St Andrew's Church, Tangier
History
In 1880, Hassan I of Morocco donated land to the British community in order to build a small Anglican church in Tangier. The resulting church was soon found to have insufficient capacity for the increasing number of worshippers, and a new building was constructed in 1894 which became the Church of Saint Andrew. It was consecrated in 1905. The interior is designed as a fusion of numerous styles, notably Moorish. The belltower, shaped like a minaret, overlooks the adjacent cemetery. Henri Matisse's painting of 1913, Landscape Viewed from a Window, depicts the church.
The church has a number of memorial plaques, including one to commemorate Emily Keene, (1849–1944), Sherifa of Wazzan, who introduced the cholera vaccine to Morocco. She was a British humanitarian who married the Shareef of Ouazzane, a local religious leader. She died in Tangier and there is a plaque in the western side of the church to commemorate her - her actual grave is in the Wazzan family burial ground in the Marshan district of Tangier overlooking the Strait of Gibraltar. Another memorial commemorates Thomas Kirby-Green, one of the members of the Great Escape who was executed on recapture.
Administratively, the church is in the Archdeaconry of Gibraltar.
Notable burials
The churchyard holds the graves of a number of notable people:
- Christopher Gibbs, (1938–2018), antique dealer and collector, credited with inventing Swinging London
- Walter Burton Harris, (1866–1933), a British diplomat, journalist and author
- Claire de Menasce and her second husband Commander Roy Howell RN. Claude-Marie Vincendon, her daughter by her first marriage, was the third wife of Lawrence Durrell
- Paul Lund, (1915–1966), British gangster and friend of William Burroughs
- Sir Harry MacLean, (1848–1920), soldier and commander of the Moroccan Army
References
- ^ "St Andrew's Church, Tangier". London Metropolitan Archives. Retrieved 3 January 2021.
- ^ Humphrys, Darren (2008). Frommer's Morocco. John Wiley & Sons. p. 280. ISBN 978-0-470-18403-5.
- ^ "Tangier: A delight for your senses". Iberia.com. Retrieved 3 January 2021.
- ^ Grenney, Veere (10 April 2017). "My favourite painting". Country Life.
- ^ "St Andrew's Church, Tangier, Morocco". Lonely Planet. Retrieved 3 January 2021.
- ^ "Church Locations". Diocese of Europe. Retrieved 3 January 2021.
- ^ Owens, Mitchell (13 July 2018). "Remembering Christopher Gibbs". Architectural Digest.
- ^ "Review of Lawrence Durrell's novel Balthazar" (PDF). Blackwells. p. 21. Retrieved 3 January 2021.
- ^ Lockley, Mike (6 November 2016). "The infamous gangster and tabloid favourite who hailed from Brum". Birmingham Mail.
- ^ Cook, William (16 November 2013). "Tangier-Hidden Treasure". The Spectator.