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Origin and history

St. Andrew's Anglican Church in Pau, 8 O'Quin Street, is a religious building built in 1888 on the initiative of Reverend Reginald Acland-Troyte, chaplain from 1885 to 1922. It is part of the history of the local Anglican community, which had been structured since 1841 with the construction of Christ Church, which became a Protestant temple in 1920. Holy Trinity Church (1862) and Temporary Iron Church had preceded St Andrew, reflecting the importance of this community, with a strength of 2,516 British and 1,914 Americans in 1879.

The architecture of St Andrew follows the neo-Gothic style advocated by the Camden Society, with a plan whose author remains unknown. Between 1889 and 1893, the church was enriched with liturgical furniture ( episcopal throne, chandelier, pulpit, grid) and stained glass windows signed by Lobin and Mauméjean. A second work campaign, at the beginning of the twentieth century, added a funeral chapel (1902), a porch (1903), and a chapel of baptismal fonts (1906).

The interior decoration continues with pre-Raphaelite windows attributed to Arthur Louis Moore, a retable painted by Hemmings (1907-1911), and elements such as a calvary (1918) or a First World War memorial altar (1919). Paloese artist Ernest Gabard contributed in 1926 to a chapel. The ensemble, of great ornamental richness, has been listed as historical monuments since 2015, including the adjacent presbytery.

Saint Andrew illustrates British cultural influence in Pau, linked to the influx of Anglo-Saxon residents in the 19th and 20th centuries. Its artistic heritage, combining local artisans (Lobin, Gabard) and English firms (Hemmings), bears witness to this transnational history. The church remains a symbol of the religious diversity and international influence of the city.

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