Leal Senado / Senate

In the center of Macau the Avenida Almeida Ribeiro opens out into the Largo do Leal Senado, in which is the impressive old Senate Building, now occupied by the Municipal Council. It is regarded as the finest example of Portuguese colonial architecture in Macau.

The Senate of Macau earned the epithet "leal" ("loyal") when the Portuguese court was obliged by the invading Napoleonic armies to flee to Brazil in 1809 and the Senate supplied it with a warship.

The present building is thought to have been built in 1784 on the site of an older building. The façade was added in 1870, and the whole building was completely restored in 1939-40. From 1585 to 1835 the Senate played an extremely important role in Macau's contacts with the