of God Macau, There is None More Loyal" which was bestowed by Portuguese King Dom John IV in 1654.

The Leal building is neo-classical in design and has retained all its original master walls and layout. The highlights inside are the elaborately carved library, a small chapel and a wonderful courtyard. There is also a museum and art gallery. It really is worth some of your time. The library is styled after the library of Mafra Convent in Portugal and is outstanding. It is only open on weekdays, however.

On the main facade there are rows of windows in simple renaissance style with granite casings. In the middle section, there are three French windows on the first floor, opening on to balconies with iron railings. The composition of the facade is completely symmetrical and the windows are the main architectural element.

The floor plan of the building is a U-shape, with the arms turned away from the main road, Almeida Ribeiro Avenue. On the ground floor there is a spacious lobby used for public exhibitions and as a reception area. When we were there at Chinese New Year, it was elaborately decorated and crowded with visitors. A granite staircase leads up to the courtyard garden and to the public library and conference rooms on the first floor. The granite staircase walls are covered with blue and white Portuguese ceramic tiles, a most distinctive feature rarely found in other buildings in Macao.

The building is painted white which enhances the dark green colour applied on the window frames and on the main entrance door.