Saints-Martyrs, the only Catholic church in Marrakech, in the heart of Guéliz

Almost all visitors to Marrakech stay within the walls of the medina, between Jemaa el-Fna and the souks. Few cross the ring road to reach Guéliz, the Ville Nouvelle built in the colonial era with wide boulevards and low buildings. Here, on Rue el Imam Ali, stands the church of Saints-Martyrs: the only Catholic church in the city, built in 1928 and consecrated in 1929.

The name and the building

The name recalls five Franciscan friars executed in Marrakech on 16 January 1220, among the first martyrs of the order only just founded by Francis of Assisi. The building is plain, in keeping with the sober architecture of Guéliz: none of the exuberant decoration one expects from Morocco, but clean volumes and a measured façade that dialogues with the rational fabric of the district. It is worth reaching it on foot, setting out from the centre of Guéliz and the area of Place du 16 Novembre, to catch the contrast with the medina: here Marrakech shows the face of the twentieth-century city, made of pharmacies, French cafés and orthogonal blocks.

The altar mosaic

The detail that repays the detour is inside, on the altar. The mosaic bears in Arabic, arranged in the shape of a cross, the phrase "Allah Mahabba", meaning "God is love" (the quotation comes from the First Letter of John, 4:8). It is a choice that says a great deal: the Christian message expressed in the language of the country that hosts the community, in a city with an overwhelming Muslim majority. In the baptistery there are then seven panels by the painter Q. Rieunier, conceived as a catechesis on baptism, and a chapel dedicated to Blessed Jean de Prado, himself a martyr in Marrakech, in 1631. There is also a fresco decorating the interior, but it is the mosaic and its bilingual inscription that leave their mark.

Hours and visiting

The church is not a museum: it is a living parish, dependent on the archdiocese of Rabat and served by Franciscan friars who minister above all to foreigners, sub-Saharan workers and passing worshippers. This means that the surest way to enter is during the services. Weekday Masses are at 19:00, on Saturday at 18:30; on Sunday there is a Mass in French at 10:30 and one in English at 12:30. On the 13th of every month a Mass of Saint Anthony of Padua is held, with the blessing of the bread. Outside liturgical hours access is not guaranteed, so it is best to plan the visit around one of these slots.

The place is little frequented by the tourist circuits for a banal reason: it is an active church in a city where the religious heritage sold to travellers is the Islamic one and that of the palaces. But precisely for this reason it offers a different look at Marrakech, that of a small Christian community that has existed for a century and that has chosen to write "God is love" in Arabic above its own altar.

How to get there

To get there: Guéliz is well connected. From the medina it is reached in a few minutes by petit taxi (agree on the fare or ask for the meter) or on foot in about twenty minutes from Place du 16 Novembre. The best months are spring and autumn, when Marrakech's heat stays manageable for walking around the district before or after the visit.

Practical guides for Assisi

• Where to stay in Assisi
• What to see in Assisi
• Where to eat in Assisi
• How to get to Assisi