History of Saint Georges

St George's Church, as we know it today, was consecrated in March 1925, but as long ago as 1864 there was an Anglican Chaplain in Madrid, when the Reverend William Campbell was appointed to the British Embassy here, and held services in a small room in a private house.

A few years later, larger premises were provided by the British and Foreign Bible Society. In 1900 the coach house of the old British Embassy was converted into a church. Later on, largely due to the generous bequest of Mr Edgar Allen, and further contributions from the English-speaking community and friends, the present church was built. It was designed by the Spanish architect Teodoro de Anasagasti, who blended elements of the Spanish Romanesque style (cruciform plan, semicircular apse, bell tower, tiled root) and the characteristic brick -and- stone construction of the uniquely Spanish "Mudéjar" tradition with specifically Anglican forms such as the porch or the chancel with its dossal, in addition to his own modern ideas such as the light skillfully introduced into the nave through the Children's Chapel under the tower. Particularly remarkable are the stained-glass windows which represent St George, patron of England, and St James the Great, patron of Spain, along with St John, St Peter and St Paul, in the chancel.

In the nave there are windows which portray St David of Wales, St Andrew, patron of Scotland, St Patrick, patron of Ireland and St Francis of Assisi. In the north choir there are windows depicting St Cecilia and St Antony Abbot, and in the porch, the Nativity of Christ. The most recent addition is a contemporary relief-sculpture of St George, also in the porch. Not surprisingly, the church is among Madrid's listed buildings of historical interest.

Behind the church, there is a Church House, which used to be for a caretaker and where the Chaplain's office is now. Between the two buildings is the Church Hall, for which the foundation stone was laid by the British and American Ambassadors in 1954. The Hall is used for all kinds of activities - Sunday School, parish dinners, the Mothers and Toddlers group on Wednesday mornings, the St George's Guild (usually on the first Tuesday morning of the month) and of course when there is a Bazaar every inch of the space available is filled with all sorts of exciting wares. But the Hall does not only serve strictly "church" activities for it is used by many other community organisations and in this way St George's is able to make a contribution to the general welfare of the English-speaking community. In the Church House there is the St George's Guild Library, which anyone can join and where there is a wide range of the latest "best-sellers" and many "talking books" and large-print volumes for those with bad eyesight