Ruins of Saint Paul's - Santo António, Macau
N 22° 11.844 E 113° 32.451
49Q E 761965 N 2456872
Stamp of the famed Ruins of Saint Paul's cathedral in Santo António, Macau.
Waymark Code: WM18093
Location: Macao
Date Posted: 05/01/2023
Views: 3
The StampThe stamp was issued as one of the
Buildings and Monuments of Macao Public Group 2 in 1983 with 6 other stamps. It is a
2.50 P stamp which is the denomination of the
Macanese pataca. Currently 1 United States Dollar equals
8.07 Macanese Pataca.
The Ruins
Arguably Macau’s most famous landmark, the Ruins of St. Paul’s continue to captivate visitors centuries after it was originally constructed. Today, most tourists who visit the ruins probably only see the remains of a beautiful old church, but there’s more to its story. In fact, the ruins serve as a key reminder of Macau’s unique roots.
Constructed from 1602 to 1640 by Jesuit priests who travelled to the Far East to spread Catholicism, the site originally included St. Paul’s College and the Church of St. Paul, also known as “Mater Dei”, a Portuguese church dedicated to Saint Paul the Apostle.
Located at the top of a hill, the structure was the largest church in Asia at the time and was acclaimed as “The Vatican of the Far East”. Its existence was meant to express the triumph of the Roman Catholic Church through the ornate grandeur of the buildings.
The original structure was made of wood, which burned down in a fire during a typhoon in 1835, leaving only the beautiful granite façade and a grand staircase of 68 stone steps leading up to it.-
Ruins of St. Paul's