濠鏡縈情 Tender Love to Macao

 望德堂區簡介

 

 “瘋堂”，一個擁有聞風喪膽的過去，卻也蘊含著令人欽佩故事的慈愛之地。

 

  昔日澳門有很多的痳瘋病人。十六世紀， 首任天主教澳門 教區主教賈耐勞在來澳後就在這裡建立了痳瘋病院照顧痲瘋病人，並附設一所小教堂讓病人擁有心靈寄託，名為“望德聖母堂”。由於教堂是專為痲瘋病人而設，故人稱“瘋堂”或“發瘋寺”。慈善事業，關愛精神的由此萌芽。

 

  至18世紀，傳教士除了在澳門舊城的八間教堂工作外，還建有專為華人而設的教堂，為“庇護聖母教堂”，(我加了這個，畢竟唐人廟是俗稱，如果直譯讀者可能難以理解是一座教堂)又稱“唐人廟”。而時值滿清政府禁制天主教，故在中國內地的華人教徒都退到澳門避居，並在此教堂活動，藉行醫傳教。然而清政府查封該教堂，唐人廟被拆毀。及至太平天國之亂時，又再有一批內地華人教徒逃到澳門，當時清朝的國力薄弱，以致不能在澳門有效實施對華人的禁教令，故在澳門的教徒依舊可以公然的參與教會活動。

 

  19世紀中期， 華人教徒漸漸在望德堂附近定居、禮拜，搭木屋成坊， 故此地被稱為“進教圍”，而望德聖母堂也一度被稱“進教堂”。有“貧窮者之家”之稱的婆仔屋、提供善終的清安醫所等也隨之建立。再者， 中華青少年教育輔助會由華商出資以現今大瘋堂為會址，資助華籍失學兒童。慈善事業在望德堂區域進一步發展。

 

  1895年，此區暴發嚴重的鼠疫，澳葡政府為了清理該區，盡拆區內的木屋並重建成兩層的平房住宅並分築街道，新修的住宅仍為教徒居住。直至1940年代，進教圍的傳教事業開始衰落，坊內的教友家庭也漸遷離。 第二次世界大戰及澳門一二.三事件致圍內難民增多，僅余的教友多紛紛外移， 自此“進教圍”的稱號也步入了歷史長河。值得慶倖的是，大瘋堂改建為社會救濟會繼續幫助受難者，而婆仔屋作為收留戰爭中的難民、貧民之所。慈善事業及關愛精神已由愛的傳播發展為社會大眾對於這個社區的關心。

 

  隨澳門的都市發展，往日的宗教色彩也漸退卻。1984年澳葡政府在設立專注保護文化財產的委員會時，將坊區列入重點保護文化財產名單內。1992年再列入澳門文物名錄中的“已評定之建築群名單“。

 

  至今望德堂坊的建築特色也間接帶動了文化產業的發展，，並得到澳門特區政府大力支持。隨著社會發展安定，慈善事業對望德堂的影響也漸漸降低。現今，社會工作局和清安醫所仍一直秉承服務大眾的宗旨。而小區間互助互愛的精神以另一種形式流傳下來。

 

 

Indroduction of St. Lazarus

 

  In the past, there are lots of lepers in Macao. In 16th century, the first catholic Macao bishop Carneiro built up a leprosary hospital to take care of the lepers, and established a small church to let the patients have some spiritual sustenance, named the Hermitage of Our Lady of Hope. Since the church was established for lepers, it also known as St. Lazarus church. The philanthropy and the concern of love in the St. Lazarus Quarter started from here.

 

  Till the 18th century, apart from working in eight churches inside the old city of Macao, missionaries also had a church especially for the Chinese, called Chapel of Our Lady of Amparo, also known as The temple of Chinese, at that time, the Qing government had some policy on prohibiting Catholicism, so those Chinese believers in China sheltered in Macao, and prayed in the church. However, the Qing government decided to close down and the church was demolished finally. During the taiping rebellion, there were another group of believers sheltered in Macao. Moreover, because the Qing government was weak at that time, so it could not implement the prohibition of Catholic to Chinese, so those who lived in Macao still could take part in the church activity.

 

  In the middle of 19th century, Chinese believers started settling and praying in the St. Lazarus Quarter gradually, and they built up numbers of wooden house, so the area also called Jin Jiao Wei. So called the family of poor (now the old lady’s house) and Cheng On I So were also established later. Moreover, Chinese Youth Education Society used the place where now the Tai Fong Tung art house to help some Chinese uneducated children under the support from some Chinese merchants. The philanthropy was further developed at the St. Lazarus quarter.

 

  In 1895, there was a serious plague broke out here. In order to clean the area, the Portuguese government demolished the wooden houses and built up new two-story bungalow and divided streets, and the new buildings were still lived by the believers. Until 1940s, the missionary activities in Jin Jiao Wei started declining resulted in the families living here moved out gradually. The World War II and “123 Incident also increased the number of refugees transfered into the district, and the remaining conversus also moved out one by one. Jin Jiao Wei had become the history. Luckily, the Tai Feng Tong was transferred into Social Welfare Society and continued to help the sufferers. The old lady’s house also worked as a shelter for those refugees and poor suffered from the war. The philanthropy and the concern of love already transferred from the love spreading out from the church to the care from the public to the community.

 

  With the urban development of Macao, the religion image has also gone. In 1984, when the Portuguese government set up the community for conservation of heritage, it listed the St. Lazarus quarter as key protected cultural property. And later 1992, it was listed in the ensembles of Macao heritage list.

 

  Nowadays, St. Lazarus Quarter also brings up the development of culture and creative industry, as well as get the support from the Macao SAR. Following the stable development of the society, the influence of philanthropy to St. Lazarus also decreased. The Social welfare bureau and Cheong On I So still serve the public. But the spiritual of mutual assistance and love among the community still come down in another way.