Na Tcha Temple

Template:Short description Template:Template otherTemplate:Wikidata image Template:Chinese The Na Tcha Temple (Template:Langx; Template:Zh), 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.

File:Under the section of the old city wall, the side of Na Tcha Temple and the back of Ruínas de S.Paulo.JPG

The temple as seen from under the old city wall

It stands where the ends of two alleys meet: the (, by St. Paul's) and the (, Template:Aka ). The entry next to temple leads to the Template:Interlanguage link, a tiny area within the old city wall.

See also

• A-Ma Temple, built in 1488
• Kun Iam Temple, built in 1627
• Tam Kung Temple (Macau), built in 1862
• Sam Kai Vui Kun
• Sam Tai Tsz Temple and Pak Tai Temple, Hong Kong
• List of oldest buildings and structures in Macau

References

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