Are there churches in Qatar?
Yes. Qatar has churches, and this guide documents 4 church buildings in Doha: Anglican, Roman Catholic, Greek Orthodox and Syriac Orthodox (Jacobite). Until 2003 non-Muslim religious gatherings were not officially permitted, and Christians met in homes; in May 2005 the government recognised five churches through 50-year leases. The Catholic church of Our Lady of the Rosary, the first purpose-built Catholic church in Qatar, was consecrated on 15 March 2008.
The candidates, and what each date means
| Place | Date | What the date refers to | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Church of the Epiphany (Anglican) | Consecrated 28 September 2013 | Church building; Anglicans came with the oil industry in the 1930s | Anglican Church in Qatar history; Episcopal News Service, 2013 |
| Our Lady of the Rosary (Catholic) | Consecrated 15 March 2008 | First purpose-built Catholic church in Qatar; holds up to 3,000 | Parish newsletter of the Apostolic Vicariate of Northern Arabia, 2025 |
| Saints Isaac and George (Greek Orthodox) | Consecrated 22 February 2019 | Church building; foundation stone laid 16 April 2010 | Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem chronicle |
| Saint James (Syriac Orthodox, Jacobite) | Foundation stone 27 January 2006 | Parish since 2001, community since 1979; land allocated in 2005 | Parish website |
How the churches came to Qatar
Anglicans first came to Qatar with the oil industry in the 1930s, and an oil company sponsored a resident Anglican priest from 1951 to 1962. Because non-Muslim gatherings were not officially permitted until 2003, congregations met discreetly in homes and other places. In May 2005 the government recognised five churches through 50-year leases. The former Emir, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, provided the land for the complex known locally as Church City, and the Anglican Centre there opened on 21 September 2013 with the Church of the Epiphany consecrated a week later. At its opening it served about 60 Protestant, Evangelical and Pentecostal groups.
The congregations today
Our Lady of the Rosary counts more than 200,000 faithful from over 60 nationalities in its own parish newsletter, with Mass in many languages, among them English, Tagalog, Malayalam, Tamil, Arabic and Spanish. It belongs to the Apostolic Vicariate of Northern Arabia. The Greek Orthodox church of Saints Isaac and George was consecrated by Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem, and the Syriac Orthodox church of Saint James grew from a community established in 1979. Pew Research Center estimates ≈ 350,000 Christian residents in Qatar in 2020, 12.5% of the population, including migrant workers; it is an estimate, not a census count.
Limits of this answer
This guide documents 4 church buildings in Qatar that it could source; it is not a complete list of congregations or of the five churches the government recognised. Attendance figures come from the parishes themselves. Rules on worship can change, so this page gives no legal or travel advice; check current guidance with official sources.
Places mentioned
Related questions
Sources
Data and supplementary sources
- “Christians in Qatar celebrate formal opening of Anglican centre”. Episcopal News Service. Episcopal News Service, 2013. Source cited on the place profile.
- “Our history”. Anglican Church in Qatar. Anglican Church in Qatar, n.d.. Source cited on the place profile.
- “AVONA newsletter, 2025, first edition”. Apostolic Vicariate of Northern Arabia. Apostolic Vicariate of Northern Arabia, 2025. Source cited on the place profile.
- “Consecration of the church of Saint Isaac the Syrian and Saint George in Doha”. Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem. Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem, 2019. Source cited on the place profile.
- “About”. Saint James Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Church, Doha. Saint James Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Church, Doha, n.d.. Source cited on the place profile.
- “Global Religious Change, Appendix B”. Pew Research Center. Pew Research Center, 2025. Appendix B, 2010 and 2020 estimates.
Encyclopedia entries were read in full in their electronic editions; each is credited to its author. Page and column references appear only where the source prints them; the Gorgias dictionary is cited by entry title.