St. Andrew Church, Hong Kong

Saint Andrew’s Church is an Anglican Province, belonging to the Diocese of Western Kowloon and offers services in both English and Mandarin Chinese. It is also the oldest Anglican church in Kowloon, though not the oldest Protestant church in the entire region. Still, Saint Andrew’s remains one of the most historically significant Christian buildings in Kowloon.

In 1904, Sir Catchick Paul Chater—an influential British-Indian businessman of Armenian descent—donated HK$35,000 to fund the construction of a new Anglican church in Kowloon. Construction began in 1904 and was completed in 1906, establishing a permanent Anglican presence in what would soon become a rapidly developing urban district.

Architecturally, Saint Andrew’s is built in the Early English Gothic Revival style. The main structure features granite and red brick, with pointed arches, lancet windows, and a cruciform floor plan typical of English parish churches of the period. A distinctive square bell tower rises at the front of the building. The church interior retains much of its original character, including wooden trusses and stained-glass windows.

During the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong in World War II, Saint Andrew’s was converted into a Shinto shrine, though it returned to Christian use after the war. In 1979, the adjacent Saint Andrew’s Christian Center was completed to house various Christian organizations and ministries. Today, the church continues to serve a diverse congregation and remains an important religious and architectural landmark in Kowloon.