Walk in Macao – Senado Square & St. Dominic’s Church
The Senado Square, or Senate Square (議事亭前地; Portuguese: Largo do Senado), is a paved town square in Macao, China, and part of the UNESCO Historic Centre of Macao World Heritage Site.
It is an elongated triangular shaped square and connects Largo do São Domingos at one end and Avenida de Almeida Ribeiro on the other. It covers an area of 3,700 square meters (4,425 square yards).
The square was named after the Leal Senado, a meeting place for the Chinese and Portuguese in the 16th to 18th centuries, located directly in front of the square, where Leal Senado Building stands today.
In 1940, a small garden was built at the centre of the square, featuring a bronze statue of Vicente Nicolau de Mesquita standing above a stone pillar pulling out a sword.
The statue was pulled down in the 12-3 incident as Mesquita was responsible for the deaths of many Qing Chinese soldiers. A fountain was built at its site and still stands today.
Vast majority of the buildings around the square are European styled and many are protected monuments.
The square used to allow traffic and parking lots were present, with increasing number of tourists the entire area was covered by Portuguese pavement in the early 1990s and designated a pedestrian-only zone.
The Senado Square is surrounded by shops and restaurants, often becomes a venue for public events.
Saint Dominic’s Church (板樟堂; Portuguese: Igreja de São Domingos) is a late 16th-century Baroque-style church that serves within the Cathedral Parish of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Macao.
It is in the peninsular part of the city at the Largo de São Domingos, near the Leal Senado Building.
It was finished in 1587 and overseen by three Spanish Dominican priests. Due to renovations and reconstruction, the current structure dates from the early 17th century.
The church is one of the classified immovable properties of Macao. It is one of 29 sites forming the Historic Centre of Macau, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Video: Macau – Senado Square | 澳門 議事亭前地 聖母玫瑰堂 | Largo do Senado | マカオ セナド広場 from City Walker – your virtual travel partner on Youtube ⁄ CC BY
