Church of St. Francis Xavier, Melaka

The Church of Saint Francis Xavier, located in Malacca City, is a significant historical and architectural landmark. Constructed in 1849 on the site of an old Portuguese church by French priest Father Farvé, the building was completed in 1856 under Father Allard, with the presbytery added in 1874. The church is a twin-spired neo-Gothic structure, believed to have been modeled after the Cathedral of Saint Peter in Montpellier, Southern France, notable for its stylistic similarities, particularly the two front towers.

Saint Francis Xavier, after whom the church is named, was a pivotal figure in establishing Catholicism in Asia. Born in 1506, he was one of the founding members of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits). He is renowned for his missionary work across Asia, being the first Catholic missionary to Japan, Borneo, and the Maluku Islands. Xavier spent around nine months in Melaka from 1545 to early 1546. Canonized in 1622, Saint Francis Xavier is celebrated as the Patron of Missionary Work.

The Church of Saint Francis Xavier is the largest and grandest church in Melaka, though it attracts fewer visitors compared to the centrally located Christ Church. It features plain whitewashed walls and colored stained-glass windows. Outside, visitors can view a crypt containing the remains of two missionaries, Father Thomas Bourlier and Father Charles Desbons, who died of malaria while establishing a mission for the Mantra Orang Asli tribe.

Prominent statues of Saint Francis Xavier and Yajiro Anjero stand in front of the church. Anjero, originally a samurai named Yajiro from Satsuma, was the first Japanese Christian. He met Saint Francis Xavier in Malacca in 1547 and became instrumental in introducing the idea of a Japanese mission, later accompanying Xavier to Japan as a translator in 1549. Despite initial efforts, their mission faced limited success and persecution, leading Anjero to eventually become a pirate.