Group    From 1457 

Moravian Church

Categories: Religion

Countries: Czechoslovakia

Officially named Unitas Fratrum (Unity of the Brethren), it originated in Bohemia when Jan Hus, a priest and philosopher, objected to some of the practices of the Roman Catholic church, and wanted to return to the Eastern Orthodox church of Bohemia and Moravia. The movement gained much support, but was eventually subjugated by the Catholic church. In 1722 a group of Bohemian Brethren from an illegal remnant of the movement, sought sanctuary at Bethelsdorf, the estate of Nikolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf.

The movement grew via missionary work and initially the missionaries only passed through London on their way to the slave communities in America and the West Indies. But waiting for their ships they needed to meet and pray, and perhaps could not restrain themselves from evangelising wherever they were. In London they initially met in private homes and then in 1740 began using a chapel in Fetter Lane. The Moravian Church now has over 800,000 members worldwide.

London Details has a good post about the Moravians' plot of land in Chelsea.

The Moravians do seem to have been unusually successful at founding and sustaining settlements. Between 1744 and the 1780s they founded 7 villages across England and Ireland, but none near London.

Credit for this entry to: Alan Patient of www.plaquesoflondon.co.uk

This section lists the memorials where the subject on this page is commemorated:
Moravian Church

Commemorated ati

Fetter Lane Society

{At the top: the emblem of the Moravian Church: a round image of a lamb with ...

Read More

Lindsey House

Lindsey House, built 1674 by Robert Bertie 3rd Earl of Lindsey, incorporates ...

Read More

Other Subjects

Quaker Gardens

Quaker Gardens

Also called Bunhill Fields Burial Ground and so easy to confuse with the non-conformist Bunhill Fields Burial Ground which is on the other side of Bunhill Row. From London Gardens Online: “Quaker ...

Place, Gardens / Agriculture, Religion

2 memorials
Rt. Revd. Bishop R. W. Stannard

Rt. Revd. Bishop R. W. Stannard

Master of the Worshipful Company of Gardeners in 1973.

Person, Religion

1 memorial
Paul's Cross

Paul's Cross

Sermons had been preached at Paul's Cross since at least the 12th century. In 1449 Bishop Kemp had it rebuilt and it remained in that form until in 1643 the puritanical Long Parliament ordered its...

Building, Religion

2 memorials
Alexander MacLaren

Alexander MacLaren

Baptist preacher. Born Glasgow. President of the Baptist Union, 1875-6 and 1901-2. Died Edinburgh.

Person, Politics & Administration, Religion, Scotland

1 memorial
St Marys, Haggerston

St Marys, Haggerston

Built by John Nash in the Gothic style with a tall tower. Destroyed by WW2 bombs and the site made into a playground.

Building, Religion

1 memorial