The Portuguese Church of St. Paul
This is a point-by-point rebuttal by Father R. Cardon of architectural and historical claims made by Mr. Macdonald regarding the Portuguese Church of St. Paul in Malacca.
Summary
Cardon systematically addresses thirteen of Macdonald’s assertions, correcting errors on the church’s origins, naming, and subsequent history. He argues that the military style of the choir and sacristy tower reflects the strategic importance of the hill rather than indicating the oldest part of the building, and that the Jesuits did not name the church St. Paul’s (p. 38). He refutes the identification of the nave as merely a refectory, citing its architectural features—high windows, a gable end with a great door, and a circular window replacing a rose window—as characteristic of a Catholic church of the period, comparable to contemporary Moroccan examples (p. 38).
Cardon also corrects the dating of the Franciscan church at Bukit China (not built until 1581, not 1533 as Macdonald claimed) and clarifies the circumstances of St. Francis Xavier’s exhumation in 1552, quoting Bartoli and Maffei to show it was motivated by personal attachment and the desire to convey the body to Goa rather than simply to place it in a magnificent coffin (p. 39). He concludes by documenting the 1925 and 1930 excavations by Baker, Father Francois, and Major Bone that confirmed the original floor level of the church (p. 39).