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
|
|||||||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
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.
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.
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.
The building in the temple.
Boat model inside A-ma Temple, Macao.
World Heritage marker
A tree surrounded by prayer cards inside A-Ma Temple
Coordinates: 22°11′10″N 113°31′52.10″E / 22.18611°N 113.5311389°E
...
Wikipedia