Senado Square

Senado Square has been the civic centre of Macao for four centuries, an irregular open space paved in a black and white wave pattern of Portuguese calçada laid by craftsmen brought over for the purpose, and around it stand the Leal Senado building, the Holy House of Mercy and a run of pastel-painted neoclassical facades. It is one of the squares within the historic centre inscribed by UNESCO in 2005, and it is nearly always busy.

History

The square takes its name from the Leal Senado, the meeting place of Chinese and Portuguese officials from the 16th to the 18th century, which stood where the Leal Senado Building is now. In 1940 a small garden was laid out at its centre with a bronze statue of Vicente Nicolau de Mesquita, later removed, and a fountain now stands in its place. The square once carried traffic and parking, but as visitor numbers grew it was paved with Portuguese calçada in the early 1990s and made pedestrian-only; governors of Macau inspected their troops here, Hong Kong films of the 1950s and 1960s used it as a set, and it is part of the Historic Centre of Macau World Heritage Site (Wikipedia, Senado Square).

What you'll find

• The calçada paving - the black and white wave pattern laid in Portuguese stone.
• The pastel facades - the neoclassical buildings ringing the square.
• The Leal Senado - the old municipal building on the southern side.
• The Holy House of Mercy - the white charitable institution facing into the square.

When to go

October to December is dry and cool, the best window in Macao. Summer is hot and humid with typhoon risk. Evenings are when the square is lit and busiest.

Things to know

The square is crowded almost constantly and the surrounding streets are heavily commercial. Summer heat and humidity are severe. Chinese New Year and holidays make it nearly impassable.

Nearby

The Ruins of St Paul's are north, and the Cathedral is east.

Key facts