Society of Jesus

Founded in Paris during 1534, the Society of Jesus was one of the male religious orders of the Roman Catholic Church dedicated to missionary and educational works. In 1565, the Jesuits built a permanent residence in Macao and by 1594, they founded the St. Paul’s College (also known as the College of the Mother of God), the first western university in East Asia. It was seated in between the Church of St. Paul (also known as Church of the Mother of God) and Mount Fortress and served as a training centre for Jesuit missionaries travelling to the East. The operation of the College was mainly funded by Portuguese merchants. In 1762, the College was forced to close down during the suppression of the Society of Jesus. In 1835, the College and the neighboring Church of St. Paul were razed by a big fire, leaving only the façade of the Church behind. By today, the Ruins of St. Paul’s have become a landmark tourist attraction of Macao.