Why is Sao Paulo Archway, a scenic spot in Macau, called Sao Paulo Cathedral?

After Portugal occupied Macao, St. Paul's Church was built to spread Catholicism. Because the pronunciation of "Sao Paulo" in Portuguese is similar to that of "March 8" in Macao dialect, the local area also calls Sao Paulo Church "March 8". After several fires, only the front wall of the church survived. Because it looks like an archway in China, it is called Sao Paulo archway.

Sao Paulo archway, one of the eight scenic spots in Macao, is located at the foot of the fortress hill in Macao, adjacent to the Macao Museum, with the fortress scenic spot on the left.

The origin of the name of St. Paul's archway not only reflects the fusion of eastern and western cultures, but also the architectural style of St. Paul's archway is the fusion of eastern and western architectural art and traditional culture. The architecture of the archway is baroque and divided into five floors. The bottom two layers are equal-length rectangles, and the third to fifth layers form a triangular pyramid. A cross stands at the top, and a bronze dove symbolizing the Holy Spirit is embedded below. In addition, the image of the infant below and the image of the Virgin surrounded by angel flowers create a rich religious atmosphere, which is called the "three-dimensional Bible". At the same time, the archway also has obvious oriental carvings, among which the peony and chrysanthemum patterns representing China and Japan are unique among Catholic churches all over the world, so it is also a famous religious building of stone carving in the Far East.

In 2005, as a part of Macao's historic city, Sao Paulo Archway was rated as a world cultural heritage by UNESCO, and all tourists visiting Macao will visit and take photos here. Although the St. Paul archway has lost the actual function of the church, it is still closely related to the life of Macao people. Various cultural activities are held here from time to time. The long steps in front of the archway just turned into natural seats, and the archway turned into a huge set with a natural stage.