Having burned to the ground on three occasions, all that’s left of Macau’s once resplendent Church of St Paul today is its façade, which rises from the top of a low hill. Approached by 66 steps, the monument blends the high Baroque of the Renaissance with elements of decoration introduced by the Japanese Christian- stone carvers who made it, under the direction of an Italian architect. Jesuit priests bound for the courts of the Ming dynasty used to study Chinese in the adjacent college before heading upcountry. A Museum of Sacred Art on the site exhibits of paintings, sculptures and liturgical objects culled from churches around the city.