Well I Never Knew That! #1

Our Chaplain’s energetic tidying and research have uncovered many fascinating facts about St Paul’s history. We’re sharing these in a series of posts,  starting with:

When St Paul’s was consecrated in 1925 the Church was gifted the alms bags and linen from Queen Victoria’s private chapel in Nice. Where are they now, I wonder?

The first celebration of Holy Communion in the Lady Chapel took place on the first of January 1951.

We have celebrated two beautiful weddings recently, and the first couple to get married at St Paul’s Monte Carlo on the 5th of December 1925 was a British naval officer Geoffrey Spicer – Simpson and Julia Sevastapolu.

The groom’s father was Commander Geoffrey Spicer – Simpson DSO who led the Royal Navy Expedition to Lake Tanganyika in 1915. The memorial to this action can be seen on the south side of Church. Commander Spicer-Simpson also provided the marble columns in the sanctuary.