Ruins of St. Paul Church

The Ruins of St. Paul Church refer to the facade of what was originally the Cathedral of St. Paul, a 17th century Portuguese cathedral in Macau dedicated to Saint Paul the Apostle. Today, the ruins are one of Macau's most famous landmarks. In 2005, the Ruins of St. Paul were officially enlisted as part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site Historic Centre of Macau.

Designed by Italian Jesuit Father Carlo Spinola and built primarily by Japanese craftsmen, refugees from anti-Christian persecution in Japan, the church is an example of the east-west mix that characterizes Macau. A Latin cross crowns the facade, while beneath a bronze statue of Jesus Christ dominates the second tier. Lilies and chrysanthemums surround the statue, giving a hint of the Japanese connection. The chrysanthemum was the official symbol of the Japanese imperial family.

Construction of the church began in 1602 and was completed in 1637 with more than 30 years' effort. It once suffered from three fire accidents. The last one broke out on January 1, 1835 and continued for over two hours. The whole church was almost razed to the ground except the front wall, which was later known as "Great Sanba Archway". 

Great Sanba Archway is 27 meters tall, 23.5 meters wide, and 2.7 meters thick. The top floor is a triangle lintel under a cross; in the middle of the lintel embeds a copper dove standing for sacred divinity; the dove is surrounded by sun, moon, and stars symbolizing the pregnancy by the Virgin Mary; under a copper dove stands a statue of baby Jesus Christ with the tools that were used to nail him to the cross. The major figures here are the Virgin Marry, the Holy Father, Holy Saint, and Jesus Christ. The next two floors under the top reflect the mission of churchmen. The style of the whole church is that of European Baroque style.  The embossments on the architecture, as an integration of western and eastern culture, deliver with force both the western religious art and Chinese traditional stone carving techniques.

The Great Sanba Archway has 68 panels in total. In the basement at the rear lies a Catholic Artistic Museum containing many religious artworks.