About
Saint Paul's Church is a historic church building in Malacca City, Malaysia, that was originally built from 1566 to 1590.[1] It is the oldest European building east of India. It is located on the summit of St. Paul's Hill.
The first Catholic Church in Malacca was "Our Lady of the Annunciation," built by the Portuguese viceroy and military commander Afonso de Albuquerque at the bottom of the Hill near the colonial castle A Famosa in 1511. It later became the Cathedral Our Lady of the Assumption.
In 1521, a Portuguese colonial military commander named Duarte Coelho built a chapel dedicated to the Virgin Mary and known as Nossa Senhora da Graca (Our Lady of Grace), then Nossa Senhora Madre de Deos (Our Lady Mother of God). Coelho built the chapel as an act of gratitude following his escape from a Chinese fleet during a storm in the South China Sea.
The chapel was deeded to the Society of Jesus in 1548 by the Bishop of Goa, João Afonso de Albuquerque, with the title deeds received by St. Francis Xavier. The chapel was demolished in 1566 and the Jesuits built a new church named Nossa Senhora da Annunciada (Our Lady of the Annunciation). This church had three altars dedicated to Saint Ignatius of Loyola, the Eleven Thousand Virgins, and the Good Infant Jesus. the walls of the chancel were probably covered with azulejo tiles. The tower was equipped with a clock-dial.
A burial vault was opened in 1592 and many people of distinction were buried there, including Pedro Martins, the second Bishop of Funay, Japan.