Ruins of St. Paul's

Ruins of Saint Paul's Church

The Ruins of St. Paul's (Chinese: 大三巴牌坊; Cantonese Yale: daaih sāam bā pàaihfōng) are the ruins of a 16th-century complex in Santo António, Macau, China. It includes what was originally St. Paul's College and the Church of St. Paul also known as "Mater Dei", a 17th-century Portuguese church dedicated to Saint Paul the Apostle. Today, the ruins are one of Macau's best known landmarks. They are often, but incorrectly, mentioned as a former cathedral (see Macau Cathedral), a status they never had. In 2005, they were officially listed as part of the Historic Centre of Macau, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

History

The façade of St. Paul's Church by Wilhelm Heine, 1854

Built from 1602 to 1640[1] by the Jesuits, the collegiate was one of the largest Catholic churches in Asia at the time, and the royalty of Europe vied with each other to bestow upon the temple the best gifts. With the decline in importance of Macau, which was overtaken as the main port for the Pearl River Delta by Hong Kong, the building's fortunes similarly ebbed, and it was destroyed by a fire during a typhoon on the 26 January 1835.[1] The Fortaleza do Monte overlooks the ruin. This could have been due to Francesco Melzi showing the codex to Carlo Spinola s.j. in Milan [2] or by the architect Giacomo della Porta (connected to Leonardo's Codex Bill Gates formerly Codex Leicester) who designed the façade of the Chiesa del Gesu' in Rome.[3]

Features

Virgin Mary stepping on a seven-headed hydra.
Behind the façade are remains of the original pillars and a shrine
Panorama of Ruins of St Paul's from the front of façade.

The ruins now consist of the southern stone façade—intricately carved between 1620 and 1627 by Japanese Christians in exile from their homeland and local craftsmen under the direction of Italian Jesuit Carlo Spinola—and the crypts of the Jesuits who established and maintained the church. The façade sits on a small hill, with 68 stone steps leading up to it. The carvings include Jesuit images with Oriental themes, such as The Blessed Virgin Mary stepping on a seven-headed hydra, described in Chinese characters as 'Holy Mother tramples the heads of the dragon'. A few of the other carvings are of the founders of the Jesuit Order, the conquest of Death by Jesus, and at the very top, a dove with wings outstretched.

Conservation

Resisting calls for the dangerously leaning structure to be demolished, from 1990 to 1995, the ruins were excavated under the auspices of the Instituto Cultural de Macau to study its historic past. The crypt and the foundations were uncovered, revealing the architectural plan of the building. Numerous religious artifacts were also found together with the relics of the Chinese Christian martyrs and the monastic clergy, including the founder of the Jesuit college in Macau, Father Alessandro Valignano.

The ruins were restored by the Macanese government into a museum, and the façade is now buttressed with concrete and steel in a way which preserves the aesthetic integrity of the façade. A steel stairway allows tourists to climb up to the top of the façade from the rear.

It is customary to throw coins into the top window of the ruins from the stairs, for luck.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "China". The Morning Post. British Newspaper Archive. 8 July 1835. Retrieved 16 July 2014. (subscription required (help)).
  2. ↑ http://beyondthirtynine.com/was-san-paul-cathedral-in-macau-designed-by-leonardo-da-vinci/
  3. ↑ http://beyondthirtynine.com/the-hand-of-leonardo-da-vinci-in-all-jesuitic-churches/

Coordinates: 22°11′51″N 113°32′26″E / 22.19750°N 113.54056°E / 22.19750; 113.54056

Main article：Historic Centre of Macau
A-Ma Temple | Moorish Barracks | Mandarin's House | St Lawrence's Church | St. Joseph's Seminary and Church | Dom Pedro V Theatre | St. Augustine's Church
Sir Robert Ho Tung Library | Leal Senado Building | Sam Kai Vui Kun | Holy House of Mercy | Cathedral of the Nativity of Our Lady | Lou Kau Mansion | St. Dominic's Church | Ruins of St. Paul's | Na Tcha Temple
Walls of Macau | Fortaleza do Monte | St. Anthony's Church | Casa Garden | Old Protestant Cemetery (including the Macau Protestant Chapel) | Guia Fortress (including Guia Chapel and Guia Lighthouse)
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