Talk:Church of Saint Paul, Malacca

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Comments by Serge Jardin
Following comments relate to the contents of this article:

Saint Paul Church, Melaka

IT’S FUN TO PLAY WITH WIKIPEDIA

18 Mistakes! Part 1 (1 to 10)

1/ Wikipedia (WI): “Saint Paul's Church… was originally built in 1521… the oldest church building in Malaysia and Southeast Asia.”

Serge Jardin (SJ): St Paul Church was built in 1568. It is the oldest European building East of India. Source: Fr. Christovâo da Costa, letter 2 January 1569.

2/ WI: “today part of the Malacca Museum Complex comprising the A Famosa ruins, the Stadthuys and other historical buildings.”

SJ: no mention of such ‘Malacca Museum Complex’ on the Hill. No ruins of A Famosa exist anymore. Stadthuys: a Dutch source mentioning this name will be welcome.

3/ WI: “The original structure was a simple chapel built in 1521 … and known as the Nossa Senhora da Annunciada (Our Lady of the Annunciation).”

SJ: prior to the actual Church was a small Chapel built in 1521, first named Nossa Senhora da Graca (Our Lady of Grace), then Nossa Senhora Madre de Deos (Our Lady Mother of God) Sources: Joâo de Barros, Decadas of Asia, (edit. 1777) and Fr. Francis-Xavier, letter 12 November 1552.

4/ WI: “The chapel was built by… Duarte Coelho… as an act of gratitude following his escape from a storm in the South China Sea.”

SJ: Duarte Coello did not escape from a storm; the storm allowed him to escape from the attack of a Chinese fleet off the coast of Guangzhou. Source: Joâo de Barros, Decadas of Asia, (edit. 1777).

5/ WI: “The chapel was then further enlarged in 1556 with the addition of a second floor”

SJ: the chapel was not enlarged in 1556 but demolished by the Jesuits in 1566. There is no mention of first and second floor. Source: Fr. Lourenço Peres, letter 2 December 1566.

6/ WI: “The chapel was then renamed the Igreja de Madre de Deus (Church of the Mother of God).”

SJ: there was no more chapel. The church built by the Jesuits in 1568 was named Nossa Senhora da Annunciada (Our Lady of the Annunciation). Source: Manuel Godinho de Eredia (1613)

7/ WI: “A burial vault was opened in 1592”

SJ: what is the source mentioning it?

8/ WI: “In 1548, St Francis Xavier… established a school in the premises of the chapel known as St. Paul's College.”

SJ: St Paul College was not the name of a school but the name of the Residence of the Jesuits conferred by the King of Portugal in 1576. It was the fifth in Asia, the first fourth ones being in India. It is the reason why the Jesuits were also called the Paulists in East India. Source: Fr. Francisco de Sousa, Oriente Conquistado etc., 1710.

9/ WI: “In 1553, the body of Xavier was… buried at the church”

SJ: the body was temporally buried in the chapel, not in the church, yet to be built.

10/ WI: “An open grave in the church still exists today marking the place of Xavier's burial.”

SJ: there is no historical evidence to prove the burial vault of the church built in 1568 was the location of the temporally burial site of Fr. Francis-Xavier in the chapel of 1553, as the exact site of the chapel is unknown.

11/ WI: “St. Paul's Church also known as the Bovenkerk or High Church.”

SJ: Bovenkerk doesn’t mean High Church, but the Church on top (of the Hill). High Church is a religious denomination within the Anglican Church.

12/ WI: “the new Bovenkerk (better known today as Christ Church Malacca)”

SJ: today’s Christ Church was not the new Bovenkerk, Church on top (of the Hill), but the new Benedenkerk, the Church at the bottom (of the Hill).

13/ WI: “The old church was… modified and strengthened as part of the fortifications of Malacca.”

SJ: Beside the size reduction of the tower, which part of the church was modified and strengthened?

14. WI: “The nave of the church was then used as a churchyard.”

SJ: the nave and the chancel were used as a graveyard long before. At least 34 tombstones out of 38 found in the church are older than 1753.

15/ WI: “in 1824, the church was used as a powder magazine”

SJ: as early as 1744, map of Johann Wolfgang Heydt, the powder magazine is mentioned in the church.

16/ WI: “Robert Norman Bland, resident councillor of Malacca from 1904 to 1907”

SJ: Robert Norman Bland was first acting and then Resident Councillor from 22 April to 10 September 1900 and from 26 November 1901 to 15 March 1906.

17/ WI: “In 1849, a now-defunct lighthouse… was installed in front of the church”

SJ: the lighthouse was built by William Farquhar in 1814, but it is another story. Source: Straits Settlements Records, vol. 48, folio 147.

18/ WI: “In 1952, a statue of St Francis Xavier was erected in front of the ruins of the church”

SJ: the statue was erected on 19 March 1953. But it is another story for another day.

Plus some other missing interesting stories.

- the church had three altars dedicated to St Ignatius of Loyola, the Eleven Thousand Virgins, and Good Infant Jesus. Source: Justus Schouten, 1641.

- the walls of the chancel were probably covered with azulejos. Source: Major Bone's archaeological findings, 1930.

- the tower was equipped with a clock-dial. Source: Pieter van den Broecke, 1618.

- In 1922, Fr. Jules François, MEP and parish priest of St Francis Xavier Church, started to celebrate a yearly Catholic mass in the Church. It is still celebrated today.

- no secret passage was ever uncovered.

Bibliography:

Fr. René Cardon, The Old Church on the Malacca Hill, in JMBRAS, vol XX, June 1947. Pakbelang (talk) 01:07, 9 February 2024 (UTC)