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St. Paul's Hill And St. Paul's Church

Landing Place of Catholic Saints

St. Paul's Church in Malacca is located at the top of St. Paul's Hill and was made famous by the visit of the famous missionary St. Francis Xavier. Today, only the remains of St. Paul's Church exist. Inside the church, there are tombstones of foreigners and St. Francis Xavier and a statue of him standing in front of the church.

In 1521, a Portuguese captain arrived in Malacca after escaping from a disaster. In gratitude for the blessing of Virgin Mary, he built a small chapel on Malacca Hill, and named it Igreja de Madre de Deus (Church of the Mother of God). After the Dutch came to Malacca, they took the church into the Dutch Reformed Church and renamed it St. Paul's Church, and later the hill was named after the church.

In the middle of the sixteenth century, St. Francis Xavier, a famous European missionary, stayed briefly at St. Paul’s Church. He died a few years later during his missionary journey in East Asia and his body was brought back to St. Paul’s Church in Malacca to be buried. St. Francis Xavier's Tomb can still be seen in St. Paul’s Church today. A Statue of St. Francis Xavier has also been erected in front of the Church in honor of this Catholic saint.

Manywhere Trivia:
The right hand of the statue was smashed off by a tree soon after the statue was erected. Coincidentally, the right arm of St. Francis Xavier was also separated from his body and is enshrined inside the Church of the Gesu in Rome, Italy.

Tombstones Displayed in the Church

After the completion of Christ Church of Malacca in 1753, St. Paul’s Church has lost much of its importance. Through war and time, only four walls and Tombstone inside the Church remain today. Even so, St. Paul’s Hill and St. Paul’s Church are still among the most popular tourist spots in Malacca. People come here to experience nature and history, Overlook the City beneath the Hill and enjoy a relaxing time.