St. Joseph's Seminary and Church

Contents

The St. Joseph's Seminary and Church (Chinese: 聖若瑟修院及聖堂; Portuguese: Igreja e Seminário de São José) is a seminary and church located in São Lourenço, Macau, China.[1]

History

The seminary was established in 1728.[2]: 92 Until 1758, it was sited at a hilltop area south of St. Paul's College, not at its current location.[2]: 92

Beginning in 1759, Portugal began suppressing the Jesuits under the direction of the kingdom's chief minister, Sebastião José de Carvalho e Melo, and in 1762 the Jesuits were expelled from Macau.[2]: 88 the seminary closed as after the Jesuit's expulsion.[2]: 92 The seminary re-opened in 1784 and was managed by the Lazarists (Congregation of the Mission).[2]: 92

In 2005, the church became one of the designated sites of the Historic Centre of Macau enlisted on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

A piece of Francis Xavier’s right humerus can be viewed at the church of the seminary. As part of the posthumous practice of removing pieces of his body as relics, this portion of the right humerus was taken to Macau sometime before 1619.[2]: 57–58

References

  1. 1."Macao Government Tourism Office".
  2. 2.[2.2][2.3][2.4][2.5][2.6]Chen, Jen-yen (2026). Macau and Catholic Sacred Music across the Sino-Western Divide. Musics in Motion. Ann Arbor, Michigan: University of Michigan Press. ISBN 978-0-472-90578-2.