Holy House of Mercy

Chinese name: 仁慈堂大樓
Location: Travessa da Misericordia 2, central Macau Peninsular, Macau, China.
Opening time: 10:00-13:00; 14:30-17:30 (Closed on Sundays & public holidays)
Admission: MOP5.
How to get there: Bus routes to 10, 10A, 11, 21A, 2, 3, 3A, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8A, 26A, 33.

Brief introduction to Holy House of Mercy

Holy House of Mercy at Largo do Senado, was founded in 1569 by the first bishop of Macau catholic. The building was built in mid-eighteenth century and named after the oldest western-style charity institution of Asia, whose mission was to provide educational, medical and social aid. The organization has opened several social welfare institutions including the first western-style hospital, a foundling hospital, a leprosarium, an old people’s home, and an orphanage, most of which are still function to this day. Holy House of Mercy is a two-storey stone and brick structure with triangle lintels, white walls, arcades, arched windows and stone balustrade. The whole building is painted white with the exception of the granite pedestal, omitting an atmosphere of serenity and elegance. The neo-classic arcade was added in 1905.

What to see in Holy House of Mercy?

The Museum of Holy House of Mercy was opened in 2001. It contains items of donated sacrificial offerings including a portrait of Sacred Heart of Jesus, ivory sculpture of Madonna, a sculpture of Jesus on the Cross and some porcelain. The most eye-catching and precious relic in the Museum of Holy House of Mercy is a manual script of Regulations of Macau’s Holy House of Mercy which was written in 1662. Other noted items include the skull of its founder, D. Belchior Carneiro, a funerary cross.