St. Paul's Church, Malacca, Malaysia

Getty Images/MIXA

St Paul's Church

Melaka City

LoginSave

The evocative and sublime ruin of St Paul's Church crowns the summit of Bukit St Paul overlooking central Melaka. Steep stairs from Jln Kota or Jln Chang Koon Cheng lead up to this faded sanctuary, originally built by a Portuguese captain in 1521. The church was regularly visited by St Francis Xavier, whose marble statue – minus his right hand and a few toes – stands in front of the ruin.

Following his death in China, the saint's body was temporarily interred here for nine months before being transferred to Goa. You can look into St Francis' ancient tomb (surrounded by a wire fence) inside the church.

When the Dutch completed their own Christ Church at the base of the hill in 1590, St Paul's fell into disuse. Under the British, a lighthouse was built and the church was used as a storehouse for gunpowder.

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

  • The Stadthuys and clocktower in Town Square.

    Stadthuys

    0.12 MILES

    This former town hall and governor's residence dates to the 1650s and is believed to be the oldest Dutch building in the East. It functioned as State…

  • History & Ethnography Museums Complex

    History & Ethnography Museums Complex

    0.11 MILES

    The ground floor of the Stadthuys houses Melaka's most interesting museum, which focuses on the city's fascinating history and ethnography. Exhibits…

  • Baba & Nyonya Heritage Museum

    Baba & Nyonya Heritage Museum

    0.3 MILES

    Touring this traditional Baba-Nonya (Peranakan) townhouse transports you to a time when women peered at guests through decorative partitions and every…

  • Dutch Square

    Dutch Square

    0.14 MILES

    The focal point of the Unesco Heritage zone, this attractive and elegant square is surrounded by Dutch-era buildings that have been painted crimson, shady…

  • Masjid Jamek Sultan Ibrahim Muar

    Masjid Jamek Sultan Ibrahim Muar

    23.59 MILES

    This incredible light-blue- and white-painted, blue-roofed, overblown Victorian fantasy was completed in 1927 at a cost of RM10,000; it's a magnificent…

  • Singapore, Singapore - January 17, 2016 : Maritime Museum in Malacca City, Malaysia; Shutterstock ID 498671809; Your name (First / Last): Lauren Gillmroe; GL account no.: 56530; Netsuite department name: Online-Design; Full Product or Project name including edition: 65050/ Online Design /LaurenGillmore/POI

    Maritime Museum & Naval Museum

    0.21 MILES

    Embark on a voyage through Melaka's maritime history at these linked museums, all covered by the one ticket. The most enjoyable of the Maritime Museum's…

  • Strait mosque during sunset; Shutterstock ID 184811996; Your name (First / Last): Lauren Gillmroe; GL account no.: 56530; Netsuite department name: Online-Design; Full Product or Project name including edition: 65050/ Online Design /LaurenGillmore/POI

    Masjid Selat Melaka

    0.91 MILES

    Especially beautiful at morning or dusk, this gold-domed mosque overlooks the Strait of Melaka from its shoreside perch on an artificial island a short…

  • MALACCA, MALAYSIA - DECEMBER 23: Tourists visit Cheng Hoon Teng Temple at Malacca city on Dec 23, 2013 in Malacca, Malaysia. Malacca has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 7 July 2008.; Shutterstock ID 175419539; Your name (First / Last): Lauren Gillmroe; GL account no.: 56530; Netsuite department name: Online-Design; Full Product or Project name including edition: 65050/ Online Design /LaurenGillmore/POI

    Cheng Hoon Teng Temple

    0.4 MILES

    Malaysia's oldest still-operating Chinese temple, constructed in 1673, remains a central place of worship for the Buddhist and Taoist communities here. It…

View more attractions

Nearby Melaka City attractions

1. Sultanate Palace

0.06 MILES

This wooden replica of the palace of Sultan Mansur Shah, who ruled Melaka from 1456 to 1477, houses an open-air cultural museum and lovely gardens. The…

2. Porta de Santiago

0.07 MILES

Most visitors pause for a photo here before hiking to the ruined church on Bukit St Paul. Porta de Santiago was built as a Portuguese fortress in 1511;…

4. History & Ethnography Museums Complex

0.11 MILES

The ground floor of the Stadthuys houses Melaka's most interesting museum, which focuses on the city's fascinating history and ethnography. Exhibits…

5. Stadthuys

0.12 MILES

This former town hall and governor's residence dates to the 1650s and is believed to be the oldest Dutch building in the East. It functioned as State…

6. Christ Church

0.13 MILES

Built in 1753 from laterite bricks brought from Zeeland in Holland, this eye-catching cherry-pink church is one of the most photographed and imposing…

7. Dutch Square

0.14 MILES

The focal point of the Unesco Heritage zone, this attractive and elegant square is surrounded by Dutch-era buildings that have been painted crimson, shady…

8. Melaka Malay Sultanate Water Wheel

0.15 MILES

In 2006, work on the Menara Taming Sari revolving tower uncovered another part of the city's fortress walls. The revolving tower was relocated further…

  • placement: superzone
  • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],
  • targeting: 
    {
  "url": "malaysia/melaka-city/attractions/st-paul-s-church/a/poi-sig/1218160/1324280",
  "destination": "Melaka-City",
  "continent": "Asia",
  "country": "Malaysia",
  "city": "Melaka-City",
  "position": "superzone"
}