Coloane Chapel for Wedding Photos.

Snapping photos with European flavour backdrops to commemorate weddings are the en vogue thing for many newly-weds in Macau. Topping their favorite list is the St. Francis Xavier Chapel, the chapel with the distinctive Iberian architecture in the quaint Coloane.

Ailee and I found out this interesting fact when we were visiting the century old chapel after we had the famous Lord's egg tarts a short walk away.













We had decided on a full-day outing at the southern most tip of Macau with primary one thing in mind - to simply get away from the tourists and the crowded squares.

Crowd can be quite a problem in this tiny former Portuguese colony, but we were also hoping to catch the last remaining parts of rustic Macau before they are taken over by another mega casino project.

Nevertheless, the chapel built in the 1920s plays a bigger role for Christians in Macau.

The main hall in the chapel is adorned by statues and wall murals depicting St. Francis Xavier and his many endeavors in the Far East. However, a small gallery next to it is where we found maps and more captions about the saint, and house the sacred relic of a tiny skeletal remains of the saint.

However, few tourists have ventured out here, and hence it is not swarmed by the maddening crowds.

We were also pleasantly surprised by the peaceful surroundings and when we stepped inside the church we felt we were like miles away from the city. Unfortunately, we missed out on the sacred bone.