St. Dominic's Church: Treasures of Sacred Arts Museum, Macau, China

St. Dominic's Church, Macau

St. Dominic's Church, a baroque-style Dominican Catholic Church dating back to the 16th Century, is one of the oldest churches in Macau

The Church of St. Dominic is one of Macau's oldest and most iconic Portuguese landmarks. The church dates back to 1587, when it was founded by three Dominican priests. The church, like many of Macau's oldest landmarks, has a long and complicated (and sometimes bloody) history. Today, however, the beautiful old baroque-style church is home to the Treasures of Sacred Art Museum, and an iconic part of Macau's historic Senado Square.

the sanctuary inside St. Dominic's Church, Macau

The iconic yellow facade of St. Dominic's Church is one of the central focal points for selfies and photographers in the busy Senado Square in downtown Macau. From the outside, one wouldn't guess that the cheerfully-painted church was home to a bloody and violent past.

Macau, a Portuguese colony for more than half a millennium, was embroiled in the turmoil following the dissolution of the Iberian Union in 1640. The short-lived union attempted to unify the crowns of Spain and Portugal, as well as their respective colonial territories. After the breakup of the union, Spanish officers in Macau attempted to wrest control of the peninsula for the Spanish crown. One such Spanish officer, fleeing an angry mob of local Portuguese and Macanaese citizens, ran into St. Dominic's to take refuge. The mob followed him, and he was promptly and unceremoniously slain in front of the altar during mass.

The high altar at St. Dominic's features a statue of the Madonna and Child

After that, St. Dominic's was once again involved in controversy when the Dominican priests who oversaw the church pitted themselves against the Jesuit majority in Macau during the Chinese Rites Controversy of the 18th Century.

The controversy involved the practice of traditional Confucian rituals. The Jesuits argued that the rituals were purely cultural, and that it was therefore possible for Chinese Catholics to continue their practices of burial and family remembrance. Confucianism, argued the Jesuits, isn't a religion as much as it is a philosophy, and is completely compatible to be practiced alongside Christianity. The Dominicans of St. Dominic's argued against this. St. Dominic's, the Dominican stronghold in heavily Jesuit Macau, was at the center of the controversy and debate.

After declaring their position, the priests of St. Dominic's were excommunicated by the Jesuit Bishop of Macau. The Dominican priests barricaded themselves inside the church and retreated to the roof, from where they threw rocks at the Jesuits and Portuguese soldiers who were sent to arrest them.

votive candles inside St. Dominic's Church in Macau

The church was also the headquarter's of China's very first Portuguese newspaper, A Abelha da China (The China Bee), which was first printed in 1822.

The church has seen far more than its fair share of history. It was eventually closed and converted into a Portuguese army barracks in 1834, but was eventually reconsecrated as a church.

Uniquely, the altar features not the typical Catholic crucifix, but a statue of Madonna and Child carved from ivory. Visitors to the church are able to approach the altar to light candles. There are also several other shrines at which visitors can pray and light candles.

crucifix inside St. Dominic's Church

Today, St. Dominic's Church is one of 29 buildings that make up the Historic Centre of Macau, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It's also the home of the Treasures of Sacred Art Museum.

Treasures of Sacred Art Museum, St. Dominic's Church, Macau

Treasures of Sacred Arts Museum, St. Dominic's Church, Macau

Today, the bell tower of the church has been converted into a sacred art museum. The museum contains some 300+ Catholic relics, historical artifacts, and works of Christian art. The museum is free to visit, and well worth a stop when visiting Macau.

exhibits inside the Treasures of Sacred Arts Museum, Macau

Visiting St. Dominic's Church and the Treasures of Sacred Art Museum

St. Dominic's Church is centrally-located in northern peninsular Macau, in Senado Square, a very popular plaza near the Museum of Macau and the Ruins of St. Paul's Church.

The church, and thus the museum, is open to visitors daily from 10:00 - 18:00. The Treasures of Sacred Art Museum is FREE to visit.

Other interesting sites to visit in Macau:

• St. Michael Archangel Chapel and Cemetery
• The Ruins of St. Paul's and the Martyr's Crypt