A-Ma Temple

A-Ma Temple
媽閣廟
A-Ma Temple, Macau
General information
Location	São Lourenço
Town or city	Macau
Country	China
Completed	1488

A-Ma Temple
Main Hall
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	媽閣廟
Literal meaning	Temple of the Pavilion of the Mother
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Mā Gé Miào Yue: Cantonese Yale Romanization Mā Gok Miuh Southern Min Hokkien POJ Má Koh Biō
Portuguese name
Portuguese	Templo de A-Má

The A-Ma Temple is a temple to the Chinese sea-goddess Mazu located in São Lourenço, Macau, China. Built in 1488, the temple is one of the oldest in Macau and thought to be the settlement's namesake.

History

A 19th-century painting of the facade of A-Ma Temple by English architect and artist Thomas Allom.

The name Macau is thought to be derived from the name of the temple. It is said that when the Portuguese sailors landed at the coast just outside the temple and asked the name of the place, the natives replied Maa-gok or A-maa-gok (lit. "The Pavilion of the Mother"). The Portuguese then named the peninsula "Macau". The temple was well described in ancient Chinese texts, as well as represented in paintings, related to Macao. It is also one of the first scenes photographed in Macao.

In 2005, the temple became one of the designated sites of the Historic Centre of Macau, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Architecture

Temple consists of six main parts: Gate Pavilion, the Memorial Arch, the Prayer Hall, the Hall of Benevolence (the oldest part of the temple), the Hall of Guanyin, Zhengjiao Chanlin - Buddhist Pavilion.

Gallery

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  A-Ma Temple
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  World Heritage marker
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See also

• Religion in Macau
• List of historic buildings and structures in Macau