MACAU (UCAN): The Diocese of Macau officially opened its archives comprising close to a million documents and numerous relics with historic cultural and heritage values for public view for the first time, a Church official said. The diocese has preserved them for centuries, going back to the arrival of the Portuguese in 1557.
The Diocesan Office of Historical Archives and Patrimony located at the Bishop’s House functions under the supervision of the Diocesan Chancellor and the Macau Diocesan Curia.
In 2010, UNESCO assigned some ancient books at St. Joseph’s Seminary and archives of the Diocesan Chancery to its Memory of the World Programme for the Asia-Pacific region.
Benedict Keith Ip, director of the Diocesan Archives Office, said the Church finds it important to share its history and heritage with people, the diocese’s Portuguese-language weekly, Jornal-O-Clarim, reported on October 7.
“The Church is not a museum; the Church lives in constant movement, as food for the faith. Therefore, the meaning and witness of these cultural relics—of this tangible heritage—must be transmitted daily to the faithful in this new era,” Ip said.
Our archive is divided between the Historical Records Room and the Relics Room. The first is located on the ground floor of the Episcopal Palace; the second is in the Seminary of St. Joseph
Benedict Keith Ip
He added that the archives consist of “over a million pages of files and documents” that shed light on the rich cultural and religious history of Macau.
The documents must be at least 10 years old to be classified as a historical archive. However, exceptions are allowed in the case of ones that relate to rare and key historical events.
Ip stated that the Diocesan Archives function as per the rules and regulations laid out by the Committee on Good Practices and Standards of the International Council of Archives.
“Our archive is divided between the Historical Records Room and the Relics Room. The first is located on the ground floor of the Episcopal Palace; the second is in the Seminary of St. Joseph,” he added.
The archive is divided into three parts—common archives, historical archives, and secret archives. Secret archives have been established as per the provisions of the Canon Law and are accessible only by the bishop who can decide on the categorisation and usage of the documents.
The Church is not a museum; the Church lives in constant movement, as food for the faith. Therefore, the meaning and witness of these cultural relics—of this tangible heritage—must be transmitted daily to the faithful in this new era
Benedict Keith Ip
The team conducts the cataloguing and management of archives and cultural heritage, research work and promotion of cultural archives and relics, and preservation and restoration of cultural relics.
Ip said that cultural artifacts often lose their colour at the points of contact and are not damaged because of handling but because of accidents during processions. He added that professional services are often required for the restoration of items that are damaged due to elevated temperatures and high humidity.
“In these cases, it is necessary to call a professional to repair the relics. As for other objects, such as pillows, garments in the images, and vestments, it is necessary to find a specialised tailor,” Ip added.
“It took the restoration team about three months to restore the image of Jesus,” Ip said of a recent project.
Presently, the archivists are restoring of a set of oil paintings of the former bishops of Macau located at the Bishop’s House.
St. Joseph’s Church holds one of Macau’s most precious religious relics, a piece of bone from the arm of St. Francis Xavier, that formerly belonged to the collection of the Church of Mater Dei [the ruins of St. Paul’s].
