(Abstract) A Face Hidden Behind the Facade: New Evidences about Carlo Spinola’s Authorship of the Project of Sao Paulo’s Church The present paper tries to give historical foundations to something that has been taken for granted since the 17th century. In fact, since the first edition of the biography of Carlo Spinola in 1628, the Italian Jesuit has been recognised as the man behind the project of Macao’s church of Sao Paulo. However, beside his biography—whose apologetic flair clashes with its historical reliability—the available sources about the Igreja are almost silent and suspiciously ambiguous about this topic. Spinola himself, at least in the writings preserved, never spoke a word about it and the same happens in the coeval Jesuit literature we were able to consult. Therefore, several questions and a need for answers arise: why is information that nowadays seems so obvious nowhere to be found? By carefully looking at the documentation produced by the missionaries are we able to infer what has been left unsaid? In other words, using the available sources are we able to put Spinola’s name next to Sao Paulo’s Church or should we be looking for a different face behind the facade? [Author: Daniele Frison, pp. 6-19]