The ruins of St. Paul's church stand at the summit of St. Paul's hill near the remains of A Famosa fortress. The site was originally occupied by the "Chapel of the Annunciation", which was built in 1521 by Duarte Coelho in gratitude to the Virgin Mary for saving his life in the South China sea. In 1548 the Archbishop of Goa in India handed over the church to the Jesuits, who began renovating it in 1566. The present building was completed in 1590, with the tower on the right side of the sacristy added in 1593.

[ Photos by RW | Visit his web site ]

The church is renowned as the place where the body of Francis Xavier, the pioneering Catholic missionary of Southeast Asia, was laid to rest for a period of eight months after his death at sea (from arch 22nd, 1553 to December 11th, 1553). The open grave in the church, now covered by a wire mesh, marks the place of Francis' temporary burial.

The Church of the Holy Trinity is the latest addition at the shrine of Fatima, where the Virgin Mary appeared to three shepherd children in 1917.  Designed by Greek architect Alexandros Tombazis, it has 13 doors, said to represent Christ's last supper with the 12 apostles. The Chapel of the Apparitions is emblematic for pilgrims who come to Fatima in Portugal. Presently, however, apart from the chapel and basilica, there is now the Church of the Holy Trinity, where Alexandros Tombazis has combined light and technology in a circular structure.

Every year, hundreds of thousands of pilgrims arrive in Fatima where the Virgin Mary appeared to three young shepherds: Francisco and Jacinta -- beatified by John Paul II on May 13, 2002 -- and Lucia, a Carmelite nun who was living in a convent in Coimbra until her death on February 13, 2005.

Near North Battleford Saskatchewan there is hidden a small hamlet called Whitkow. And along its border is a dotting of beautiful Ukrainian Catholic and Orthodox churches which stand like holy icons. Generations of faithful who struggled to make a living in the frontier prairies were baptised, married, and burried under these cross-tipped onion domes.

Some of these churches now stand empty but not silent. Many of the founding families have moved on. But what remains is the holy voice of witness and beauty. All that a church should be in its architecture and in its soul. These people gave their best and it still shows.