St. Dominic's Church

St Dominic's stands on its own small square just off Senado Square, a baroque church in cream and yellow with green shutters, founded by Spanish Dominican friars in 1587 and rebuilt in the seventeenth century. The first Portuguese-language newspaper on Chinese soil was printed here in 1822. A bell tower behind the church holds a museum of sacred art with several hundred pieces from churches across Macao, arranged over three floors.

History

Three Spanish Dominican priests who had come from Acapulco in Mexico founded the church in 1587, and after renovation and rebuilding the present structure dates from the early 17th century. In 1644, after the end of the Iberian Union, a Spanish officer loyal to the King of Spain sought refuge here from an angry mob and was killed at the foot of the altar during mass, and in 1707 the Dominicans, siding with the Pope in the Chinese Rites controversy, were excommunicated by the Bishop of Macau and kept soldiers out by barring the church for three days and throwing stones. The first Portuguese-language newspaper in China, A Abelha da China, was published here on 12 September 1822; when the religious orders were dissolved in 1834 the government used the church as barracks, a stable and a public works office, but it later reopened, receiving sacred art from orders dissolved in Portugal, and it was renovated in 1997, when a museum was added (Wikipedia, St. Dominic's Church, Macau).

What to look for

• The yellow baroque facade - the cream and yellow front with green shutters.
• The 1587 foundation - the Dominican origins of the church.
• The sacred art museum - several hundred pieces in the bell tower behind.
• The printing history - the first Portuguese newspaper on Chinese soil produced here.

When to go

October to December is dry and cool. The church keeps daily hours and closes at midday in places. Services restrict visiting.

What to expect

The square outside is very crowded. The museum in the tower is small and can be closed without notice. Photography inside the church is limited.

Nearby

Senado Square is beside it, and the Ruins of St Paul's are north.

Key facts