Na Tcha Temple
The Na Tcha Temple, built in 1888, is a Chinese folk religion temple in Santo António, Macau, a special administrative region of China. It is dedicated to the worship of the popular Deity Na Tcha or Sam Tai Tsz.
History
The Na Tcha Temple was built in homage to the guardian deity. It is believed that it was built to put an end to the plague ravaging the region during that time.In 2004, the temple became one of the designated sites of the Historic Centre of Macau enlisted on the UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Description
The small traditional Chinese temple is a simple single-chambered building measuring long and wide. The entrance porch opens to the temple building measuring in depth. The building is painted gray, with few ornamentations, except for paintings on walls under the entrance porch. The temple's roof, rising five meters, is a traditional gable roof. True to traditional Chinese architecture, the Na Tcha has protective ceramic animal figurines on its ridge.Location
The temple is behind the Ruins of St. Paul's, remains of a principal Jesuit cathedral in the region, serving as one of the best examples of Macau's multicultural identity.It stands where the ends of two alleys meet: the Rua da Ressurreição and the .
The entry next to temple leads to the, a tiny area within the old city wall.