Groote Kerk, Cape Town

While you are in Cape Town don’t miss the opportunity to visit the Groote Kerk – or Great Church on Adderley Street.

Usually, when settlers arrive in any area, one of the first things they do is to build a church or some other gathering place of worship, but when Jan Van Riebeeck arrived in the Cape region in 1652, a church was only established three years later.

Riebeeck and his men were sent to the Cape of Good Hope by the Dutch East India Company to set up a supply station for ships sailing to East Africa, India, and the Far East. He was the founder of Cape Town which grew to be the most important city in South Africa at the time.

However, few ministers fancied settling in such a far-flung outpost and the population had to make do with a lay preacher to comfort them. In 1665 a minister was appointed and the Groote Kerk was founded, making it the oldest church in the region.

The church was simple, as all Dutch Reformed churches are, and a bell tower was added as late as 1704. It is somewhat ironic that this addition, deemed superfluous at the time, is the only part of the original church to have survived.

The church you will see today was built by Herman Schuette in 1841. The style is a combination of Greek and Gothic; the interior is plain with a lot of heavy dark wood used for the pews and the galleries.

It is not without beauty, however, and the beautifully ornate pulpit carved out of teak by Anton Anreith and Jan Graaf, is a true masterpiece. The organ is immense and boasts 5917 pipes.

Tip:
The church is open for guided tours around midday.