St. Paul's Church, Portuguese church ruins on St Paul's Hill, Malacca, Malaysia

St. Paul's Church is a ruin on St. Paul's Hill in Malacca, Malaysia, with stone walls that clearly show the construction style of the Portuguese colonial era. Inside, several Dutch tombstones are set into the walls, recalling the later use of the building as a burial site.

Duarte Coelho built a chapel here in 1521 after surviving a storm in the South China Sea; the Jesuits replaced it in 1566 with a church that had three altars. The Dutch took over in 1641 and renamed it St. Paul's Church, using it until Christ Church was finished in 1753. The British, who occupied Malacca in 1824, kept it as a powder magazine rather than abandoning it.

A statue of Saint Francis Xavier was erected in front of the ruins in 1953 for the 400th anniversary of his stay in Malacca; it is missing its right hand. A Straits Times report of 1967 says visitors took the fingers as lucky charms. Each first Saturday of December a feast-day mass is held here, a tradition begun in 1922.

Visitors must climb numerous stone steps from the A'Famosa fortress area to reach the grounds, which offer views of the Strait of Malacca. The stairs can be slippery in wet weather, so sturdy footwear is advisable.

The open grave said to be St. Francis Xavier's resting place has no documented link to him; his body was moved from Shangchuan Island to this chapel in 1553 and later shipped to Goa. The statue of Xavier in front of the ruins is missing its right hand, and a 1967 Straits Times report says visitors took the fingers as lucky charms.