Ruins of Saint Paul's

The Ruins of Saint Paul's (Chinese: 大三巴牌坊; Portuguese: Ruínas de São Paulo) are the ruins of a 17th-century Catholic religious complex in Santo António, Macau, China. They include what was originally St. Paul's College and the Church of St. Paul (Igreja de São Paulo) 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 and one of the Seven Wonders of Portuguese Origin in the World. In 2005, they were officially listed as part of the Historic Centre of Macau, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Saint Paul's Ruins
Native names
Chinese: 大三巴牌坊
Portuguese: Ruínas de São Paulo
TypeRuins
LocationSanto António, Macau, China
Coordinates22°11′51″N 113°32′26″E
Height26 metres
FormedGranite, Masonry, Bronze
Founderjesuit
Built1637-1640
Built forCatholic, church
Original useCatholic Church
Restored1995
Architectural style(s)Baroque
Governing bodyMacau Cultural Bureau
Websitehttp://www.wh.mo/cn/site/detail/18
Ruins of Saint Paul's
Chinese name
Chinese大三巴牌坊
Portuguese name
PortugueseRuínas de São Paulo

History

Built from 1602 to 1640[1] by the Jesuits, the church was one of the largest Catholic churches in Asia at the time. 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 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 in Milan[2] or by the architect Giacomo della Porta (connected to Leonardo's Codex, formerly Codex Leicester, now owned by Bill Gates) who designed the façade of the Church of the Gesù in Rome.[3]

Characteristics
Virgin Mary stepping on a seven-headed hydra.

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.

See also

References
  1. "China". The Morning Post. British Newspaper Archive. 8 July 1835. Retrieved 16 July 2014.
  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/
Front of the ruins of Saint Paul's:
  • The ruins of the original clock tower and cloister were opened into roads.
  • Stone carvings and bronze statues on the archway of the St. Paul's.
  • St Paul's Ruins from St Paul's Hill, Macau
  • At sunset
  • Facade of the Mother-of-God church


Front of the ruins of Saint Paul's with stairs:
  • Ruins of St. Paul's Cathedral
  • Panorama of Ruins of St Paul's from the front of façade.
  • Remains of the Cathedral of Saint Paul, Macau
  • Remains of the Cathedral of Saint Paul, Macau at sunset


Back of the ruins of Saint Paul's:
  • The back of the Ruins of St. Paul's, behind the façade are remains of the original pillars and a shrine.
  • The former church room, photographed from the first floor of the facade.
  • Back of the facade with the stairs for visitors


Details
  • The emblem of the Jesuit Order on the Ruins of the St. Paul.
  • This is the entry of Cathedral of Saint Paul in Macau. "MATER DEI" is engraved on the front door, which means "Mother of God".
  • The foundation stone, laid in 1602, under the front wall (i.e. the Archway) of St. Paul’s Church. The inscription "VIRGINI MAGNÆ MATRI CIVITAS MACAENSIS LIBENS POSVIT·AN·1602", which can be interpreted as: "The City of Macau built this Church in honour of the Great Virgin Mother in the year 1602".
  • Detail from the Saint Paul church ruins in Macau. 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'.


Sketches and old pictures
  • St. Paul’s College and Church before the fire in 1834. It can be seen that most of the buildings of the College and Church, including the bell tower, still exist, painted by George Channery.
  • Ruins of the main altar of the church after the fire. Painted by Chanary in 1835.
  • The St. Paul's archway in 1870, photographed by John Thomson.
  • The façade of St. Paul's Church by Wilhelm Heine, 1854
  • After the Great Fire of 1835, the cloister next to the church survived and the bell tower next to it was badly damaged.
  • Some scholars who passed through the College: Matteo Ricci (left), Adam Schall (center), Ferdinand Verbiest (right); below Xu Guangqi and his granddaughter Candide Hiu
  • Jesuit missionary Ferdinand Verbiest. This is an enlargement of a part of the image that is to the left.
  • 1869
  • 1 October 1908
  • 1854


Miscellaneous:
  • The ruins of the main altar no longer exist and are now the Museum of Sacred Art and Crypt
  • Entrance to the museum
  • The original Inner Harbor view on the St. Paul's archway is obscured by modern buildings, and the statue of Matteo Ricci is on the lower right.
  • Looking at the ruins of St. Paul's Cathedral, St. Paul’s archway, stone steps and inner harbor from the Fortress in 1955

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