Ruins of St. Paul’s, Macau Peninsula, Macau
After visiting St. Dominic’s Church at the Historic Centre of Macau in Macau Peninsula during our Macau Day Tour on May 30, 2009, we went to the St. Paul’s Ruins or the Ruins of St. Paul’s. St. Paul’s Ruins refer to the facade of the original St. Paul’s Cathedral which was built in 1602 adjoining the College of St. Paul of the Jesuits.
St. Paul’s College was built by the Jesuits to further strengthen its role as Catholic missionaries in Asia. The College of St. Paul was the first Western college in Asia during the 16th century.
The stone of the facade of the St. Paul’s Cathedral was carved in between 1620 and 1627 by the Japanese Christians in exile and local craftsmen under the direction of an Italian Jesuit named Carlo Spinola.
Eventually, the Jesuits got expelled in Macau. The College of St. Paul was then used as army barracks. In 1835, a fire which started from the kitchen destroyed St. Paul’s College and the body of St. Paul’s Cathedral. Only the facade remained standing with its four colonnaded tiers with carvings and statues.
St. Paul’s Cathedral was also known as the Church of the Mother of God. The inscription MATER DEI or Mother of God is up to the present very quite distinct right at the top of the middle door or entrance of the facade or the Ruins of St. Paul’s.
In 1990 to 1995, the ruins were excavated to study its historic past to prevent the demolition of the leaning structure. The crypt and the foundations were uncovered revealing the architectural plan of the building and numerous religious artifacts were also found.
With that important discovery, the ruins were restored and the back side of the facade was turned into a museum. The ruins now consist of the stone facade and the crypts of the Jesuits who established and maintained the Cathedral before the Jesuits got expelled in the 18th century.
Today, the remaining facade of the St. Paul’s Cathedral still sits on a small hill with 66 stone steps leading up to the facade popularly now known as the Ruins of St. Paul’s.
The Ruins of St. Paul’s is part of the “Historic Centre of Macau”. The Historic Centre of Macau was officially inscribed on July 15, 2005 on the prestigious UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Related Links:
Macau Government Tourist Office
Ruins of St. Paul’s, in Wikipedia
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