The Municipal Council, otherwise known as Largo do Senado, facing the Square is one of the outstanding Portuguese style of architectures in Macau. The meaning of the Municipal Council literally means "Loyal Parliament" in Portuguese. The original intention of setting up the Municipal Council was to provide a square for citizens to get together for discussing important events.
Entering the main door of the Municipal Council, the first thing comes into sight is the Portuguese porcelain blade in blue and white colour inlaid in the foot of the wall. On the wall, there is a stone carving of historical records. Moving upwards along the stone steps, one can reach a garden, on both sides of which stand two stone busts, one of the famous Portuguese poet Louis de Camoes, and the other, Amaru - Governor of Macau.
On the ball-shape terrace at the center, grass is grown in profusion. There are cross lines on top of it showing adventure throughout the world by Portuguese at the early stage. The door at the garden is a piece of Portuguese hardware product with exquisite craftsmanship. The relief sculpture of Queen Lee Ann Roni on the wall, a queen of the Portuguese Av s dynasty in the 15th century. She set up the Benevolence Hall in Macao in 1568 and it became the oldest medical welfare institution in Asian history.
Moving further upwards, one can reach the meeting hall and the library. On the Municipal Shield in the meeting hall there a pattern is carved on which two political envoys safeguard the Portuguese national emblem. There are a global chart and a cross on top of the political envoy on the right resembling the adventurous undertaking of Portugual and a cross mark in top of the envoy on the left which is a symbol showing the support of the Christian Regiment given to Prince Henry in his scheme of maritime adventure.
There is a design of Lisban's Seven Fortresses in the Portuguese national emblem, above which is a pattern of a crown, showing the past loyalty of the Municipal Council and below is an eulogy in Portuguese praising Macau. Although Portugual was dominated by Spain for sixty years in the 17th century, Macau still flew the Portuguese national flag.
Later on Macau won the reputation of Catholic Holiness in praise of its loyalty, and the library of the Municipal Council is typical of the Portuguese type of library, whose ceiling appears to be golden and white in colour with cross chandeliers elegantly hanging from it.
In the library there is a collection of books and records published in Macau and other places since the 15th century.
