The Role of the Ruins of St. Paul’s Cathedral in the Popular Imagination

In her essay entitled, “Imperial Debris: Reflections on Ruins and Ruination,” Ann Laura Stoler argues that colonialism continues to have detrimental effects on individuals living in the postcolonial regions of the world. At the core of Stoler’s argument exists the contrast between the terms “ruin” and “ruination.” (195) Stoler describes ruins as “enchanted, desolate spaces, large-scale monumental structures abandoned and grown over,” which serve as concrete traces of colonial pasts. Often attracting anthropologists, archeologists, historians, and tourists, ruins are relics and seemingly fail to interact with the present, thus safely situating colonial empires in a fixed past. Stoler, however, challenges this contemporary belief by introducing the process of ruination. By contrast, ruination is an ongoing “process that weighs on the future and shapes the present.” Ruination is “what people are left with” (194) following the abuse and exploitation employed by former colonial empires. Such remains may include damaged “livelihoods,” “health” disparities (210), “urban decay, environmental degradation, industrial pollution, racialized unemployment,” (200) and corroded “landscapes.” (195) Stoler emphasizes that ruination exists in physical ruins, but more significantly, in the minds of those who inherit postcolonial societies. Drawing from Stoler’s concepts of ruins and ruination, this essay aims to examine the role of Macau’s most renowned ruins in the popular imagination. Through the use of colonial syncretism, the visual images presented on the ruinous façade of St. Paul’s Cathedral produce an imaginary nation which the region of Macau attempts to emulate, despite its freedom from colonial rule. In this way, the process of ruination results in a distorted sense of nationhood for Macau and its people.

The visual images engraved in the façade of St. Paul’s Cathedral produce an imaginary nation for viewers in which the region of Macau is composed of individuals of European and East Asian descent who are united by the Catholic faith. The Cathedral was constructed in the early seventeenth century by the Jesuits who were the first to bring Catholicism to Asia. The original structure was made of wood, which burned down in a fire in 1835, leaving only the five-tiered granite façade. An upper tier shows Christ perched under a canopy surrounded by angels bearing crosses and whipping posts. Panels to the left and right of these angels contain respectively, a rope and a sheaf of wheat, the latter indicative of the rice-producing colony which in turn allowed for the production of bread, a gift from God. At the right edge of this tier exists a lion, a common ornament in Chinese traditional architecture. At the left edge of this tier exists a ship sailing East, representative of the Jesuit’s journey to Macau during which they converted various peoples to Catholicism. On the ring wing of this tier appears a skeleton lying pierced with arrows. Chinese characters adjacent to it read “Remember death, do no sin,” indicating that faith in Catholicism allows for one’s sins to be forgiven. On the left wing of this tier appears a devil, whose animation is Chinese. It has also been pierced with arrows and the Chinese characters adjacent to it read “The devil seduces, man turns to malice,” indicating that Catholicism provides one with the wisdom needed to avoid temptation. A lower tier possesses Mother Mary, framed by an arch. To the right and left of her respectively, exists the tree of life and the fountain of life, each symbolic of the wisdom, abundance, and prosperity that the church provides. Below this tier exists Japanese chrysanthemums, a reminder that this work owes much to Japanese artists who were recruited to Macau by the Jesuits. Through the use of colonial syncretism, these images collectively produce an enticing imaginary nation in which East Asian viewers may achieve prosperity, harmony, and recognition alongside their European colonizers under the sole condition that they convert to Catholicism. In Macau’s colonial past, however, the imaginary nation produced by the façade enabled Portuguese colonizers to effectively garner and maintain religious control of the region by falsely promoting unity as opposed to domination.

In 1999 Macau was formally returned to China following over 400 years of Portuguese rule. Despite this transfer of sovereignty, the region has attempted to reproduce the imaginary nation depicted by its former ruler’s symbolic façade. Evidence of these attempts exists within examples of Macau’s current officiating, customs, and architecture which attempt to elicit feelings of unity between its East Asian inhabitants and former Portuguese rulers. With respect to officiating, the official languages of Macau are Chinese and Portuguese. However, nearly 90% of the population is Chinese while roughly only 2% is Portuguese or Macanese. Correspondingly, nearly 90% of the population speaks Cantonese (a variation of Chinese originating in Guangdong), while roughly only 2% of the population speaks Portuguese. Despite these vast differences in language usage, Macau has promoted Portuguese as an equally important second language. Regarding specific customs, Macau lists the Christian celebrations of Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and Easter Monday as public holidays. However, nearly 60% of the population are followers of Chinese folk religions while only 6% of the population are followers of Christianity. In addition, many Macau citizens celebrate St. John’s Day, an unofficial public holiday marking Portugal’s defeat of the Dutch in Macau during colonial rule. Despite the fact that Portuguese colonizers converted and exploited the people of the region, their religion and former reign continue to be recognized and celebrated in Macau alongside East Asian customs. As a final example, Macau’s diverse architecture incorporates elements of modern East Asian skyscrapers, as well as traditional European churches, gardens, canals, and squares. It has been reported, however, that the foundations of such colonial structures are unfit for the region’s environment. For example, St. Dominic’s Church, a former Catholic church owned by Spanish colonizers, undergoes regular pest control due to its wooden foundations and the presence of termites in the region. Overall, Macau’s ongoing attempts (and arguable failures) at reproducing the imaginary united nation depicted by the ruinous façade of St. Paul’s Cathedral demonstrate that the process of ruination has resulted in a distorted sense of nationhood within the region.

As demonstrated by this essay, the active process of ruination does not terminate with decolonization in postcolonial settings. In the case of Macau, a former Portuguese colony, ruination reveals itself in the physical ruins of St. Paul’s Cathedral, but more significantly, in the minds of the region’s current inhabitants who inherited this postcolonial society. In this example, “what people are left with” (194) is a distorted sense of nationhood that is made evident by the region’s ongoing attempts to emulate the imaginary nation produced by the ruinous Catholic façade. In relation to this observation, Ann Laura Stoler writes, “Ruination is more than a process. It is also a political project that lays waste to certain peoples and places, relations, and things.” (196) Nevertheless, Stoler encourages readers to come to recognize and accept the fact that colonial processes inevitably alter societies and the psyche of its inhabitants in postcolonial regions. However, as exemplified, these altered states contribute to the ongoing shaping and reshaping of postcolonial societies in both unique and powerful ways.