Listen closely. Did you hear the echoes of history whispering through the stones of St Mary’s Cath. Church? St Mary’s Cath. Church is more formally known as the Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Flight into Egypt. It stands as the mother church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cape Town.
St Mary’s Cath. Church’s story began in 1839. Bishop Patrick Raymond Griffith bought land for a new church. He chose Our Lady of the Flight into Egypt as the patroness. This choice symbolized the Catholic people’s struggles and the mission’s African roots.
Carl Otto Hager designed St Mary’s Cath. Church in the Gothic Revival style. Hager also designed several Dutch Reformed churches. The first stone was laid in 1841. Construction lasted ten years and cost ten thousand pounds. St Mary’s Cath. Church opened its doors on April 28 1851.
Many people contributed to the building of St Mary’s Cath. Church. Donations came from Calcutta Mauritius and Brazil. James Begley a member of the congregation was the builder.
In 1927 Fred M. Glennie made Arts and Crafts changes. The changes included a tower and a remodelled roof. In 1947 the sanctuary was remodelled with a simplified Italian marble altar. Spanish artist F Cuairan carved oak panelling for the sanctuary walls. It honored parishioners who died in World War II.
St Mary’s Cath. Church became a cathedral in 1951. Pope Pius XII elevated Cape Town to a metropolitan archdiocese.
Denise Corna Boers led the last cathedral restoration in 1997. The roof was returned to its original position. The crenellations were reintroduced to the parapets. The new tower with the Irish bell remained. Sheridan of Dublin cast the bell. The Marquis of Bute donated it. Steven Boers designed a Crown of Thorns with lighting above the altar. Jan Corewijn restored original Victorian stenciled paintwork. Samuel Stonestreet decorated the chancel in 1864.
Inside St Mary’s Cath. Church two pairs of columns feature a painted green marble effect. The capitals display South African flower and leaf motifs in gold leaf. Seventeen stained glass windows made by Mayer of Munich and Bardman of Birmingham display donors’ names. Tweedie of Cape Town carved the oak pulpit in 1851. Mr. O’Callaghan of Dublin designed the white marble angel holy water font. It was presented to the cathedral in 1896. Maud Sumner’s Stations of the Cross paintings adorn the walls. A crucifixion painting from the Van Dyk school is housed in the north-west transept. Emperor Napoleon III presented it.
Prince Imperial the son of Empress Eugénie lay in state in St Mary’s Cath. Church. He had been killed in Rorkes Drift in 1879.
Today St Mary’s Cath. Church stands opposite the Houses of Parliament. It is a testament to faith art and history. Its enduring presence continues to inspire.