Holy Rosary Church

Holy Rosary Church

Igreja de s à o Domingo, whose proper names are Notre Dame of the rose and Santo Domingo church, is located in front of banzhang Church in the center of Macao. It has a history of more than 400 years. It belongs to the old Methodist Church.

In 2005, as part of Macao's historical city, it was listed in the world cultural heritage list.

essential information

Notre Dame rose church, also known as banzhang church or Santo Domingo church, was founded in 1587 (the 15th year of the Wanli reign of the Ming Dynasty). It was set up by the Spanish Catholic Church of Santo Domingo church when they first came to Macao. It has a history of 400 years. The church was rebuilt in 1828, which is the source of today's spectacular scale.

F á TIMA, a god worshipped by Portuguese, is worshipped by the Church of Notre Dame rose. There are many interesting paintings and statues in the hall, especially Jesus Christ, from which we can see the characteristics and style of ancient Spanish religious art.

The building of the holy hall is magnificent, with four storeys of facade and symmetrical composition. The emblem of Duoming society on the third floor is in the middle, which is solemn and sacred. The entrance of the church is exquisitely carved, the ceiling is full of decorative patterns, and the internal architectural plane of the church is basilica style, with a middle hall and side porch. Colorful, different shapes of colored glass combination into bright and bright patterns. The main altar is far-reaching and open. Among the pilasters, there are twisted Mahua columns, exquisite mountain flowers and winding thread feet, forming a gorgeous baroque style.

On the altar, there is a statue of the virgin baby, and in the holy hall, there is a statue of the virgin of huadima, which is the starting point for the annual trip of the virgin of huadima on May 13

. The Church usually opens in the afternoon. You can ring the doorbell first, then enter through the gate next to it, and then bypass a corridor to enter the inner part of the church. There is a small museum behind the church, which contains the early famous carvings and relics left by St. Paul's Cathedral.

There are nearly 300 religious works of art in the sacred treasure house, some of which are donated by other churches or social people. There are many kinds of collections: gold, silver and copper utensils commonly used in mass; lifelike images made of wood, gypsum and ivory; exquisite oil paintings and board paintings related to Biblical stories; gorgeous and exquisite patterns printed in color and silk garments for priests. The oil painting named St. Austen has a history of more than 300 years. Visitors can learn about the development history of Catholicism in Asia through these precious cultural relics. At the end of the top floor of the sacred treasure house, there are two big bronze clocks, which are the oldest in Macao. Due to their long history, their ringing has become a masterpiece.

Architectural history

In 1587, it was built by the Spanish church of Santo Domingo, with our lady of the rosary as the main guarantor. The next year, it was taken over by the Portuguese priests of the church. At first, it was only made of wooden boards, so it was called "banzhangtang" by the Chinese. It was not until the 17th century that it was changed into a brick and stone structure.

It was burned by fire in 1874 and rebuilt on its current scale.

Since 1929, the bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Macao has approved the consecration of the statue of the Virgin Mary of huadima in the Rose Hall for the benefit of believers.

Large scale renovations were carried out in the 1990s and in 2006. The bell tower next to the sanctuary has been transformed into a treasure house of sacred objects, displaying the cultural relics of Macao Parish, which is now a part of Macao's historical city

Many artists in Australia have painted it.

Structural features

The elevation of Rose Hall is about 24 meters high, symmetrical in form, with classical composition. The horizontal lines occupy the dominant position, and the vertical lines are intermittently completed by different columns. From the bottom to the top, the bottom is Ionian, the second and third are Corinthian, and the top is triangular mountain flower, which reflects the rule from simplicity to complexity. In the middle of the third floor is the emblem of Santo Domingo. The wall color is mainly yellow and outlined in white. The overall form is simple and full of rigorous structural logic. The roof is two slope roof, wooden roof frame and tile roof.

The main body of the church is of brick and wood structure, and the interlayer is of wood floor. The interior column is brick square column with painting. The internal building area is about 1300 square meters. The plane is basilica style, with a middle hall and side porch, 8 meters wide and 3 meters wide; there are niches on both sides, altar behind, and flat ceiling inside. The door of the holy hall is exquisitely carved, the ceiling is full of decorative patterns, and the interior of the holy hall is colorful. The colorful glass of different shapes is combined to form bright and bright patterns. The main altar has a depth of 8.5 meters and a width of 6 meters. The center of the vault depicts the symbol of the convent. The stacked pilasters are separated by twisted Mahua columns, and the curved hems set off the broken mountain flowers, forming a gorgeous baroque style. On the altar there is a statue of the virgin and the infant, and in the sanctuary there is a statue of the virgin of huadima. This is the starting point for the annual visit of the Virgin Mary of huadima on May 13. The cantilevered Gallery of the indoor Choir almost surrounds the whole central hall. The large shutters of the church reflect the architectural characteristics of the South and make the interior of the church very bright. The interior color is mainly yellow, bright and dazzling.

