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.
After the outbreak of hostilities in 1948, the church was on the front line. The fighting firstly took place between Jewish forces in West Jerusalem and Arab irregulars in the Old City, later between the Jordanian Arab Legion soldiers and the Israeli army. The church holds a prominent location near what became the front line. The minister, William Clark Kerr, remained in the Church throughout this period, ringing the church bell and conducting Sunday services. In one cable to Edinburgh he wrote: "All night battle round the building... St Andrew's Cross (flag) on both church and manse. If that is not enough will try Rampant Lion."[1]
Interior, St. Andrew's Church
The building still bears marks from fighting during the Six-Day War of 1967.
(first verse of Hymn 82 in the Church of Scotland hymnary, fourth edition)
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 location very near the 'Green Line' politically dividing Jerusalem, cut it off from the Christian community in the Old City.
The church was designed in 1927 by the British architect Clifford Holliday,[4] who headed his own private practice in the city.[5] Its clean, plain silhouette stands across the Hinnom Valley from the Old City walls, and together with the wing housing the hospice evokes the outline of a Highland castle with a keep.[4] The building contains Western as well as Eastern elements, with details reminding of Crusader-style architecture, but also with Armenian decorative tiles.[4] The stained glass windows are built with blue Hebron glass[4] set in stucco panels, in typical 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 communion table is dedicated to King 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]
^ abKernohan, R.D., The Road to Zion: Travellers to Palestine and the Land of Israel. 1994. ISBN0-8028-0889-1. pages 138,139.
^Dunlop, Walter T. (2014). Faith Rewarded: The Story of St Andrew's Scots Memorial, Jerusalem. FastPrint Publishing. ISBN978-178456-111-6. p. 237.
^Scots House Hotel, a.k.a. the Scots or Scottish Guesthouse. Re-accessed 30 Nov 2021.
^ abcdHistory, St Andrew's homepage. Retrieved 29 Nov 2021.
^Crinson, Mark (2016). G. A. Bremner (ed.). Imperial Modernism. Oxford History of the British Empire Companion Series. Oxford University Press. p. 211. ISBN978-0191022326. Retrieved 29 November 2021. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
^Kroyanker, David. Jerusalem Multicultural Design Motifs website, two entries – here and here. Retrieved 29 Nov 2021.
