St.Paul's Church Malacca
Making your way to the St Paul's Church on the St Paul's Hill may take much
longer than you have anticipated. You will be easily distracted by the various
museums along the way up to the church. As you proceed with your journey up the
hill, you will pass by the Architecture Museum Malacca, Islamic Museum of
Malacca and the Stamp Museum Malacca.
Beyond these museums, you will come to the historical monument of Malacca which
is the Porte De Santiago or more commonly known as A Famosa among the locals.
The A Famosa is a fortress which was used in the war last time and has many
historical values. However, much of the fortress has been demolished. As you
move on from the A Famosa, you will see a white flight of stairs along the
slope. These are the stairs which will take you to the St Paul's Church.
The church can be reached easily by climbing up the stairs for about 5 to 10
minutes depending on your speed of walking. Upon reaching the top of the St
Paul's Hill, you will be blown away by the breath-taking view of the city of
Malacca and its coastline. The St Paul's Church was built by Duarte Coelho, a
Portuguese Captain in 1521 AD. The church was formerly a chapel for the
Portuguese and was named as 'Nosa Senhora' which means Our Lady of the Hill.
Although what remains of the church are now only ruins, the strong and thick
bricks are a reminder that this chapel used to be a magnificent piece of
architecture at that time.
However when the Dutch colonized Malacca, the church's fate changed. It was no
longer used as a place of worship. After the Dutch's Chrish Church was
completed, the St Paul's Church was turned into a burial ground. After your
visit to the church, you can drop by at the Malacca Sultanate Palace which is at
the foot of the St Paul's Church.
The Malacca Sultanate Palace is a replica of the Malacca Sultan's palace during
the Malacca Sultanate period. There are many other attractions in the historic
city of Malacca. You can choose from various hotels in Malacca in order to visit
all the interesting places here.
Getting There
There are not many choices of public transport in Malacca. The easiest way to
get to St Paul's Church is by driving there or get on a taxi. Locals would be
able to lead you there as it is a famous landmark in Malacca.
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