The Old Protestant Cemetery, or Cemitério Protestante, was established by the British East India Company in 1821, in response of the need for a burial place for the non-Catholic community of Macau. Before it was established, this small community had a difficult time whenever someone died.
The Portuguese considered Macau sacred Roman Catholic ground, and barred non Catholics from being buried within its city walls. On the other side of the barrier gate, the Chinese were also intolerant of foreigners being buried on their soil. The Protestant traders had to bury their dead in the area between the city wall and the barrier gate. This had to be done in secrecy, under the cover of night, because if the Chinese discover that, they risk confrontation, or worse, the desecration of those graves.
The death of Mary Morrison, the wife of imminent missionary Robert Morrison, brought the issue to the forefront. That's when officials of the East India Company decided to the tackle the matter, and resolved it with the Portuguese authorities. They voted to purchase a plot of land for burial purposes. With approval from the Portuguese, the Protestant Cemetery allowed burial to all foreigners. Several graves from outside the city wall were also exhumed and moved into the cemetery. That is why some of these graves date to earlier than 1821.
The Protestant Cemetery was in use until 1858, after which it was referred as the Old Protestant Cemetery. Next to it is the Protestant Chapel, also known as Morrison Chapel, in honour of Robert Morrison.
The Old Protestant Cemetery is one of the sites within the Historic Centre of Macau, and is inscribed as a Unesco World Heritage Site.
Old Protestant Cemetery
