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Guia Fort (Fortress of Our Lady of Guia) The fort holds the reputation of being the highest point of Macau, occupying 8,600 square feet in a rough pentagon with walls rising about 10 feet in a gentle slope and two original brickwork turrets. A Captain of Artillery, António Ribeiro, built this fort from 1637 to 1638. Its purpose was to defend the border against China. Due to its position, which overlooks the entire city, its main value has been more of an observation post. It had barracks, a water cistern, ammunition and equipment stores, the commander's house, as well as a shelter dedicated to Our Lady of Guia. Atop the fort is a lighthouse built in 1865, the oldest on the China coast. It is 52.5 feet high and has a light that can be seen for 20 miles in clear weather. Initially, it was lit by paraffin but was switched to electrical power in 1909. There is also a small chapel with a simple altar, a few antique pictures, and the remains of colorful paintings that once blanketed the ceilings and walls. At the entrance is a gravestone stating in Portuguese: 'Here lies at this gate the remains of Christopher, by accident, for his body does not deserve such an honorable sepulcher. Who he was and why he is buried here continues to remain a mystery. One of the guardhouses is now a tourist information center and café, and is open daily between 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Cybernetic Fountain In front of the Ferry Terminal, set in the small reservoir, is a computer controlled cybernetic fountain that has 292 water jets and sprays, with the tallest reaching 70 meters. A colorful water show is on every night from 8 to 10 p.m. Chapel of Our Lady of Penha Founded in 1622 by the crew and passengers of a ship, which had narrowly escaped capture by the Dutch, the chapel served as a point of pilgrimage for sailors embarking on a hazardous voyage. It was completely rebuilt in 1837. The chapel opens daily from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Barrier Gate Barrier Gate is a border between Macau and China, and is situated at the northern end of Istmo Ferreira do Amaral. The gateway is part of a small park featuring large stone pictures and maps of old Macau. The border opens daily from 7 a.m. to midnight. A tourist information counter is available here. São Paulo (St. Paul's) St. Paul's church is Macau's greatest church, with its magnificent stone façade and grand staircase. The church was constructed in 1602 adjoining the Jesuit College of St. Paul's, the first Western college in the Far East where missionaries such as Matteo Ricci and Adam Schall studied Chinese before serving at the Ming Court in Peking as astronomers and mathematicians. The church was made of wood and taipa with exquisite decorations and furnishings. The facade of carved stone was built between 1620 to 1627 by Japanese Christian exiles and local craftsmen under the direction of Italian Jesuit Carlo Spinola. After the ostracism of the Jesuits, the college was used as an army barracks, and in 1835, a fire scorched the college and the body of the church. The surviving façade, raised in 4 colonnaded tiers, is covered with carvings and statues, which eloquently illustrate the early days of the Church in Asia. Statues of the Virgin and saints, symbols of the Garden of Eden and the Crucifixion, angels and the devils, a Chinese dragon and a Japanese chrysanthemum, a Portuguese sailing ship, and pious warnings inscribed in Chinese are among the many features left of the site.
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