Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
TOP SIGHT
RUINS OF THE CHURCH OF ST PAUL
Also known as 'the Gate to Nowhere', the ruins of the Church of St Paul are
the most treasured icon in Macau. Once a Jesuit church in the early 17th cen-
tury, all that remains of it now are the facade and the stairway. However, with
its statues, portals and engravings that effectively make up a sermon in
stone, it's one of the greatest monuments to Christianity in Asia.
The church was designed by an Italian Jesuit and built in 1602 by Japanese Christian ex-
iles and Chinese craftsmen. After the expulsion of the Jesuits, a military battalion was sta-
tioned here. In 1835 a fire erupted in the kitchen of the barracks, destroying everything, ex-
cept what you see today.
The facade has five tiers. At the top is a dove, representing the Holy Spirit, surrounded by
stone carvings of the sun, moon and stars. Beneath that is a statue of the infant Jesus accom-
panied by the implements of the Crucifixion. In the centre of the third tier stands the Virgin
Mary being assumed bodily into heaven along with angels and two flowers: the peony, rep-
resenting China, and the chrysanthemum, a symbol of Japan. Just below the pediment, on
the right side of the facade, is a dragon surmounted by the Holy Virgin. To the right of the
Virgin is a carving of the tree of life and the apocalyptic woman (Mary) slaying a seven-
headed hydra; the Japanese
kanji
next to her reads: 'The holy mother tramples the heads of
the dragon'.
The facade is approached by six flights of 11 stairs each, with an attractive balustrade
running up each side.
GOOGLE MAP
;Rua de São Paulo; 9am-6pm; 8A, 17, 26, disembark at Luís de Camões Garden)
contains carved wooden statues, silver chalices and oil paintings, as well as the remains of
Vietnamese and Japanese Christians martyred in the 17th century.
