Ruins of St. Paul
Overview
Location
It is located in the macau Special Administrative Region.
History
It was built from 1582 to 1602 by the Jesuits. The cathedral was the largest Catholic Church in Asia at the time, and the royalty of Europe competed with each other to bestow upon the cathedral the best gifts. When Macau was not the main port for the Pearl River Delta, the cathedral’s fortunes similarly ebbed, and it was destroyed by a fire during a typhoon in 1835.
Attraction
The ruins now consist of the southern stone façade carved by Japanese Christians between 1620 and 1627 in exile from their homeland, and the crypts of the Jesuits who established and maintained the Cathedral. The façade sits on a small hill, with 66 stone steps leading up to it. The carvings include Jesuit images with Oriental themes, such as a woman stepping on a seven-headed hydra, described by Chinese characters as ’Holy Mother tramples the heads of the dragon’.
Features
Southern stone façade 66 stone steps
