Macau, China: A Hymn of the Cross
In this pre-casino days when the Portuguese Province of Macau was the first European settlement in East Asia, it looked like this but not as big.
St. Paul's Cathedral (built from 1582-1602) can be seen upper left, after the 19th century typhoon and fire. An old Fort is upper right. The Southern Baptist mission house is in the neighborhood just below the Portuguese fort. The distant hills are not so far away. They are in the Guangdong province of southern China. Macau is less than an hour away by jet-foil.
Sir John Bowring, when he was governor of Hong Kong, visited Macau after the great typhoon and fire that destroyed the Cathedral. He was inspired with the mangled cross high up on the Cathedral. He went on to write the hymn "In the cross of Christ I glory, tow'ring o'er the wrecks of time..."
Wish we had more governors like Brother Bowring.
1 comment:
Indeed! I hear this story many years ago and as I go past the ruined church at Stoer with its cross above we'll sing this song
Post a Comment