"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 World War I, bringing to an end Ottoman rule over Palestine. It is a congregation of the Church of Scotland.
One of the main campaigners for the memorial church was Ninian Hill, an Edinburgh shipowner and Church elder. The foundation stone was laid by 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 Mandate administration and soldiers serving with Scottish Regiments stationed in Palestine during the Mandate and the Second World War. After the out break of hostilities in 1948 the church was on the front line.
Following World War I, the British Mandate in Palestine lasted until 1948. This substantially increased the number of Scots living and working in Jerusalem. Following the end of the mandate and the establishment of the State of Israel, the number of Scots working in Jerusalem dropped drastically. The church’s prominent location very near the 'Green Line' politically dividing Jerusalem, cut it off from the Christian community in the Old City. The building still bears marks from fighting during the Six-Day War of 1967.
The church is open for services on Sundays and runs a guesthouse."
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"One writer describes St Andrew’s as follows: “The clean, plain lines of St Andrew’s Scots Memorial Church and Hospice standing on the edge of the Valley of Hinnom evoke images of a Highland castle and keep”.
This is appropriate since the Church was built as a memorial to Scottish soldiers who fell fighting in this region during World War I. The Church was built in 1927, designed by British architect Albert Clifford Holliday. The large, Crusader-style windows in the sanctuary use small, round panels of blue Hebron glass.
The building is a mixture of oriental and western elements. Some of the distinguishing features of the building reflect that of another building, Government House, designed by the architects A. Harrison and A. C. Holliday, including the beautiful Armenian tiles outside the entrance to the Guest House, the Church, and the Veranda. The tiles were created by David Ohanessian (1884-1953) in his Dome of the Rock Workshop on the Via Dolorosa. During more recent years, excavations have revealed archaeological finds both in the Loggia, a roofed arcade or gallery with open sides stretching along the front or side of a building; often at an upper level, of St Andrew’s, and more recently on the land immediately in front of the grounds of St Andrew’s. Some of these further discoveries can be seen from the driveway and parking area for the Guesthouse and Church. The site of St Andrew’s has meant that it is an architectural landmark, even in the significant skyline of Jerusalem. The spacious public rooms give a feeling of tranquillity.
There is an unforgettable view of the Old City from the veranda. The whole building, Church and Guesthouse together, is a lasting tribute to the generous response of the parishes and people of Scotland and to the vision of the architect."
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