The history of the Jesuits in Macau began in the mid fifteen hundreds, and between 1602 and 1640, they built this church in honor of St. Paul. The church has survived numerous catastrophes, including the expulsion of the Jesuits in 1762 (during the suppression of the Society), and a fire during a typhoon in 1835 which left little more than the southern façade.
During the 1990’s the structure came precariously close to being demolished to prevent the leaning façade from falling. Instead, the ruins were excavated in order to study it. This lead to the site being preserved. The façade has now been buttressed to prevent it from falling, and the crypts have been protected.
I was only in Macau for one night and arrived about 1am. I was leaving again by ferry the next morning and since I was jet lagged (and not sleepy) I decided to take a solo night tour of the city. My first stop was St. Paul’s. The church itself was locked up, the front façade and the steps leading up to the plaza in front of it are open and are very nicely lit at night. The church is open between 9am and 6pm, and I had a 9:30 ferry back to HKG, so that’s why I found myself there at 2:15 am. It is strange that the whole church was destroyed (by a fire during a typhoon in 1835) but that the complete façade is still intact (buttressed from behind now by a cement “wall” to stabilize it).
… it seemed almost transcendent to walk around this once sacred ground in the middle of the night.
The night guard was very friendly when I engaged him in conversation, and karma shined on me and he allowed me in to look around. The museum was closed and everything was dark, but it seemed almost transcendent to walk around this once sacred ground in the middle of the night. St. Ignatius, the founder of the Jesuit order, would be proud that this beautiful facade is still standing after all these years, and that this testament to a spiritual connection is so strongly connected with this territory which is now more known for its casinos.
I’m sure it looks nice during the day, but I think it looked amazing at night!
Why go?
- Macau is well known for it’s gambling casinos, but there are some interesting historic sights as well. This is IMHO the best of them.
What you need to know:
- The inside church area is open from 9am to 6pm.
- Wandering around the ruins seemed perfectly safe even at 2:30am.
- If you are interested in the Jesuits and their mission to China and Macau, there is some interesting reading about it on Wikipedia.
The Ruins of St. Paul`s, Macau
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Picture from inside the church area "behind" the facade. I was given access during my midnight visit.
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The history of the Jesuits in Macau began in the mid fifteen hundreds, and between 1602 and 1640, they built this church in honor of St. Paul. The church has survived numerous catastrophes, including the expulsion of the Jesuits in 1762 (during the suppression of the Society), and a fire during a typhoon in 1835 which left little more than the southern façade. For more information, head to the link in my profile: @mytravels.hdf
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Picture taken: 1/13/2017
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This picture is posted on Instagram to add to my travel blog (the address is listed in my profile).
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#St.Pauls #Macau #SocietyofJesus #SaintPauls #SaintPaulsMacau #Facade #MoretoMacau #Typhoon1835
The Ruins of St. Paul`s, Macau
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Several pictures taken over the years of the facade. These are located inside the church area. I was given access during my midnight visit.
.
The history of the Jesuits in Macau began in the mid fifteen hundreds, and between 1602 and 1640, they built this church in honor of St. Paul. The church has survived numerous catastrophes, including the expulsion of the Jesuits in 1762 (during the suppression of the Society), and a fire during a typhoon in 1835 which left little more than the southern façade. For more information, head to the link in my profile: @mytravels.hdf
.
Picture taken: 1/13/2017
.
This picture is posted on Instagram to add to my travel blog (the address is listed in my profile).
.
#St.Pauls #Macau #SocietyofJesus #SaintPauls #SaintPaulsMacau #Facade #MoretoMacau #Typhoon1835
The Ruins of St. Paul`s, Macau
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The statue of Saint Ignatius, taken from the plaza out front in the middle of the night.
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The history of the Jesuits in Macau began in the mid fifteen hundreds, and between 1602 and 1640, they built this church in honor of St. Paul. The church has survived numerous catastrophes, including the expulsion of the Jesuits in 1762 (during the suppression of the Society), and a fire during a typhoon in 1835 which left little more than the southern façade. For more information, head to the link in my profile: @mytravels.hdf
.
Picture taken: 1/13/2017
.
This picture is posted on Instagram to add to my travel blog (the address is listed in my profile).
.
#St.Pauls #Macau #SocietyofJesus #SaintPauls #SaintPaulsMacau #Facade #MoretoMacau #Typhoon1835
The Ruins of St. Paul`s, Macau
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Picture of the Christogram taken from the plaza out front in the middle of the night.
.
The history of the Jesuits in Macau began in the mid fifteen hundreds, and between 1602 and 1640, they built this church in honor of St. Paul. The church has survived numerous catastrophes, including the expulsion of the Jesuits in 1762 (during the suppression of the Society), and a fire during a typhoon in 1835 which left little more than the southern façade. For more information, head to the link in my profile: @mytravels.hdf
.
Picture taken: 1/13/2017
.
This picture is posted on Instagram to add to my travel blog (the address is listed in my profile).
.
#St.Pauls #Macau #SocietyofJesus #SaintPauls #SaintPaulsMacau #Facade #MoretoMacau #Typhoon1835
The Ruins of St. Paul`s, Macau
.
Picture from the plaza out front in the middle of the night.
.
The history of the Jesuits in Macau began in the mid fifteen hundreds, and between 1602 and 1640, they built this church in honor of St. Paul. The church has survived numerous catastrophes, including the expulsion of the Jesuits in 1762 (during the suppression of the Society), and a fire during a typhoon in 1835 which left little more than the southern façade. For more information, head to the link in my profile: @mytravels.hdf
.
Picture taken: 1/13/2017
.
This picture is posted on Instagram to add to my travel blog (the address is listed in my profile).
.
#St.Pauls #Macau #SocietyofJesus #SaintPauls #SaintPaulsMacau #Facade #MoretoMacau #Typhoon1835
