祭祀妈祖规格最高的宫庙

It is a temple of the highest standard for sacrificing Mazu

世遗

风华

泉州天后宫有“温陵圣庙”之称，始建于宋宁宗庆元二年（1196年），是莆田湄洲妈祖祖庙较早的分灵庙。1988年被国务院列为全国重点文物保护单位。天后宫是体现世界海洋贸易中心管理保障的代表性遗产，它是宋元时期起源于泉州本地的海神妈祖的祭祀建筑。

天后宫位于泉州市区南门天后路1号，坐北朝南，总面积七千二百多平方米。天后宫的山门、戏台、东西阙、正殿（天后殿）、东西廊、寝殿、东西轩、四凉亭和梳妆楼等建筑，总体布局在南北中轴线上。其中正殿、凉亭、廊轩等尚有明清遗构，早期格局也依稀可见。

天后宫供奉的是妈祖，妈祖原名林默，生于公元960年，出生地为当时泉州府下辖的莆田县湄洲岛。林默自小性情和顺，热心助人，以行善济人为务，专心精研医理，为沿海百姓消灾治病。林默在一次海难救助中不幸去世，被沿海人民尊为海上女神，立庙祭祀。公元1122年，宋徽宗赐莆田妈祖庙“顺济”庙号，这是官方对妈祖这一传统民间崇拜的第一次恩典和肯定，使妈祖从自发信仰转变为官方承认的地方信仰。初建的泉州天后宫也被宋徽宗赐额“顺济”作为庙名。

宋元时代，随着泉州海上贸易的迅速发展，公元1278年，元世祖下诏称妈祖为“泉州神女”，并封其为天妃，妈祖的神格骤然提高。公元1299年，元文宗下诏直呼妈祖为“泉州海神”，确立了妈祖的海神职位。明永乐五年（1407年）郑和出使西洋，奏令福建镇守官重修妈祖庙，使其焕然一新。永乐十三年（1415年），少监张谦出使渤泥（今加里曼丹岛文莱一带），从泉州浯江启航，顺利返航后，奏请朝廷，正式改泉州“顺济宫”为“天妃宫”。

清康熙年间，施琅出征台海，据说在恶劣的海况中得到妈祖庇护，顺利收复台湾，朝廷敕封妈祖为“天后”，至此，宫名改为“天后宫”，清康熙五十九年(1720年)钦定春秋两祭，都在天后宫举行。

妈祖在宋元时期屡获封号，其祭祀列为官方祭典，由朝廷每年遣使致祭。1281年朝廷派遣负责海外贸易的市舶提举任册使册封天妃，说明国家意志与民间信仰达成高度共识，共同推动宋元泉州海洋贸易的蓬勃发展。

Quanzhou Tianhou temple is known as the “Holy Temple of Quanzhou”. It was built in 1196 in the Song Dynasty during the second year of the reign of Emperor Ningzong Qingyuan. It is one the early branches of the Mazu Temple in Putian. (Mazu is the goddess thought to protect people living around the sea). In 1988, it was listed among the Major Historical and Cultural Sites Protected at the National Level. by the State Council. Tianhou Temple is a representative relic that shows the world marine trade center pays attention to the administration and it is a construction for conducting religious rites and originates from local belief, Mazu.

Located at No. 1 Tianhou Road, South Gate of Quanzhou City, Tianhou Temple faces south and has a total area of over 7,200 square meters. All the buildings such as the Mount Gate, the Stage, the East and West Doors, the Main Hall, the East and West Corridors, the Dormitory Hall, the East and West Rooms, Siliang Pavilions, the Dressing Building, are all located on the north-south axis. Among them, the main hall, the pavilions, the corridors and so on are the remains of the Ming and Qing Dynasties, and the early design pattern is still faintly visible.

Tianhou Temple is dedicated to Mazu, originally named Lin Mo, born in 960 A D, in Meizhou Island, Putian County, which was under the jurisdiction of Quanzhou at that time. Lin Mo had been kind-hearted since she was a child. Eager to help others, she was dedicated to the study of medical science and helped cure diseases of coastal people. Unfortunately, later she died from a shipwreck, in which she was trying to save people. Thus, she was worshipped as sea goddess and temple was built to worship her. In 1122, Song Huizong, one of the emperors in the Song Dynasty, named Mazu Temple in Putian “Shunji”. This was the first time that Mazu Temple had been officially recognized. Later, the newly built Tianhou Temple in Quanzhou was also named “Shunji” by Song Huizong.

In the Song and Yuan Dynasties, with the rapid development of Quanzhou’s maritime trade, Emperor Yuan Shizu sang Mazu as the “Quanzhou Goddess” and Tian Fei (the Queen of Heaven) in 1278. In the year of 1299, Emperor Yuan Wenzong called Mazu as “Sea Goddess of Quanzhou”, which established Mazu’s position as sea goddess. In the fifth year of Yongle in the Ming Dynasty (in1407), when Zheng He set sail to the West, he asked the Fujian Provincial Security Officer to rebuild the Mazu Temple. In the thirteenth year of Yongle (in 1415), a young governor Zhang Qian was sent to the Boni (now the area of Brunei in Kalimantan), who set sail from Wujiang River in Quanzhou. After his return, he asked the royal court to officially change the name of Mazu Temple in Quanzhou from “Shunji Temple” to “Tian Fei Temple.”

During the reign of Emperor Kangxi in the Qing Dynasty, Shi Lang went to the Taiwan Straits in order to recover Taiwan and was said to have been protected by Mazu in the bad sea conditions during his recovery. Thus, the royal court named the Mazu “the Queen of Heaven”. Up to then, it finally got its name “Tianhou Temple”. In the 59th year of Emperor Kangxi in the Qing Dynasty (1720), sacrifice ceremonies during the spring and autumn were held in the Tianhou Temple.

Different royal titles were designated to Mazu during the Song and Yuan Dynasties and religious rites were conducted at the state level. Every year, officials would be dispatched to take charge of the religious rites. In 1281, an official who was in charge of the Marine Trade Office was dispatched to give Mazu the title of the “Goddess of Heaven.” This shows that the state will run consistently with the folk beliefs, promoting the development of Quanzhou marine trade during the Song and Yuan dynasties.