St Anthony's Church Macau

St. Anthony's is a Catholic church and UNESCO World Heritage attraction located on Rua de Santo Antonio, just across from Camoes Square and Park. This is a less frequently visited area of the Historic Centre of Macau, where you can escape crowds of Senado Square and the Ruins of St. Paul.

St. Anthony's Church is one of the oldest in Macau being originally built around 1560. Reconstructed numerous times over the centuries, it lacks the traditional Portuguese and colourful appearance of churches like St. Dominics, St. Augustine and St. Lawrence.

The present church was build in 1930 and features a simple neo-classical style facade and single tower, which in many ways looks quite similar to Cathedral, near Senado Square. The interior of the church, staying true to form for Portuguese colonial buildings, is quite modest yet the altar area offers a splash of baroque style and grace that is nice to see.

Again like Cathedral, there is a neat fountain just outside St. Anthony Church. There are also other World Heritage attractions, Casa Garden and the Protestant Cemetery just across the street. This is also where you find the entrance to Camoes Gardens and Grotto.

Overall, St. Anthony's is not one of the more popular church visits in Macau. The location is a bit isolated being the northern most of the World Heritage area. However, there are never crowds here, allowing you much more relaxed visits compared to what you can expect at Senado Square and the Ruin's of St. Paul. This is why we like spending time here.

Note: If you are making a day trip to Macau only, you might not have time to squeeze St. Anthony's into your itinerary. However, if making an overnight or multiple night stay and targeting the World Heritage attractions, it is worth fitting St. Anthony's and other attractions found at this area of city centre into your itinerary.