Episcopal Church

The Episcopal Church has always been the center of Catholicism in Macao. The annual most grand Catholic children's night mass, the pilgrimage of the statue of Jesus and other large-scale activities are also held here, not because it is the largest church in Macao, but because it is the most dignified symbol.

Episcopal Church

The Episcopal Church is a special church set up in the diocese by the bishops (such as Catholicism, Orthodox Church, etc.), in which there is a bishop's seat for the bishop to preside over the salutation ceremony, teach the believers and survey the clerical affairs, and usually there is a bishop's office nearby.

Name source

The Episcopal Church was named before the great division of Christianity, so it was recognized by Catholicism, orthodox and other traditional sects. The official Latin name is ecclesia cathedralis, which means the Cathedral of Thrones. It first appeared in the Bishop's Council of talagona in 516 (this meeting was not included in the Grand Council)

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The Episcopal Church is composed of two Greek words, namely "Chamber" (E κ κ λ η σ ί α) and "chair" (κ α θ é δ ρ α)

. The original meaning of κ α θ é δ ρ α is seat, and later extended to chair. In the Eastern Roman Empire, it specifically refers to the emperor's throne, so it has the Dual Symbolic Meaning of enlightenment and rule in the secular society. Christianity is also used to similar metaphors. For example, in Chapter 23 of the New Testament, Jesus told the people and disciples that the scribes and Pharisees sitting in the lectures of Moses implied that the scribes and Pharisees inherited the authority of Moses

. It is believed that the church began to keep it consciously from the early days, and the Catholic Church also used a chair used by St. Peter in the main hall of St. Peter as a symbol of the source of power of the Holy See

. Because the bishop is the teacher of the believers and the administrator of the parish, and the seat symbolizes the teacher and the local administrator, so the chair is used to represent the bishop. The chair was later named the Bishop's seat. The cathedral is often referred to as cathedralis in the future. It reflects the influence of Greece on Christianity.

European countries usually use various variants of cathedralis to formally address the Cathedral (such as English Cathedral, French cath é drale, Spanish Catedral, German Kathedrale). In some languages, Latin ecclesia maior (meaning the main church) is also used as the official name of the cathedral.

Historical evolution

In 1575, the year before the construction of the cathedral, the Catholic Church established a diocese in Macao. In addition to Macao, this diocese once governed the religious affairs of the whole mainland of China and Japan. Until the establishment of dioceses, Macao, the "city of the holy name", once became the communication center of Catholicism in the Far East.

The Bishop's Cathedral of Macao was built in 1576. It was originally a small wooden building.

In 1622 (the second year of the Ming Dynasty), it was rebuilt with three kinds of soil. Later, it was destroyed by typhoon and built many times.

In 1937, the church began to be rebuilt with reinforced concrete, forming today's magnificent appearance.

architectural composition

The cathedral is also called the lobby. The so-called "big hall" is not the largest Catholic Church in Macao, but because it is the center of Catholicism in Macao, where St. Peter, one of the twelve disciples of Jesus, is worshipped. Located on the right side of the lobby is the Bishop's office, the seat of the highest Catholic administration in Macao. The biggest annual Catholic children's night mass, the statue of Jesus parade and other large-scale activities are also held here. From the spacious middle hall, prayer room and main altar, you can appreciate the style of the cathedral. The main altar is far-reaching in space and simple in design, with only stained glass windows as the background. However, under the altar are buried the remains of the 16th and 17th century bishops and saints, such as janelau, huaninda and Gasar, which makes the church a great honor. Sunlight shines into the lobby through the colored glass, which is a bit of the glorious effect of heaven.

The Bishop's Cathedral has been repaired many times. The Portuguese gravel is laid in front of the church, and the characteristic small fountain makes it an elegant and peaceful scenic spot. In this highland, you can walk all the way to banzhangtang, Xinma road or Nanwan District in less than 2 minutes.

social activities

Celebrations

The Episcopal Church has the dignity that no other church has. The Daqing ceremony of Macao church will be held here. In the past, when Macao's governors took office, they went to this church to put the scepter beside the statue of the Virgin Mary for protection and blessing. The annual biggest Catholic children's night mass is also held here. According to the Convention, this important mass is personally presided over by the bishop of Macao. By then the church would be packed.

Wedding activities

This cathedral is expected to meet a Chinese wedding in the church. It turns out that this is not only a mysterious religious place, but also a human world, a classroom about love and life. The bride, wearing a white wedding dress and holding flowers in her hand, accompanied by her father, goes to her beloved and makes a lifelong promise. Such a holy and romantic Western-style wedding was only seen in movies before, but this time she witnessed the whole process of the wedding in Macao. Different from the hustle and bustle of the Chinese wedding, in the solemn atmosphere of the church, everyone's attention was attracted to the ceremony where the priest presided over and the new couple made a promise. At this time, the music starts, and the guests throw their petals at the new comers. The colorful colors decorate the too simple scene with the taste of secular joy.

Chinese name

① It is the cathedral itself, and the local language also uses the corresponding address. In Chinese, there are other customary names, such as cath é drale Notre Dame de Paris

The Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris.

② It is a bishop's Cathedral. There are other customary names in local language and Chinese, such as Cologne Cathedral (German: K ü lner DOM)

, Milan Cathedral (Italian: Duomo di Milano)

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location

The Episcopal Church is located on the high ground near banzhang church. It has always been the center of Catholicism in Macao. On the right side is the Bishop's office, the highest administrative organ of Catholicism in Macao.

Address: No.1, front of Macao lobby

Longitude: 113.541311

Latitude: 22.193914

Ticket information: Free

Opening hours: 07:30 ~ 18:30

Chinese PinYin : Zhu Jiao Zuo Tang