Libya Church Records

For information about records for non-Christian religions in Libya, go to the Religious Records page.

Historical Background
About 97% of the population in Libya are Muslims, most of whom belong to the Sunni branch. There are small foreign communities of Christians. Coptic Orthodox Christianity, which is the Christian Church of Egypt, is the largest and most historical Christian denomination in Libya. There are about 60,000 Egyptian Copts in Libya. Copts in Libya are Egyptian. There are three Coptic Churches in Libya, one in Tripoli, one in Benghazi, and one in Misurata. There are an estimated 40,000 Roman Catholics in Libya who are served by two Bishops, one in Tripoli (serving the Italian community) and one in Benghazi (serving the Maltese community). There is also a small Anglican community, made up mostly of African immigrant workers in Tripoli; it is part of the Anglican Diocese of Egypt.

Information Recorded in the Records
Different denominations, different time periods, and practices of different record keepers will effect how much information can be found in the records. This outline will show the types of details which might be found (best case scenario):

Baptisms
In Catholic and Anglican records, children were usually baptized a few days after birth, and therefore, the baptism record proves date of birth. Other religions, such as Baptists, baptized at other points in the member's life. Baptism registers might give:

Marriages
Marriage registers can give:

Burials
Burial registers may give:

Digital Copies of Church Records in the FamilySearch Catalog
Watch for digitized copies of church records to be added to the collection of the FamilySearch Library. Some records might have viewing restrictions, and can only be viewed at a Family History Center near you, and/or by members of supporting organizations. To find records:
 * a. Click on the records of Libya.
 * b. Click on Places within Libya and a list of towns will appear.
 * c. Click on your town if it appears, or the location which you believe was the parish which served your town or village.
 * d. Click on the "Church records" topic. Click on the blue links to specific record titles.
 * e. Some combination of these icons will appear at the far right of the listing for the record. FHL icons.png. The magnifying glass indicates that the record is indexed. Clicking on the magnifying glass will take you to the index. Clicking on the camera will take you to an online digital copy of the records.

Writing for Records
You will probably need to write to or email the national archives, the diocese, or local parish priests to find records. See Letter Writing Guide for Genealogy for help with composing letters.

Writing to a Local Parish
To locate the mailing address or e-mail address for a local parish, consult:
 * The Catholic Directory: Libya

Online Records
Information is available to current members only for deceased members and immediate family members who are still living. Sign in to FamilySearch and then select Family Tree in the drop-down menu.

Writing for Records

 * [ Google Maps search results for Anglican churches in Libya]

Writing for Records

 * [ Google Maps search results for Baptist churches in Libya]

Writing for Records

 * [ Google Maps search results for Eastern Orthodox churches in Libya]

Writing for Records

 * [ Google Maps search results for Jehovah's Witnesses churches in Libya]

Writing for Records

 * [ Google Maps search results for Lutheran churches in Libya]

Writing for Records

 * [ Google Maps search results for Mennonite churches in Libya]

Writing for Records

 * [ Google Maps search results for Methodist churches in Libya]

Writing for Records

 * [ Google Maps search results for Moravian churches in Libya]

Writing for Records

 * [ Google Maps search results for Nazarene churches in Libya]

Writing for Records

 * [ Google Maps search results for Pentecostal churches in Libya]

Writing for Records

 * [ Google Maps search results for Presbyterian churches in Libya]

Writing for Records

 * [ Google Maps search results for Seventh-day Adventist churches in Libya]