Religious background
The series of statues on the third floor of St. Paul's archway are bounded by the statue of the Virgin Mary in the middle, with different heights and widths. The first pair: On the left and right are Buddhist busts of China Shishi. The second pair: the pigeon on the left spreads its wings on the ball, and the double arrow on the right passes through the crown. The third pair: on the left is a female corpse with devil's head and limbs, and her chest is pierced by a dart gun. On the right is the Chinese sentence "Ghosts are attractive and evil", and on the left is a clockwise right-hand cross. On the right is a skeleton and bones, on the left is a Chinese sentence "Remembering the crime of inaction of the deceased", and on the right is a counterclockwise left-handed cross. The fourth pair: on the left is a virgin guiding a three-masted sailboat on the sea, on the right is the same virgin stepping on a seven-headed dragon, and there is a Chinese sentence in the upper right corner "The virgin stepping on a faucet". The fifth pair: there are three layers of spray columns and rectangular pools on the left, with dragons or heads on them and longevity or bodhi trees on the right.
Dasanba memorial archway (5 pieces)
The sixth pair: the statue of the Virgin without Original Sin is symmetrical with three angels on both sides. The above six pairs of sculptures not only have obvious non-traditional Catholic forms and contents, but three of them are also equipped with Chinese explanatory characters. This is not available on other floors. According to the research results of Mr. Xin Xu of Macao, "in the baroque architecture of that era, only St. Paul's church in Macao was engraved with Chinese characters." Among the statues of contemporary Catholic churches, this is the only one with a series of meaningful Chinese illustrations, rather than accidental, isolated and insignificant Chinese characters. This unique phenomenon of interpreting statues in Chinese itself has shown that this series of statues have cultural and religious origins from China. Coseyiro also pointed out that the use of some new artistic graphics, whether in Chinese characters or in things unfamiliar to European religious architecture at that time, was the most distinctive aspect of this religious architecture. For example, the image of the devil and death, and the symbolic expression different from the graphic method of religious art after the Trento Congress.
Dasanba memorial archway
What needs to be mentioned is that these innovative or unprecedented things we see in this masterpiece of art are obviously the result of Jesuits' new methods of missionary work in China, that is, the reflection of gradually adapting to the policy. This is a new teaching method in China, which is different from the "whiteboard" whiteboard missionaries used in Africa and America at that time. It was conceived by Shapiro, planned by Fan Lian, and successfully put into practice by Matteo Ricci and Luo Mingjian.
Therefore, in addition to the new way of missionary work (which was undoubtedly in the first place at that time), it is necessary to study the corresponding relations in all aspects in order to better understand that the artistic development of Jesuits in Macau and China is a strategic result and a reflection of assimilation.
The above theory is undoubtedly very correct and enlightening. Generally speaking, I agree that "a better understanding is a strategic result and a manifestation of assimilation", but at the same time, I think we must face up to the other side of the problem, that is, the assimilation of China culture itself leads to being regarded as alienation by Catholic orthodoxy. As mentioned above, the result eventually led to the tragedy that St. Paul's church became not only a ruin, but also a cemetery. Due to the lack of in-depth understanding of China's religious culture, predecessors, especially western researchers, can only make superficial understanding or even misunderstanding about the statue in this archway and three Chinese sentences with Buddhist connotations. Therefore, the discussion that memorial archways are the result of the integration and assimilation of Chinese and western cultures mostly stays in a superficial and abstract scope. Of course, this is understandable. However, we can't stay on the superficial understanding of images and characters forever, but should continue to explore the deep cultural connotation of its non-traditional Catholicism on the basis of inheriting the achievements of predecessors, and what are the religious and cultural background stories of China. In my opinion, the statues and figures on the third floor are all based on Buddhist classics, especially the story of Sakyamuni Buddha's past life "Ben Sheng Jing" or "Ben Qi Jing". We must discuss the true source and meaning of images and related sentences, so as to really get the effect of revealing secrets and solving puzzles.
Tourism value
St Paul's Church was built in 1637, which was the largest Catholic church in the east at that time. Located on the hill near Daba Street in Macau, this scenic spot is a relic of the front wall of St. Paul's Church and a scenic spot in Macau. This church has an indissoluble bond with fire. From the embryonic form to the only remaining former archway, it has experienced three fires and been built again and again, witnessing the history of Macao. 1835 65438+1On the evening of October 26th, St. Paul's Church was destroyed by fire, leaving only the front wall. Because its shape is similar to the traditional memorial archway in China, it is named "Big March 8th Memorial Archway". When visiting the St. Paul archway, you should not only appreciate the majestic front wall, but also ponder over the exquisite relief on the wall and its significance. Step by step from the top of the archway, there is a tall cross, which is divided into three layers. There is a bronze statue of 1 in each niche, which was cast by Macau Gun Factory in the early years. Under the cross is a bronze statue of 1 dove, which is said to represent the Holy Spirit. The statue is surrounded by stone carvings of the sun, moon and stars, symbolizing the moment when the Virgin is pregnant. Under the bronze pigeon is a statue of 1 baby Jesus. Now, the Sao Paulo archway has become one of the symbols of Macao, and it is also a must-see place for tourists to visit Macao. Many Macao people like to leave wedding photos here as a souvenir when they get married.