The Na Tcha Temple ( pt, Templo Na Tcha; ), built in 1888, is a
Chinese folk religion
Chinese folk religion, also known as Chinese popular religion comprehends a range of traditional religious practices of Han Chinese, including the Chinese diaspora. Vivienne Wee described it as "an empty bowl, which can variously be filled ...
temple in
Santo António,
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 p ...
,
China. It is dedicated to the worship of the popular Deity
Na Tcha () or Sam Tai Tsz ().
History
The Na Tcha Temple was built in homage to the guardian deity. It is believed that it was built to put an end to the plague ravaging the region during that time.
In 2004, the temple became one of the designated sites 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 ...
enlisted on the
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
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 ...
.
Description
The small traditional Chinese temple is a simple single-chambered building measuring long and wide. The entrance porch opens to the temple building measuring in depth. The building is painted gray, with few ornamentations, except for paintings on walls under the entrance porch. The temple's roof, rising five meters, is a traditional
gable roof. True to traditional Chinese architecture, the Na Tcha has protective ceramic animal figurines on its ridge.
Location
The temple is behind the
Ruins of St. Paul's, remains of a principal
Jesuit cathedral in the region, serving as one of the best examples of Macau's multicultural identity.
It stands where the ends of two alleys meet: the (, by St. Paul's) and the (, ).
The entry next to temple leads to the , a tiny area within the
old city wall.
See also
*
A-Ma Temple
The A-Ma Temple is a temple
A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called chur ...
, built in 1488
*
Kun Iam Temple
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, built in 1627
*
Tam Kung Temple (Macau)
The Tam Kung Temple (; pt, Templo de Tam Kung) is a temple in Coloane, Macau, China. It is dedicated to Tam Kung.
History
The temple was constructed in 1862 during the Portuguese Macau.
Architecture
There is a long whale bone with the shape o ...
, built in 1862
*
Sam Kai Vui Kun
Sam Kai Vui Kun, known also as Kuan Tai Temple, () is located in front oSt. Dominic’s Market Complex near Senado Square in Sé, Macau, China. The temple was built in 1750.
Kuan Tai () is the Anglicized spelling of Lord Guan, an important ge ...
*
Sam Tai Tsz Temple and Pak Tai Temple, Hong Kong
*
List of oldest buildings and structures in Macau
References
Folk religious temples in China
Religious buildings and structures completed in 1888
Historic Centre of Macau
Macau Peninsula
Taoist temples in Macau
1888 establishments in Macau
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