St Andrew's Church, Jerusalem

Coordinates: 31°46′7.76″N 35°13′31.35″E / 31.7688222°N 35.2253750°E / 31.7688222; 35.2253750
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

St. Andrew's Church, Jerusalem
Entrance of the church

St Andrew's Church, also known as the Scots Memorial Church, is a church in Jerusalem built as a memorial to the Scottish soldiers who were killed fighting the Turkish Army during the Sinai and Palestine campaign of World War I, bringing to an end Ottoman rule over Palestine. It is a congregation presbyterian of the Church of Scotland.

History

View of St Andrew’s from Jaffa Gate, 1925

British Mandate period

One of the main campaigners for the memorial church was Ninian Hill, an Edinburgh shipowner and

Field Marshal Lord Allenby
on 7 May 1927 and the church was opened in 1930 with Ninian Hill as its first minister.

The Church was much used by Scots serving in the

Palestine during the Mandate, including the Second World War.[1]

Wars: 1947–1948, 1967

After the outbreak of

Rampant Lion."[1]

Interior, St. Andrew's Church

The building still bears marks from fighting during the Six-Day War of 1967.

Scottish missions and presence

The first Scottish missions to the Galilee started in the mid 19th century, and for the next 100 years Scottish Presbyterians were actively engaged in the fields of education and medicine. Psalm 122 is sung every May at the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland held in Edinburgh:

"Pray that Jerusalem may have
peace and felicity:
let them that love you and your peace
still have prosperity."
(first verse of Hymn 82 in the Church of Scotland hymnary, fourth edition)

Following

State of Israel, the number of Scots working in Jerusalem dropped drastically. The church's location very near the 'Green Line
' politically dividing Jerusalem, cut it off from the Christian community in the Old City.

Present

The current Minister As of 2022[update] is Rev. Murial Pearson.[2]

The church is open for services on Sundays and runs a hotel/guesthouse.[3]

Building

The church was designed in 1927 by the British architect

Art-Deco geometric fashion and combining the Latin with the x-shaped Scottish Saint Andrew's cross.[6]

A plaque set in the floor in front of the

Robert Bruce, whose dying wish was to have his heart buried in Jerusalem.[7] His comrade-in-arms, Sir James Douglas, attempted to bring it to the Holy Land but fell in battle while on his way through Spain.[7] Bruce's heart and Douglas' remains were returned to Scotland.[7]

Facilities outside Jerusalem

The Church of Scotland also runs the Tabeetha School, an English-language school at Jaffa that accepts Christian, Jewish and Muslim children (see homepage at External links).

Another facility is the refurbished Scots Hotel at Tiberias (see homepage at External links).[8] The Church of Scotland centre there has a long tradition,[9] the hotel being housed in what used to be known as the Scottish, or Dr Torrance's, hospital.[8]

See also

References

  1. ^
    ISBN 0-8028-0889-1
    . pages 138,139.
  2. ISBN 978-178456-111-6
    . p. 237.
  3. ^ Scots House Hotel, a.k.a. the Scots or Scottish Guesthouse. Re-accessed 30 Nov 2021.
  4. ^ a b c d History, St Andrew's homepage. Retrieved 29 Nov 2021.
  5. ISBN 978-0191022326. Retrieved 29 November 2021. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help
    )
  6. ^ Kroyanker, David. Jerusalem Multicultural Design Motifs website, two entries – here and here. Retrieved 29 Nov 2021.
  7. ^ a b c My heart is in Jerusalem, St Andrew's homepage, 12 October 2016. Retrieved 29 Nov 2021.
  8. ^ a b "Scots Hotel: Why the Church of Scotland has a Galilee getaway". Angus Roxburgh for BBC News, 31 October 2012. Re-accessed 1 Dec 2021.
  9. ISBN 0567085171. Retrieved 1 December 2021. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help
    )

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to St Andrew's Church, Jerusalem.

31°46′7.76″N 35°13′31.35″E / 31.7688222°N 35.2253750°E / 31.7688222; 35.2253750

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