The evocative ruin of St Paul's Church crowns the summit of Bukit St Paul, the hill overlooking central Melaka. A steep flight of stairs, signposted from Jln Kota, leads to this faded sanctuary, originally built by a Portuguese captain in 1521. The church was regularly visited by St Francis Xavier, and following his death in China the saint's body was temporarily interred here for nine months before being transferred to Goa.
Visitors can look into St Francis' ancient tomb (surrounded by a wire fence) inside the church. A marble statue of the saint gazes wistfully over Melaka. When the Dutch completed their own Christ Church in 1590 at the base of the hill, St Paul's fell into disuse. Under the British a lighthouse was built and the church was used as a storehouse for gunpowder.
