The French Protestant Church of London (''Église protestante française de Londres'') is a Reformed /

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

church that has catered to the French-speaking community of London since 1550. It is the last remaining

Huguenot The Huguenots ( , also , ) were a religious group of French Protestants who held to the Reformed, or Calvinist, tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, the Genevan burgomaster Be ...

church of London. Its current temple in

Soho Square Soho Square is a garden square in Soho, London, hosting since 1954 a ''de facto'' public park let by the Soho Square Garden Committee to Westminster City Council. It was originally called King Square after Charles II, and a much weathered ...

is a Grade II* listed building designed by

Aston Webb Sir Aston Webb (22 May 1849 – 21 August 1930) was a British architect who designed the principal facade of Buckingham Palace and the main building of the Victoria and Albert Museum, among other major works around England, many of them in pa ...

and erected in 1891–93.

History

The Church was founded by a

Royal Charter A royal charter is a formal grant issued by a monarch under royal prerogative as letters patent. Historically, they have been used to promulgate public laws, the most famous example being the English Magna Carta (great charter) of 1215, but s ...

King Edward VI Edward VI (12 October 1537 – 6 July 1553) was King of England and Ireland from 28 January 1547 until his death in 1553. He was crowned on 20 February 1547 at the age of nine. Edward was the son of Henry VIII and Jane Seymour and the first E ...

on 24 July 1550. At the request of the

Huguenots The Huguenots ( , also , ) were a religious group of French Protestants who held to the Reformed, or Calvinist, tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, the Genevan burgomaster Be ...

of London, in 1560 John Calvin sent a trusted emissary from

Geneva , neighboring_municipalities= Carouge, Chêne-Bougeries, Cologny, Lancy, Grand-Saconnex, Pregny-Chambésy, Vernier, Veyrier , website = https://www.geneve.ch/ Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevr ...

pastor A pastor (abbreviated as "Pr" or "Ptr" , or "Ps" ) is the leader of a Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutheranism, Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy and ...

Nicolas des Gallars, to help provide the young congregation its Reformed

theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

and

organisation. In 1700, at the height of the French refugee population following the

Revocation of the Edict of Nantes The Edict of Fontainebleau (22 October 1685) was an edict issued by French King Louis XIV and is also known as the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes. The Edict of Nantes (1598) had granted Huguenots the right to practice their religion without s ...

in 1685, 23 Huguenot places of worship existed in London. The Church's temple is the only one that is active today: the French Protestant Church in Brighton (opened in 1887) closed in 2008.

Organisation

The Church is a registered charity under English law. A related charity, The French Huguenot Church of London Charitable Trust, provides funds for the Church and other charitable objects. 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.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. The governing body of the Church is the

Consistory Consistory is the anglicized form of the consistorium, a council of the closest advisors of the Roman emperors. It can also refer to: *A papal consistory, a formal meeting of the Sacred College of Cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church * Consistor ...

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

Notes and references

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 .
''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 EnglandThe French Protestant Church, British History Online

Gallery

Eglise Francaise Soho Square 1 (24105299476).jpg, Front of the building Tympanum from 1950 at the French Protestant Church of London.jpg, Tympanum installed for the 400th anniversary of the Church in 1950 Sunday Service at the French Protestant Church of London.jpg, Sunday service at the French Protestant Church of London with pastor Stéphane Desmarais Musée ww2 temple EPFL-FPCL.jpg, WW2 museum in the temple of the French Protestant Church of London Badge Résistez version 1942 Eglise protestante française de Londres.jpg, Emblem designed by pastor Christol for use by members of the Church and of the Free French Forces (1942 version) Eglise protestante française de Londres - à nos morts de la guerre.jpg, Plate "to our war dead" in the temple

External links