Once travel Macau, I believe that you will never forget the magnificent Ruins of St. Paul's, namely Sam Ba Sing Tzik, the symbol of Macau.

Adjoined the Jesuit College of St. Paul, the first western college in the Far East where missionaries studied Chinese, the magnificent structure actually is the remaining front wall and majestic stairway of the sacred St. Paul's Church.

Designed by an Italian Father, the construction of this holy church began in 1602 and completed in 1637 with the help of the Japanese technology of superlative craftsmanship. However, due to an indissoluble cause, the church caught fire three times during its construction period and each time it was rebuilt until the last fire happened in 1853. The fire lasted for two hours and it set nearly the whole church into flames except the front wall, the most valuable part.

Before the mischance, the church is extremely splendid. When it was built in the 17th century, St Paul's Church was considered to be one of the grandest of its kind in the Orient. Famous for its grand appearance and delicate carving, the architecture of St Paul's Church concentrates the style of the European Renaissance period and that of eastern architecture, serving as a good combination of Chinese and western architectural characters.

Caved with marvelous relieves, the Sam Ba Sing Tzik is divided into four floors. At the top of it stands aloft the Cross, underneath which is again subdivided into three storeys. In the niche of each floor, a bronze statue cast by the Macau cannon manufactory is stored.

Under the Cross, there is a bronze pigeon, representing the holy god, and around it, there are stone sculptures of the sun, the moon and the stars symbolizing the pregnancy of St. Virgin Maria in a flash of light. Under the bronze pigeon is a picture of Holy Son - Jesus Christ. Beside it are the tools used to crucify Jesus.

Right in the middle of the third floor is carved the statue of St. Virgin Maria surrounded with peony and chrysanthemum on both sides, respectively representing China and Japan. On the left are carved "Eternal Crowd", a "Sailing Boat in Portuguese Style" and a "Monster with Ferocious Features". On the right are carved statues of the Life of Tree and St. Maria conquering the monster and piercing through the death's head, all of which symbolizes the conquest of death. Below the third floor lies a niche floor, on which there is a statue of four figures with Jesus meeting with the sage.

At the bottom of the Sam Ba Sing Tzik are three doors. On the main door is inscribed the Latin words MATER DEI, representing Goddess St. Maria. On both sides of it is inscribed the mark "HIS" of Jesus Christ.

During the 1990 to 1995, a large-scale restoration work was carried out by the government. After restoration, the backside of the Ruins of St. Paul's was turned into a museum, where exhibits of paintings, sculptures and liturgical objects from churches and monasteries in Macau were stored.

Existing as a witness of the history of Macau, Ruins of St. Paul's now attracts more and more visitors from all over the world.