Church in the clouds

A view of St Johns Anglican Church in Wynberg with a stormy Easter sky.

Getting married in the morning

Two friends tied the proverbial knot in a delightfully informal wedding ceremony in the Thomas Mossop Memorial Hall, which is used by the Methodist church, in Little Mowbray. A choir of young girls formed a singing and clapping guard of honour as we all came out.

(I was curious as to who Thomas Mossop was, but can't find anything about him.)

An Italian in Africa

At the top of Rubbi Road in the seaside village/suburb of Kommetjie, with gorgeous views over Long Beach, is this very Italianate Catholic Church of St Josephs. It was built in memory of Joseph Rubbi, who was born in the village of Marostica, near Padua in Italy, in 1873, and who came to South Africa where he became a successful builder and prominent citizen of Cape Town. There is quite a lot about the chapel and the man on this Cape Town Family History Society webpage.

Standing proud

The Moravian Chapel in District Six is one of the few buildings that escaped demolition by the Nationalist Apartheid Government after District Six was literally razed to the ground following the forced removal of its residents once it was declared a white area in 1966. It is now part of the Cape Peninsula University of Technology. In 1999 it housed the District Six Museum, which has now moved to Buitenkant Street. For more on the history of District Six, visit the site of the District Six Museum.

Road trip to the Orange River - Pella

We stopped briefly to marvel at the Catholic mission church at Pella - close to the Orange River. This isolated, grindingly poor little mission settlement in the middle of nowhere managed to build this magnificent cathedral-like church under the direction of two priests who only had a photo of a church to work on! After 7 years it was completed and consecrated in 1895.

Shaken and stirred

Walking along Long Street one is not really aware of the handsome church in the trees behind the railings ...

but a closer look reveals the Gothic Revival-style Lutheran church of St Martini (Deutsche Evangelisch-Lutherische St Martini Kirchengemeinde Kapstadt) complete with pentagonal Gothic balcony with filigree pinnacles. It was designed by Peter Penketh and built by him between 1851 and 1854.

One more view of it from the intersection of Long, Buitensingel, Kloof and Orange Streets showing the octagonal spire.

Recently this church was the setting for the opening of Deon Meyer's (the king of South African crime thriller writers) latest book Thirteen hours, where the body of a young American tourist is discovered - setting the scene for a real roller-coaster thriller ride of a book.

Information from Walking Long Street Cape Town by Desmond Martin (Struik).

Bleak days

Another bleak, rainy day in Cape Town. This is the Dutch Reformed Church at the top of Carr Hill in Wynberg. It was re-built on old foundations in 1897 (the original church having been established around about the 1830s). In 1881, the Dutch Reformed Synod decided it would like to keep the congregation pure white, so it built the Sending Kerk (Mission Church) nearby for "coloured" folk. Of course, today things are different, but it does leave a bit of a bitter taste.

A time of worship

Easter starts early in this Khayelitsha church as food has to be prepared days in advance by the ladies in preparation for the huge congregations that are expected from today until Sunday.

Weekend at Agulhas: The people

This church with its beautiful angel weathervane is the heart of Elim, a little village on the Agulhas Plain which is still owned and run by the Moravian church. In 1824 the Moravians founded the mission station on a farm, largely to offer a safe haven to freed slaves. We were fortunate to chance upon a wedding this hot and sultry Sunday, where the groom and the bride both arrived in a horse and cart with a beautiful arch of palm fronds and protea flowers. The name Elim comes from the reference to an oasis of palm trees in the Bible and palms are very much a feature of the village.

Ecclesiastic

Enter through these exciting gates to a world of ecclesiastic edification and education. St Michael and All Angels is a large and impressive church in Observatory designed by the illustrious Sir Herbert Baker. The foundation stone was laid in 1898 and the church consecrated in 1906. The services are "high Church" with incense, majesty and awe, and the music out of this world.
The word Ecclesiastic means "of the church" and the root Ecclesia first meant "general assembly" (of Athenian citizens) ultimately from the Greek work ekkaleo which means "summon". Isn't etymology fascinating?
For other E-posts, go to ABC Wednesday.

Roodebloem Studios

Driving down Roodebloem Road in Woodstock, I stopped to take some photos of this old church. Turns out it is a rather fancy photographic studio called Roodebloem Studios. Appearances can be deceptive!

Security chancel

The chancel of this delightful Anglican church of All Saints in the suburb of Plumstead was designed by one of Cape Town's illustrious architects, William John Delbridge, in 1910. (I can't find any information about the original part but presume the tower was also Delbridge's.) Delbridge also designed the Polana Hotel in Maputo, and the Marine Hotel in Hermanus, along with many of the very distinctive thatched roofed houses that define Hermanus. He was interested in French Gothic designs, and the Arts and Crafts movement, which is borne out by the look of this little church.
The word chancel refers to the lattice or railing which was used to separate the clergy from the congregation, and comes to us via Middle Enlgish and Old French from a Latin word cancelli meaning ‘crossbars’. It is ironic that today there is a very high "chancel" right around the outside of the church in the form of a security fence with razor wire on top.