The Holy House of Mercy of Macau ( pt, Santa Casa da Misericórdia; ), is a historic building in

Senado Square The Senado Square, or Senate Square (; pt, Largo do Senado), is a paved town square in Sé, Macau, Sé, Macau, China, and part of the UNESCO Historic Centre of Macau World Heritage Site. It is an elongated triangular shaped square and connect ...

Macau Macau or Macao (; ; ; ), officially the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (MSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China in the western Pearl River Delta by the South China Sea. With a pop ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

. Established as a branch of the

Santa Casa da Misericórdia Santa Casa da Misericórdia is a lay Portuguese charity founded in 1498, whose mission is to treat and support the sick, the disabled, as well as abandoned newborns. History The institution traces its official foundation to 1498, when Queen ...

, it was first built in 1569 on the orders of the Bishop of Macau,

Belchior Carneiro Leitão Belchior Carneiro Leitão, often known as Melchior Carneiro (1516 – 19 August 1583) was a Portuguese Jesuit missionary bishop. He was one of the first Jesuit bishops. Life He entered the Society of Jesus on 25 April 1543 and was appointed ...

. It was a medical clinic and several other social welfare structures in early Macau. It later served as an orphanage and refuge for widows of sailors lost at sea. It is part of the

Historic Centre of Macau The Historic Centre of Macao, pt, Centro Histórico de Macau, , is a collection of over twenty locations that witness the unique assimilation and co-existence of Chinese and Portuguese cultures in Macau, a former Portuguese colony. It represents ...

, a

UNESCO World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

External links

Holy House of Mercy, Information from Macau Government Tourist Office
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Holy House of Mercy, Archival Background
from the Archives of Macao Religious buildings and structures completed in 1569 Buildings and structures in Macau Historic Centre of Macau 1569 establishments in China 1569 establishments in the Portuguese Empire 16th-century establishments in Macau Portuguese colonial architecture in China {{Macau-struct-stub

See also

External links