Relics found behind The Ruins of St. Paul, Macau
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Relics dated back to the Qing Dynasty were found under civil servants' quarters at the Rua de D. Belchior Caneiro adjacent to The Ruins of St. Paul in Macau by archaeological teams at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
Since St Paul's College is believed to have been located under those quarters, the Macau government will demolish them in order to cope with the experts' findings at the Ruins of St. Paul. The two blocks closer to the Ruins of St. Paul were demolished in March to make room for the archaeological project.
The relics included Chinese-styled porcelain tiles, eave tiles, potteries and iron artillery shells. Furthermore, a part of an ancient wall is found at a nearby construction site.
The walls are confirmed as parts of the Ruins of St. Paul as it does match the maps of it dated back to 1760, 1886, and 1912. By examining the walls, it is proved that the wall was constructed of at least five layers of stone, with layers of blue bricks on top of them, as well as rammed earth each measuring at least ten centimeters thick.
The remaining two buildings will be demolished next week for further investigation.
Sources
- Government Information Bureau, Macao SAR. "大三巴考古重大發現" — Government Information Bureau, Macao SAR, May 30, 2010 (Chinese)
- Government Information Bureau, Macao SAR. "配合下一階段的大三巴考古下周清拆餘下兩間公務員宿舍" — Government Information Bureau, Macao SAR, May 30, 2010 (Chinese)
- Natalie Leung. "Relics found behind St Paul's Ruins" — Macau Daily Times, May 31, 2010
- Ta Kung Pao. "澳門大三巴區域考古有重大發現" — Ta Kung Pao, May 31, 2010 (Chinese)
