Discover Gibraltar — Discover Gibraltar’s Places of Worship

King’s Chapel

King’s Chapel is a small chapel in the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar. It is located at the southern end of Main Street and adjoins the Governor of Gibraltar’s residence, The Convent. What nowadays is King’s Chapel was the first purpose-built church to be constructed in Gibraltar. Originally part of a Franciscan friary, the chapel was built in the 1530s but was given to the Church of England by the British after the capture of Gibraltar in 1704. It was badly damaged in the late 18th century during the Great Siege of Gibraltar and in the explosion of an ammunition ship in Gibraltar harbour in 1951, but was restored on both occasions. From 1844 to 1990 it served as the principal church of the British Army in Gibraltar; since then it has been used by all three services of the British Armed Forces.

Cathedral of St. Mary the Crowned

The Cathedral of Saint Mary the Crowned (Spanish: Catedral de Santa María la Coronada) is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Gibraltar. It is the primary centre of Catholic worship in the Diocese of Gibraltar.

15th century

The original building of the current cathedral was built during the Spanish period. Just after the reconquest of the city to the Moors, the main mosque was decreed to be stripped of its Islamic past and consecrated as the parish church (named Santa Maria la Coronada y San Bernardo). However, under the rule of the Catholic Monarchs, the old building was demolished and a new church was erected, in Gothic style. The cathedral’s small courtyard is the remnant of the larger Moorish court of the mosque. The Catholic Monarchs’ coat of arms was placed in the courtyard where it can still be seen today. The cathedral extended to the opposite side of what is now Main Street.

Cathedral of the Holy Trinity

The Cathedral of the Holy Trinity is the cathedral for the Church of England Diocese of Gibraltar in Europe. Located in Cathedral Square, it is sometimes referred to simply as Gibraltar Cathedral, although it should not be confused with the Cathedral of St. Mary the Crowned, which is Gibraltar’s Roman Catholic cathedral. The cathedral is particularly notable for its Moorish revival architecture, particularly in its use of horseshoe arches. This is an architectural style inspired by Moorish architecture, appropriate given the period of Moorish control in Gibraltar’s history.

Gibraltar Synagogues

The four active synagogues of Gibraltar are colloquially known as the Great Synagogue, the Little Synagogue, the Flemish Synagogue, and the Abudarham Synagogue. The first synagogue established after the 1717 expulsion of Jews from Gibraltar, the Great Synagogue, was built on what is now known as Engineer Lane, and remains Gibraltar’s principal synagogue. The Little Synagogue, founded in 1759 in Irish Town, was the result of the desire of Moroccan Jews for a less formal service. The lavish Flemish Synagogue was built at the turn of the nineteenth century on Line Wall Road, due to the request of some congregants for a return to more formal, Dutch customs. The last synagogue to be established in what is now the British overseas territory of Gibraltar, the Abudarham Synagogue, was founded in 1820 on Parliament Lane by recent Moroccan immigrants.

The Gibraltar Hindu Temple

The Gibraltar Hindu Temple (Hindi: जिब्राल्टर हिन्दू मंदिर‎), also known as Gibraltar Mandir, is a Hindu temple (mandir) in the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar. Established in 2000, the Gibraltar Hindu Temple is located at Engineer Lane. Gibraltarian Hindus make approximately 1.8% of Gibraltar’s population. This is the only Hindu temple in Gibraltar and it serves as the spiritual centre for Hindu population of the territory. The temple is a charitable organisation and aims to maintain and promote Hindu culture in Gibraltar. The presiding deity of the temple is Rama along with his consort Sita, brother Laxman and Hanuman, an ardent devotee of Rama. Besides, there are many other murtis in the temple, including Jhulelal, iṣṭa-devatā of Sindhi people, and Guru Nanak, the first of the ten Sikh Gurus. The temple conducts several study classes related to different Hindu scriptures.

Ibrahim-al-Ibrahim Mosque

The Ibrahim-al-Ibrahim Mosque, also known as the King Fahd bin Abdulaziz al-Saud Mosque or the Mosque of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, is a mosque located at Europa Point in the British overseas territory of Gibraltar, a peninsula connected to southern Spain. The mosque faces south towards the Strait of Gibraltar and Morocco several kilometres away.

Shrine of Our Lady of Europe

The Shrine of Our Lady of Europe is a Roman Catholic parish church and national shrine of Gibraltar located at Europa Point. The church is dedicated to Our Lady of Europe, the Catholic patroness of Gibraltar.

It belongs to the European Marian Network, which links twenty Marian sanctuaries in Europe (as many as the number of decades in the Rosary)

If you would like to experience these fascinating places, we have a tour for you.

During this tour, our Historian will take you to witness various different places of worship. You will understand the religious diversity in Gibraltar and how we live and accept each faiths in a peaceful and empathetic manner. In relation to faith cohabitation per square mile, Gibraltar is an example to follow.

If history and religion is something that you love, well… we have an amazing tour for you!

To book click here

You will start of visiting the following locations within Town:

• King’s Chapel
• Cathedral of St. Mary the Crowned (Roman Catholic)
• Holy Trinity (Church of England)
• Synagogue (Jewish) — pending availability
• Hindu Temple (Pending availability)
• Ibrahim-al-Ibrahim Mosque
• Shrine of our Lady of Europe

To book click here

Included:

• Guide
• Return Public Bus transfer to Europa Point