Why pilgrims come
A sacred place worth the journey.
The hilltop ruins of the Portuguese Chapel of the Mother of God, where St. Francis Xavier preached and where his body was temporarily buried before transfer to Goa.
TraditionCatholic
The pilgrim’s guide
What makes this visit meaningful
Climb St. Paul's Hill as missionary-history and translation-of-relics pilgrimage. The evocative ruin is civic heritage, not a church with regular worship.
01
Xavier's temporary burial
Connect Melaka with the saint's final journey and translation to Goa.
02
Portuguese Catholic foundation
Read the chapel's Marian dedication and Jesuit history.
03
Layered colonial landscape
Notice how successive regimes changed the site.
Feasts, anniversaries & celebrations
Feast of St. Francis XavierConnected to this place through Preached in Melaka and was temporarily buried here before translation to Goa.