The Church of the Holy Martyrs (Église des Saints-Martyrs) is the Catholic church of Marrakech, on Rue de l'Imam Ali in the Gueliz district. Built from 1928, during the French protectorate, and completed in 1932 according to the parish, it is dedicated to the five Franciscans sent by Saint Francis of Assisi and executed in Marrakech on 16 January 1220: Berard, Peter, Otho, Accursius and Adjutus. Its square ochre bell tower rises a few metres from the minaret of a neighbouring mosque. Part of the Archdiocese of Rabat and served by Franciscan priests, it is today the only church in the region. Masses, in French and English, bring together expatriates, travellers and a large community of worshippers from sub-Saharan Africa.
Highlights
The bell tower and the neighbouring mosque
The square tower, pierced at the top by arched openings and capped with a pyramid roof of green tiles, picks up the ochre colour of Marrakech's façades. From the street you see it rising beside the minaret of a mosque, a view sometimes cited as an illustration of religious coexistence in Morocco.
The façade and the garden
The building, with its simple lines, is surrounded by a wall and a small garden planted with trees. The façade, pierced by narrow arched windows, keeps the restraint of the churches built in Morocco between the wars.
The church in the evening
At nightfall the bell tower and façade are lit up, and worshippers gather for the weekday Mass, at 19:00 from Monday to Friday. On Saturdays, Mass is celebrated at 18:30.
The interior and the fresco of Christ
The plain nave is dominated by a fresco of Christ Pantocrator, painted by the brothers André and Jacques Bouton. The church also has a chapel dedicated to Blessed John of Prado, a Franciscan priest martyred in Marrakech in 1631.
Infos pratiques
Tips
Entry is free. Visit the church outside service times and wear clothing that covers shoulders and knees. During Mass, put your camera away and stay quietly at the back of the nave if you are not taking part. The five martyrs are regarded as the first of the Franciscan order; their relics, taken to Coimbra, are said to have persuaded the future Saint Anthony of Padua to become a Franciscan, and a Mass in his honour is celebrated here on the 13th of each month, except on Saturdays and Sundays. Christmas and Easter Masses draw large crowds: arrive early.
How to get there
Rue de l'Imam Ali, Gueliz, Marrakech, about 300 m from Place du 16-Novembre and Avenue Mohammed V On foot: about 25 to 30 minutes from Jemaa el-Fna square by walking up Avenue Mohammed V; 5 to 10 minutes from the Gueliz central market; about 20 minutes from the Majorelle Garden By petit taxi: ask for "the church in Gueliz" ("l'église de Guéliz"); ask for the meter or agree the fare before getting in
Opening hours
Nearby
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