Treasure of Sacred Art of St. Joseph’s Seminary Open to Public
The ‘Treasure of Sacred Art of St. Joseph’s Seminary’ features nearly 110 valuable items and sets (Photo provided by Cultural Affairs Bureau)
In order to enable the public to have a better understanding of St. Joseph's Seminary and the history of the development of Catholicism in Macao, as well as appreciating the Seminary's valuable collections, the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) has worked with the St. Joseph's Seminary and the Diocese de Macau to establish the 'Treasure of Sacred Art of St. Joseph's Seminary' at the seminary itself, to which admission has been free to residents and visitors since 8th October.
St. Joseph's Seminary is located off St. Augustine's Square. In 2001, the seminary received the UNESCO Asia Pacific Award for Cultural Heritage Conservation and became one of the designated sites of the Historic Centre of Macao in 2005, subsequently inscribed upon the World Heritage list. It represents an important part of the Historic Centre of Macao.
This historical seminary is closely associated with the evolution of Macao society and has greatly contributed to the city's culture, education, art and many charitable endeavours. The seminary contains several religious relics such as ancient books, oil paintings, statues and ritual items - nearly 110 valuable items and sets in all. Residents and visitors can learn more about the history of the seminary and of Catholicism in Macao as well as the history of cultural exchanges between China and the West by visiting the Museum.
Admission to the 'Treasure of Sacred Art of St. Joseph's Seminary' is from 10:00am to 5:00pm daily and is closed on Wednesdays. Guided tours in Cantonese are available to the public every Saturday and Sunday, from 3:00pm to 4:00pm. For more information, please call: (853) 2835 7911 during office hours.
New Cultural Heritage Webpage Now in Operation
To strengthen the educational promotion of cultural heritage, the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) has launched a new cultural heritage webpage (www.culturalheritage.mo). This new webpage - based upon a user-friendly design concept focusing on the release of cultural heritage information and activities - enhances the public's awareness of the importance of the protection of cultural heritage.
The webpage will replace the original Macao Heritage Net (www.macauheritage.net) and covers classified immovable heritage and intangible cultural heritage, providing daily news, related legislation, guidelines and public consultation information, among other initiatives. Likewise, the 'Macau World Heritage' webpage (www.wh.mo) has been revamped whilst maintaining its URL, featuring the functions of releasing news and educational pieces related to the World Heritage-classified 'Historic Centre of Macao'.
Both webpages - compatible with the browsing functions of electronic products such as mobile phones and tablets - are available in traditional Chinese, simplified Chinese, Portuguese and English.