The ruins of a 17th century Portuguese Cathedral in Macau dedicated to the apostle Saint Paul, are all that remain today of a famous landmark in Macau. The ruins of St. Paul were listed as a UNESCO world heritage site in 2005.
St. Paul’s cathedral was built by the Jesuits, from 1852 to 1602. At the time it was the largest Cathedral in Asia and European royalty contended with each other as to who could present the better gift to the cathedral.
As the years progressed, Hong Kong’s Pearl River Delta became the main port, and merchants were less enthralled by Macau. The interest that the outside world had with St. Paul’s Cathedral began to wane and unfortunately an 1835 typhoon destroyed the cathedral in a fire.
Today all that remains of Asia’s grandest cathedral is an intricately worked stone façade by Japanese Christians in exile under the direction of Italian Jesuit Carlo Spinola. The crypts of the Jesuits who built and maintained the Cathedral remain along with 66 stone steps that lead upward to the façade.
The ruins are adjacent to the famous Mount Fortress and Macau Museum. According to historical records it is claimed that St Paul’s was built with white stone and had a high vaulted roof, with three grandly decorated halls. The halls were built with granite and from the bottom up wards the cathedral had five tiers. During 1990 and 1995 the ruins were restored. However, there were numerous calls to demolish the dangerous façade which was deemed unstable. During its excavation by the Institute of Culture in Macau the crypt and the foundations were discovered which revealed the architectural plans of the structure.
A visit to the ruins of St. Pauls Cathedral would not be completed if travellers did not spend a night in a
hotel in Macau. The city offers many to choose from like the
Venetian Macau Resort Hotel and be treated by this
luxury hotel Macau style.
