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Saving St. Saviour’s
– historic church undergoes rehabilation
St. Saviour’s Anglican Church, located at Broad and Saffon Streets, Charlestown, is in the process of extensive repairs. The construction, which began about two weeks ago, is taking place under the supervision of the Anglican Diocese of Guyana.
According to information provided by the Sustainable Development Network Programme, (SDNP) Guyana website, St. Savior’s, one of the oldest Churches in Georgetown, was formerly a branch of St. Philip’s Church.
The Church was raised to the status of a Parish Church of the Anglican Diocese on 1st January 1939 when it was given its own priest, the Reverend E. C. Lampriere.
St. Saviour Anglican Church is in process of rehabilitation
A side view of the old St. Saviour’s Church
St. Saviour’s Church is situated on land formerly owned by a Frenchman named Pierre Louis de Saffon. It was purchased in 1845 from the administrators of the Saffon estate.
According to information on the website, de Saffon was born in France in 1724 and had fled to Guyana to escape arrest since he had killed his brother in a duel over a woman and duelling was banned in France at the time. Saffon died in 1784 and was buried on his La Penitence estate in what is now the churchyard of St. Saviour’s Church with the Saffon Monument marking his grave.
St Saviour’s was formerly known as St Saviour’s Chinese Church, since it was designated to provide a place of worship for the newly introduced Chinese population in Georgetown.
The cornerstone of the “Old” St. Saviour’s Church was laid on 14th August 1874 to provide a place of worship for the Chinese community of Georgetown where services could be conducted in the Chinese language by a Chinese Cathecist. A chancel was added in 1911. In June 1921, on St. John’s Day, a dispensation was granted to the Freemasons of Silent Temple Lodge (Chinese) to hold its first Divine Service at St. Saviour’s Church.
The word “Chinese” was later omitted from the church’s name and it became simply St. Saviour’s Church, but it still continued to be the focal point of the Chinese community. The present St. Saviour’s Church was dedicated by the archbishop of the West Indies, Dr. John Alan Knight on Sunday 14th October, 1951.
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