French Protestant Church of London

Church in London, England

51°30′57″N 0°07′59″W / 51.51573°N 0.13296°W / 51.51573; -0.13296LocationSoho, LondonCountryUnited KingdomDenominationReformedTraditionLiberal ChristianityWebsiteFrench Protestant Church of LondonHistoryFounded24 July 1550Founder(s)Edward VIArchitectureHeritage designationGrade II* ListedArchitect(s)Aston WebbGroundbreaking28 October 1891Completed25 March 1893ClergyPastor(s)Stéphane Desmarais

The French Protestant Church of London (Église protestante française de Londres) is a Reformed / Presbyterian church that has catered to the French-speaking community of London since 1550. It is the last remaining Huguenot church of London. Its current temple in Soho Square is a Grade II* listed building designed by Aston Webb and erected in 1891–93.

History

The Church was founded by a Royal Charter of King Edward VI on 24 July 1550.

At the request of the Huguenots of London, in 1560 John Calvin sent a trusted emissary from Geneva, pastor Nicolas des Gallars, to help provide the young congregation its Reformed theology and Presbyterian organisation.

In 1700, at the height of the French refugee population following the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685, 23 Huguenot places of worship existed in London.^[1] The Church's temple is the only one that is active today: the French Protestant Church in Brighton (opened in 1887) closed in 2008.^[2]

Organisation

The Church is a registered charity under English law.^[3] A related charity, The French Huguenot Church of London Charitable Trust, provides funds for the Church and other charitable objects.^[4]

Stéphane Desmarais has been the pastor of the Church since 1 September 2013. He is the 72nd French-speaking pastor of the Church since 1550, and the 70th pastor appointed to this office since Nicolas des Gallars in 1560.^[5]

The governing body of the Church is the Consistory. Its members are co-opted and tacitly approved by the congregation. The pastor is a member of the Consistory ex officio.

Notes and references

^ "Museum of London" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 February 2018. Retrieved 3 February 2018.
^ Collis, Rose (2010). The New Encyclopaedia of Brighton. (based on the original by Tim Carder) (1st ed.). Brighton: Brighton & Hove Libraries. p. 61. ISBN 978-0-9564664-0-2.
^ "The French Protestant Church of London, registered charity no. 1070623". Charity Commission for England and Wales.
^ "The French Huguenot Church of London Charitable Trust, registered charity no. 249017". Charity Commission for England and Wales.
^ Plate List of pastors in the temple, 8-9 Soho Square. The list is also given in Yves Jaulmes, p. 35-37, but it stops in 1991 with the appointment of Leila Hamrat, who was the first female pastor of the Church.

Sources

Yves Jaulmes, The French Protestant Church of London and the Huguenots: from the Church's foundation to the present day, published by the French Protestant Church of London, 1993, p. 59 ISBN 0952120607.
Manifesto, (or Declaration of Principles), of the French Protestant Church of London, Founded by Charter of Edward VI. 24th July, A.D. 1550. By Order of the Consistory. London: Messrs. Seeleys, 1850.
The Economist, Changing Shadows: The many mansions in one east London house of God, 18 December 2003, https://www.economist.com/node/2281603
Listing Entry by Historic England
The French Protestant Church, British History Online

Gallery

Temple of the French Protestant Church of London
Front of the building
Tympanum installed for the 400th anniversary of the Church in 1950
Sunday service at the French Protestant Church of London with pastor Stéphane Desmarais

World Wars
WW2 museum in the temple of the French Protestant Church of London
Emblem designed by pastor Christol for use by members of the Church and of the Free French Forces (1942 version)
Plate "to our war dead" in the temple