Passing near the Roches Noires district, we can quickly notice a mosque near the Al Quds garden, with Gothic architecture reminiscent of European churches. And this striking resemblance is no coincidence. The “mosque” Al Quds was, indeed formerly, a church that bore the name of “Saint Marguerite” and was visited by many Europeans during the period of the protectorate.
At the time, a large European community had come to work and settle in the Roches Noires district. It was therefore important to create a place of worship for him. Sometime later, Eugène Lendrat died and a problem of transferring ownership of the church arose, so the church was emptied and used for other purposes. In 1981, following the departure of several Europeans from the city of Casablanca, the Sainte Marguerite church was finally ceded to the municipality of Aïn-Sebaa, which transformed it into the Al-Quds mosque.
I chose to reflect on this building because I lived right next to it and I used to walk past it every day, I always thought It was unique since we don’t really have this kind of architectural style in Morocco. And the fact that it is a church on the outside and a mosque on the inside makes it even more interesting.