The Ruins of St. Paul's in Macau has been listed
as one of the monuments among the "New 7 Wonders of Portuguese
Origin".
"On the year that is celebrated the 10th
anniversary of the establishment of the Macau Special
Administrative Region, the listing of the Ruins of St. Paul's as
one of the 'New 7 Wonders of Portuguese Origin' is an honor to us
and it certainly will help to promote Macau in Portugal and the
Portuguese speaking countries," said Macau Government Tourist
Office (MGTO) director, João Manuel Costa Antunes.
"The Ruins of St. Paul's are one of the finest
examples of Macau's unique characteristics as a city of European,
Chinese and other Asian exchanges. The history and architectural
elements of the Ruins of St. Paul's by itself are a tourist
attraction of Macau," the MGTO director added.
The winning monuments of the competition were
announced on June 10, Portugal National Day, in a ceremony held in
Portugal. Among the winners are monuments built by the Portuguese
in America, Africa and Asia. A total of 239,418 people
participated in the selection, voting through the Internet,
telephone and SMS.
The Ruins of St Paul's are Macau's ex-libris.
The façade of the former Mater Dei Church is part of The Historic
Centre of Macau, listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage site in
2005. The Ruins of St. Paul's refer to the façade of what was
originally the Church of Mater Dei built in 1602-1640 and the
ruins of St. Paul's College, which stood adjacent to the Church,
both destroyed by fire in 1835.
The baroque design of the granite façade
is unique in China, and carries some sculptured western and
oriental motifs. St. Paul's College was the first western style
university in the Far East, and it prepared missionaries for the
dissemination of Catholicism in Asia and enabled a broader
interchange in other fields.
Other sites of the "New 7 Wonders of Portuguese
Origin" include monuments in India, Morocco, Cape Verde and
Brazil. The monuments were selected from a total of 27, located in
16 countries.
The "New 7 Wonders of Portuguese Origin" was
created following the world competition of the "New 7 Wonders",
which were announced in Lisbon in 2007, in an initiative by
New7Wonders.
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