St. Joseph’s Seminary and Church, built by Jesuit priests and colloquially known as St. Joseph’s Building, took thirty years of meticulous planning and construction to be completed. The entrance of the seminary is located on San Francisco Street, aligned with the entrance of the church. The church, second in size only to St. Paul’s Church, is referred to by the Chinese as ‘San Francisco’. Inside the church, there are antique and artistic confessionals, and a tall tower on the right side houses two bronze bells, one large and one small, with nearly two hundred years of history, crafted by Italian founder Pietro Batista. If you wish to visit this historically valuable building, in addition to admiring the church’s extremely ornate Baroque architecture, you can also view the humerus of St. Francis Xavier, known as the Apostle of the East, whose relic is considered an important artifact of the Eastern Catholic Church. After visiting St. Joseph’s Seminary and Church, you may stroll around the nearby area of Fok Lok U Street. Also known as ‘Red Door Street’, this area is marked by the red doors and windows of the two-story buildings along the street, which are very distinctive. The Fok Lok U Street architectural complex is a well-preserved Chinese architectural group in Macau, one of the former prosperous commercial centers, witnessing the historical changes of Macau’s hundreds of years since its opening. Today, it has become a tourist spot with numerous souvenir shops, attracting many tourists. The opening hours are all year round, Monday-Tuesday, Thursday-Sunday, 10:00-17:00. Essential travel tips: The architectural design of the church is similar to the Jesuit Church in Rome, and it is also the only church in Macau with a dome. The church has a very eventful history; during more than 200 years of education, St. Joseph’s Seminary has cultivated many talents for the church in China and Southeast Asia, and is referred to by the older generation of Macau people as the ‘Shaolin Temple’ of Macau Catholicism.
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