Church of the Immaculate Conception of Tangier

Tangier, Morocco

The Church of the Immaculate Conception is one of the three Catholic temples of the city of Tangier, along with the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption and the French Church of Tangier. It is a testimony to the rich Christian history of this millennial city.

History

Tangier, the ancient Roman Tingi, has one of the oldest Christian stories in Africa. According to tradition, San Marcelo was martyred here in 298 during the persecution of Diocletian. The diocese of Tangier has been documented since about 325, being one of the episcopal headquarters of the Roman province of Mauretania Tingitana.

The city was occupied by Portugal in 1471 and the diocese was canonically erected in 1472. During the period of the International Zone of Tangier (1923- 1956), the city hosted a major multinational Catholic community. After independence, the Catholic population decreased but the temples continued to operate.

Tangier: city of three churches

The Archdiocese of Tangier has three temples in the city: the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption (the seat of the archdiocese), the French Church of Tangier and the Church of the Immaculate Conception. In 2022, the Archdiocese had 2,990 baptized faithful, 15 priests and 8 parishes. Since February 2023 its archbishop is Emilio Rocha Grande, O.F.M.