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St. Lawrence's (São Lourenço) The church stands in a garden filled with palm trees and can be approached from the rear, or by way of a grand staircase and ornamental gate. Its twin towers are painted in cream and white, with a fine Chinese tile roof. The interior is richly adorned with a magnificent wooden ceiling painted turquoise with white and gold beams, from which elegant chandeliers hang. The high altar holds a figure of St. Lawrence in beautiful vestments. Above him hangs a crown held by a cherub and at the back is a stained glass window with a dove of peace. The church is open on weekdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. It is close on public holidays. A-Ma Temple Three of the four pavilions are dedicated to A-Ma and holds a few statues of the goddess together with a model of a junk with cannons, brass vessels, and shrines to Buddhist and Taoist gods. A festival of A-Ma is held on the 23rd day of the third moon (April or May). On weekends, a display of firecrackers is put on with lion dance performances at the entrance courtyard to scare away evil spirits and to greet tour groups. Maritime Museum The museum opens daily except on Tuesdays. Hours start from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and admission is 8 patacas. A half-hour tour of the Inner Harbour on a junk is available daily (except Tuesdays) at 10:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 3:30 p.m., and 4:30 p.m. The fare is 10 patacas.
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The
church underwent a phase of changes since completion in the 1560s. Originally
built from wood, it was replaced by taipa in 1618 and later reconstructed
in stone in 1801. Further renovations took place throughout the 19th Century.
After an extensive restoration, St. Lawrence's is now the most fashionable
church in Macau.
Macau's
name is derived from A-Ma-Gau or Place of A-Ma, and this temple commemorates
the seafarers' goddess, A-Ma. Built in the early 16th Century, the temple
consists of prayer halls, pavilions, and courtyards that sits on a boulder-strewn
hill and is linked by winding paths through moon gates and tiny gardens.
At the entrance is a large rock on which is engraved a traditional sailing
junk. Other boulders contain red character carvings conjuring the gods
or the repetition of a prayer. 
Across
the A-Ma temple is one of the world's best museums devoted to all things
maritime. Built on the site where the Portuguese first arrived, the museum
is designed like a stylized junk, with floating exhibits of old crafts,
exhibits featuring the world of fishermen, as well as the seaborne explorations
of Chinese Admiral Cheng Ho and the Portuguese, complete with models of
their ships.