Ruins of St.Paul Travel Guide

The Ruins of St. Paul Cathedral are Macau´s most famous landmark. All that remains of the greatest of Macau´s churches is its magnificent stone facade and grand staircase. The church was built in 1602 adjoining the Jesuit College of St. Paul, the first Western college in the Far East.

It was designed by an Italian Father, the construction of this holy church began in 1602 and completed in 1637 with the help of the Japanese technology of superlative craftsmanship. The church caught fire three times during its construction period and each time it was rebuilt until the last fire happened in 1853.

The fire lasted for two hours and it set nearly the whole church into flames except the front wall, the most valuable part. The surviving facade rise in 4 colonnaded tiers, and is covered with carvings and statues which eloquently illustrate the early days of the Church in Asia.

There are statues of the Virgin and saints, symbols of the Garden of Eden and the Crucifixion, angels and the devil, a Chinese dragon and a Japanese chrysanthemum, a Portuguese sailing ship and pious warnings inscribed in Chinese.