Officials are proposing to install a lightning protection system at the Ruins of St. Paul’s, after Macao’s iconic landmark was hit during a thunderstorm earlier this month.
According to Macau Post Daily, Cultural Affairs Bureau chief Leong Wai Man said the system would be installed in collaboration with national heritage experts and the impact on tourism would be minimal.
She was speaking at a press conference yesterday, following a meeting of the government-appointed Cultural Heritage Committee.
[See more: The man who made St Paul’s and the secrets behind the ruins that few tourists know]
A stone fell from the Ruins after the storm on 12 June, with authorities concluding that it was dislodged when lightning hit a niche near the top of the famous façade.
It is thought that the stone was not an integral part of the structure but a piece of repair material, used when the niche was restored some years ago.
No other loose material or damage has been found at the Ruins, and the structure was reopened to the public a day after the storm.
