Ruinas de S. Paulo

Photo by: Miah Laborte using Sony Ericsson K810i

The Ruins of St. Paul's refer to the facade of what was originally the Church of Mater Dei built in 1602-1640, destroyed by fire in 1835, and the ruins of St. Paul's College which stood adjacent to the Church. As a whole the old Church of Mater Dei, St. Paul's College and Mount Fortress were all Jesuit constructions and formed what can be perceived as the "Acropolis" of Macau. Close by, the archaeological remains of the old College of St. Paul stand witness to what was the first western-style university in the Far East, with an elaborate academic programme. Nowadays, the facade of the Ruins of Saint Paul's function symbolically as an altar to the city.