澳門是葡萄牙遠東貿易和天主教傳播的據點，因此在明清時期（日本安土桃山、江戶時期），澳門與日本有著眾多的不解之緣。葡萄牙商船每年裝載著貨物從澳門來到日本，也送來傳教士們，其中還有不少日本人從澳門搭乘順風船或是自己駕船回到日本。“伴天連追放令”之後，陸陸續續有大量日本傳教士和天主教信徒避難至澳門，其中不乏熟諳西洋美術技藝的日本天主教畫家和工匠。他們在 1602年教堂的重建中，不僅結合了東西方建築的材料與手法，而且採用了多處類似日本匠人的工藝。教堂前的石階、前壁第二層與第三層的裝飾，都讓人推斷日本天主教徒畫家（主要為尼古勞的四位弟子）曾參與了聖保祿學院及其教堂的修建和裝飾，甚至留下了《聖米凱爾大天使》這一優秀的畫作。

Macau was a stronghold both for Portuguese trade in the Far East and the Catholic missionary, and it had a strong connection with Japan because every year Portuguese merchant marines transported goods and missionaries from Macau to Japan. These vessels also ferried some Japanese migrating between Macau and Japan. After the Baterentsuihôrei (the edict that expelled Jesuit missionaries from Japan), a number of missionaries and Christians living in Japan continuously sought refuge in Macau. These refugees included many Japanese Christian artists and craftsmen who were very good at European artistic skills, and they played important roles in the rebuilding of the Church of St. Paul’s in 1602 not only by combining eastern building materials and methods with western ones, but also by introducing some techniques that were similar to those that were used in Japan. For example, it can be inferred from the staircase at the front of the church and the decorations on the second and the third level façade that Japanese Christian artists (including the four disciples of Givanni Nicolo) had been involved in building and decorating St. Paul’s College and Church. It is also possible that the painting of St. Michael may have been created by one of these Japanese artists.