The central hall and the side gallery are separated by several circular arches, while the main altar and the central hall are also separated by a circular arch, and the small altar is located in the side gallery.

In 1997, the Macao government carried out a comprehensive maintenance project for the church, and set up a treasure house of sacred objects in the three storey clock tower, which collected many art like mass supplies and precious wood carvings.

Collection of treasures

There are many interesting paintings and statues in the hall, especially the one of Jesus Christ, from which we can see the peculiarity of ancient Spanish religious art. The ceiling of the holy hall is full of decorative patterns, including a crown pattern, and the main altar is on the lower side. The door is exquisitely carved. The interior of the holy hall is colorful, and the patterns made of colored glass in different shapes give people a sense of lightness. There is a picture of the virgin baby on the altar, and a picture of the Virgin Mary in huadima is placed in the holy hall. The visit of the Virgin Mary in huadima on May 13 every year takes this holy hall as the starting point . The Church usually opens in the afternoon. You can ring the doorbell first, then enter through the gate next to it, and then bypass a corridor to enter the inner part of the church. There is a small museum behind the church, which contains the early famous carvings and relics left by St. Paul's church.

There are nearly 300 religious works of art in the treasure house

Some of the exhibits were donated by other churches or members of the community. There are many kinds of collections: gold, silver and copper utensils commonly used in mass; lifelike statues made of wood, gypsum and ivory; exquisite oil paintings and board paintings related to Biblical stories; gorgeous and exquisite patterns of color printing and silk garments for priests. The oil painting named St. Austen has a history of more than 300 years. Visitors can learn about the development history of Catholicism in Asia through these precious cultural relics. At the end of the top floor of the sacred treasure house, there are two big bronze clocks, which are the oldest in Macao. Due to their long history, their ringing has become a masterpiece.

Image Tour

Every year before May 13, believers hold a nine day salute in Rose Hall. On May 13, there will be more grand tours. As one of the few Catholic festivals in the area, each tour is very special.

The tour starts at about 6 p.m. with a sacrificial ceremony held in the Rose Hall, followed by the blessing of the holy body and the Portuguese mass. Then the statue of the Virgin Mary of huadima is transferred into a sedan chair, which is carried by the members of the rear group of the Virgin Mary in white dress and white gauze. Starting from the Rose Hall, they protect the statue of the Virgin Mary, sing hymns and chant prayers along the way Wen, through the South Bay and West Bay to the West Wangyang Church (Haiya Notre Dame Hall) March.

It is particularly noteworthy that at the back of the parade, there will be three children dressed as shepherds to commemorate the miracle of the goddess of huadima to the three shepherds.

This route can be said to be the longest one in the existing pilgrimage cases. When we arrived at bishop hill, it was already dusk, so that the parade team needed to hold candles to light. In the dusk, bishop hill was brightly lit, like a long dragon flashing in the field of vision. The scene was magnificent and full of strong religious atmosphere.

Concert Church

This Rose Hall, a cultural heritage of Macao, often becomes one of the performance venues of the "Macao International Music Festival" held every year. It is one of Macao's most valuable places to appreciate art among the cultural relics that have been baptized by hundreds of years of history. Rose Hall is now the largest church in the city to hold concerts.

Traffic information

1. Take bus No.18 to Camp Street.

2. Take bus 2, 3, 3a, 3x, 5, 7, 10, 10a, 11, 18, 21a, 26a, 33, N1b, N3 to Xinma road / Yingying Street station, walk along the street for 3 minutes to mishao lane.

Accommodation guide

Regal Macau Hotel 70-106 doctor Road, Macao (intersection with Foshan Street)

Holiday Inn Macau 82-86 Beijing street, new port, Macau (intersection with Shanghai Street)

355 Friendship Road, Macao President Hotel

Dihao Hotel, 51 Shanghai Street, Macau

Weijing Hotel, Macau

Chinese PinYin : Mei Gui Sheng Mu Tang