Leal Senado Building

Office building of the former Legislative Assembly of Macau

Leal Senado Building
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	民政總署大樓
Transcriptions Cantonese (Yue) - Jyutping man4 zing3 zong2 cyu5 daai6 lau4
Portuguese name
Portuguese	Edifício do Leal Senado

Inside the main entrance, the title granted to Macau by King João IV is displayed.

This article is about the building. For the organization known as the Leal Senado, see Municipal Council of Macau.

The Leal Senado Building (Portuguese for Loyal Senate) was the seat of Macau's government (Legislative Assembly of Macau and Municipal Council of Macau) during its time as a Portuguese colony. It is located at one end of the Senado Square. The title was bestowed on Macau's government in 1810 by Portugal's Prince-Regent João, who later became King John VI of Portugal. This was a reward for Macau's loyalty to Portugal during the Iberian Union, between 1580 and 1640.

The building itself was erected in 1784. After the handover of Macau to China in 1999 it became the headquarters of the Institute of Civic & Municipal Affairs (Portuguese: Instituto para os Assuntos Cívicos e Municipais).

It became part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site Historic Centre of Macau in 2005.

References

• Shipp, Steve: Macau, China: A Political History of the Portuguese Colony's Transition to Chinese Rule

External links

• Ola Macau Guide - entry on the Leal Senado building