This church stands on the site of a chapel founded in 1558, the first to be built in Macau. The history of the present building is told briefly on a plaque by the door: "Built in 1638. Burnt in 1809. Rebuilt in 1810. Burnt again in 1874. Repaired in 1875". However, there is a cross in the churchyard bearing the date of 1636. Another fire necessitated another restoration in 1930 and further work was done on the facade and tower in 1940.
St. Anthony's Church is a "military" saint and a "Captain" in the Portuguese army. Each year on his feast day (June 13) a ceremony takes place in which the President of the Senate presents him with his "wages" and his image is taken in a procession to inspect what is left of the old city battlements.
