The highest promontory in Malacca, St. Paul’s Hill, marks the site of the Portuguese fortress A’Famohsa, no longer extant, which sat with the vantage point of overlooking the sea.  Built in 1512 by the Portuguese Duke de Albuquerque, it was eventually destroyed by bombardments, courtesy of the Dutch, then the British, leaving only a bare remnant of it in the old Portuguese gateway to the fort, Porto de Santiago. The hill marks the first settlement of Portuguese explorers in this territory, with wonderful views of the Straits of Malacca from the promontory. The outer walls of St. Paul’s Church still stand, leaving a ghost of the early settlement. Inside, Malaccans have collected and installed a large number of Dutch and English tombstones which marked the graves of these explorers and inhabitants, dating from the 17th - 19th century. An empty tomb of St. Francis Xavier is inside the building, as is a statue of the saint, c. 1952, which stands before an abandoned lighthouse nearby. The laterite stone, mined from the coral on a nearby island, is in full evidence in the building’s remains.

PHOTOS: Left Column: 1. An abandoned lighthouse, standing adjacent to the shell of St. Paul’s Church. 2. Detail: Dutch tombstone. 3. Detail, Dutch tombstones. 4. View of the windows of St. Paul’s Church. Center, Top: View of the shell of St. Paul’s Church, taken from the interior. Center, Bottom: Door and tombstone, a sensitive installation. Right Column: 1. Statue of Saint Frances Xavier, with right hand missing! 2. Tombstone detail: Dutch ship. 3. Detail, English tombstone. 4. View, interior of St. Paul’s Church, near the empty tomb of St. Francis Xavier.

JOURDAN ARPELLE-ZIEGLER                                        BACK TO MAP  PAGE