Saint Andrews Church
Tangier, Morocco

In 1880, Sultan Moulay Abd al-Aziz donated the land for a church to serve the English community of Tangier. The community quickly outgrew the initial structure, so the current structure was built in 1894, consecrated in 1905. The church is situated southwest of Place 9 Avril 1947 and north of the Villa de France Hotel on Avenue d'Angleterre. The church cemetery is enclosed and contains graves of some of Tangier's most famous British residents. Both the external and internal decor of the church are remarkable in the use of Moorish structures and motifs. There is a square bell tower that resembles a minaret, and the roof is decorated with green tiles, as are most Islamic sites throughout Morocco.


The decoration of the entrances and interior features extensive use of zellij, carved wood and stucco, horseshoe arches, and Arabic calligraphy, including biblical passages and the first portion of the Shahada, "There is no god but God." (لا إله إلا الله). 


Sources: 


“St Andrews’s Church.” MWNF - Sharing History. Accessed September 20, 2020. http://sharinghistory.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=monuments;AWE;ma;13;en. Consulted September 20, 2020. Archived at https://perma.cc/8CHS-C7M7.

Location
Tangier, Morocco
Images & Videos
Associated Names
Events
1883 Construction of the first church
1894 construction of current church
Building Usages
religious
Materials/Techniques
Keywords