Church of St Dominic

Macau


Smack in the heart of Macau's historic centre, this sunny yellow baroque church with a beautiful altar and a timber roof was founded by three Spanish Dominican priests from Acapulco, Mexico, in the 16th century, although the current structure dates from the 17th century. It was here, in 1822, that the first Portuguese newspaper was published on Chinese soil. The former bell tower now houses the Treasure of Sacred Art, an Aladdin’s cave of ecclesiastical art and liturgical objects exhibited on three floors.

Transportation

  • bus: 3, 6A, 26A

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Macau attractions

1. Treasure of Sacred Art

0.01 MILES

Northeast of Largo do Senado, the 17th-century baroque Church of St Dominic contains the Treasure of Sacred Art, an Aladdin’s cave of ecclesiastical art…

2. Nu Wa Temple

0.06 MILES

This tiny temple in a faded yellow building, built in 1888, was consecrated to the serpent-like Nu Wa – the Chinese equivalent of Gaia, the creator…

3. Lou Kau Mansion

0.06 MILES

Built around 1889, this Cantonese-style mansion with southern European elements belonged to merchant Lou Wa Sio (aka Lou Kau), who also commissioned the…

4. Museum of the Holy House of Mercy

0.06 MILES

In the heart of Largo do Senado is Macau's oldest charitable institution (c 1569). The house once sheltered orphans and prostitutes in the 17th- and 18th…

5. Sam Kai Vui Kun Temple

0.08 MILES

Literally ‘a community hall for three streets’, this temple was a meeting place for merchants and an adjudication court, before the Chinese Chamber of…

6. Leal Senado

0.1 MILES

Facing Largo do Senado is Macau’s most important historical building, the 18th-century ‘Loyal Senate’, which houses the Instituto para os Assuntos Cívicos…

7. Sé Cathedral

0.1 MILES

East of Largo do Senado is this cathedral, consecrated in 1850 and rebuilt in 1937 in concrete. It’s not a particularly attractive structure, though it…

8. Senate Library

0.11 MILES

Located in the Leal Senado, Macau's oldest and most lavish library is a beautiful adaptation of the 18th-century library in the Convento de Mafra outside…

  • placement: superzone
  • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],
  • targeting:
    {
      "url": "china/macau/macau-peninsula/attractions/church-of-st-dominic/a/poi-sig/364777/1324547",
      "destination": "Macau",
      "continent": "Asia",
      "country": "China",
      "city": "Macau",
      "position": "superzone"
    }