Christ Church: The First Protestant Church in the Middle East

Christ Church, located just inside the Jaffa Gate, is the oldest Protestant church in the Middle East, consecrated in 1849 by the joint Anglican-Prussian bishopric that was established to bring Protestantism to the Holy Land. The church represents a fascinating chapter in the 19th-century religious and political history of Jerusalem, when European powers competed for influence in the Ottoman Empire partly through church-building and charitable projects.

First Protestant Church in the East

The London Society for Promoting Christianity Amongst the Jews (today known as the Church’s Ministry Among Jewish People, or CMJ) established the church as part of its mission to the Jewish community in Jerusalem. The first bishop, Michael Solomon Alexander, was himself a converted Jewish scholar. The church was designed in a deliberately understated style, avoiding crosses and images that might alienate Jewish visitors, and incorporating Hebrew inscriptions into the liturgy. The Ten Commandments are displayed in Hebrew on the wall behind the altar, and the communion table faces Jerusalem in the Jewish tradition rather than east in the Christian one.

Heritage Center

The Christ Church Heritage Center, adjacent to the church, houses a museum with an impressive collection of 19th-century scale models of Jerusalem showing the city at different periods of its history. The models are beautifully crafted and give visitors an excellent sense of how the city developed and changed over time. The museum also covers the intersection of British imperial ambitions, religious missions, and Ottoman politics that shaped 19th-century Jerusalem. The compound, with its gardens and stone walls, is a peaceful oasis just steps from the bustle of the Jaffa Gate area.

An Anglican Interior with Jewish Heritage

The church’s interior reflects its unique identity as a bridge between Anglicanism and Jewish heritage. The communion table faces east toward the Temple Mount, following the Jewish orientation toward the Temple Mount rather than a generic eastward alignment. Hebrew inscriptions appear alongside English throughout the building, and the Ten Commandments are displayed in Hebrew above the altar. Stars of David appear in the decorative elements, and the overall design deliberately incorporates Jewish symbolism in a way that was revolutionary for a 19th-century church. The architecture is modest and restrained compared to the ornate Catholic and Orthodox churches nearby, reflecting the Protestant emphasis on simplicity.

A Living Community

Christ Church remains an active Anglican congregation and serves as the center of CMJ’s (Church’s Ministry Among Jewish People) ongoing work in Jerusalem. The church compound includes a guesthouse (one of the first in Jerusalem for Western visitors), a heritage center documenting the history of Protestant Christianity in the Holy Land, and a coffee shop that has become a gathering point near the Jaffa Gate. For visitors interested in the history of Protestant engagement with the Holy Land, and for those curious about the intersection of Christian and Jewish traditions, Christ Church offers a perspective that exists nowhere else in the Old City.

Visit with Hoshen Tours

Christ Church, the oldest Protestant church in the Middle East, sits just inside Jaffa Gate near the Tower of David. Your Hoshen Tours guide will share the fascinating story of this Anglican church and its role in 19th-century Jerusalem. From here, it’s a short walk into the Armenian Quarter or through the Christian Quarter toward the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, making Christ Church an excellent addition to any Old City tour. Hoshen Tours often combines this site with Sephardic Synagogues, Deir es-Sultan, and Sisters of Zion for a memorable day exploring the region.