Lutheran Church in Strand Street

Last updated
Lutheran Church in Strand Street
Lutheran Church, Strand Street.JPG
OpenStreetMap Cape Town small.svg
Red pog.svg
Lutheran Church in Strand Street
33°55′08″S18°25′10″E / 33.918939°S 18.419561°E / -33.918939; 18.419561 Coordinates: 33°55′08″S18°25′10″E / 33.918939°S 18.419561°E / -33.918939; 18.419561
Location Cape Town, Western Cape
Country South Africa
Denomination Lutheranism
History
Founded1780
Architecture
Heritage designationNational Monument and Urban Conservation Area
Architect(s) Anton Anreith
Completed1792

The Lutheran Church in Strand Street in Cape Town is one of the oldest church buildings in South Africa, dating back to 1792. It was declared a National Monument in 1949.

Contents

Background

In 1740 a few hundred residents of the bigger Cape area were Lutherans. Lutheran Pastors from Danish and Swedish whose ships were passing through the Bay in the Cape were allowed to preach, administered Holy Communion, baptized babies and confirmed members. This was done on land after they have docked. Baron Gustaaf Willem van Imhoff drew up a memorandum to the Here XVII ("Lords seventeen")(Here XVII was the controlling body of the Dutch East India Company) in 1741, asking that Lutherans in the Cape, be allowed to have their own congregations. It was unsuccessful. In 1741 the Politieke Raad (The local government body) determined that there were 509 Lutherans. 64 Lutherans requested in 1742 to have their own congregation. This was followed by requested of other Lutherans in 1743, 1751, 1753, 1778 and 1779. Request came from the bigger area including Swellendam. Approval were given on 18 October 1779. The first congregation had 442 people, 415 men and 27 women. [1] [2]

Building used

They used a warehouse in Strand Street close to the sea. This was given to them by Martin Melck. [3] From 1787 to 1792 several alterations and additions were made to the building. Anton Anreith created the front elevation of the building, the figure of King David with his harp on the organ loft, the façade of the organ and the pulpit. [4] A memorial plaque for Martin Melck is at the entrance of church. [5]

First pastor

Members JW Hurter, C Nelson and others expressed their wishes to have Christiaan Frederik Blettermann as their first pastor; however Governor Joachim van Plettenberg opted for Andreas Lutgerus Kolver, from Rotterdam the Netherlands. The inaugural service was on 10 December 1780. [1]

Additions

In 1812 the church received an organ and in 1820 a clock tower was added to the buildings [6]

Monument status and conservation

In 1949 it was declared as a national monument. [7]

The church is also declared an urban conservation area. [8]

Modern day

Today it is the oldest church building in South Africa and church services are still held in the building every Sunday. [6]

Related Research Articles

Henry Muhlenberg

Henry Melchior Muhlenberg, was a German Lutheran pastor sent to North America as a missionary, requested by Pennsylvania colonists.

Gloria Dei (Old Swedes) Church United States historic place

Gloria Dei Church, known locally as Old Swedes', is a historic church located in the Southwark neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, at 929 South Water Street, bounded by Christian Street on the north, South Christopher Columbus Boulevard on the east, and Washington Avenue on the south. It was built between 1698 and 1700, making it the oldest church in Pennsylvania and second oldest Swedish church in the United States after Holy Trinity Church in Wilmington, Delaware.

Cape Town City Hall Multi-use hall in Cape Town, South Africa

Cape Town City Hall is a large Edwardian building in Cape Town city centre which was built in 1905. It is located on the Grand Parade to the west of the Castle and is built from honey-coloured oolitic limestone imported from Bath in England.

Dutch Reformed Church in South Africa (NGK)

The Dutch Reformed Church is a Reformed Christian denomination in South Africa. It also has a presence in neighbouring countries, such as Namibia, Swaziland, and parts of Botswana, Zimbabwe and Zambia. In 2013 it claimed 1.1 million members and 1,602 ordained ministers in 1,158 congregations.

Methodist Church of Southern Africa

The Methodist Church of Southern Africa (MCSA) is a large Wesleyan Methodist denomination, with local churches across South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Lesotho, Swaziland and a more limited presence in Mozambique. It is a member church of the World Methodist Council.

St Georges German Lutheran Church Church in Alie Street, London Borough of Tower Hamlets

St George's German Lutheran Church is a church in Alie Street, Whitechapel just to the east of the City of London. From its foundation in 1762 until 1995 it was used by German Lutherans. Today the small vestry serves as an office for the Historic Chapels Trust and the church is available for hire for secular events.

Greenmarket Square Historical square in old Cape Town, South Africa

Greenmarket Square is a historical square in the centre of old Cape Town, South Africa. The square was built in 1696, when a burgher watch house was erected.

Anton Anreith was a sculptor and woodcarver from Riegel near Freiburg in Breisgau, Baden, Germany. He is known for numerous sculptural embellishments that adorn buildings in the Cape region of South Africa, thought to represent the crowning achievement of the Cape Baroque style.

Hanover Lutheran Church

Hanover Lutheran Church is a Lutheran congregation in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, that is a member of the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod. The congregation's original organization came about in 1846 as a result of the heavy German immigration to Missouri in the 19th century. The church's name, "Hanover", was chosen to reflect the place of origin of the majority of its members, since many of the Germans who had settled northwest of the town of Cape Girardeau had immigrated from Hanover, Germany.

Salem Lutheran Church (Farrar, Missouri) Church in Missouri , United States

Salem Lutheran Church is an LCMS church in Farrar, Missouri.

Zion Lutheran Church (Longtown, Missouri) Church in Missouri , United States

Zion Lutheran Church is an LCMS church in Longtown, Missouri.

Immanuel Lutheran Church (Perryville, Missouri) Church in Missouri , United States

Immanuel Lutheran Church is an LCMS church in Perryville, Missouri.

Immanuel Lutheran Church (Altenburg, Missouri) Church in Missouri , United States

Immanuel Lutheran Church in Altenburg, Missouri, is a congregation of the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod (LCMS).

Groote Kerk, Cape Town Church in Cape Town, South Africa

The Groote Kerk is a Dutch Reformed church in Cape Town, South Africa. The church is South Africa's oldest place of Christian worship, built by Herman Schuette in 1841. The first church on this land was built in 1678. Willem Adriaan van der Stel laid the cornerstone for the church. It was replaced by the present building in 1841, but the original tower was retained. The pulpit is the work of Anton Anreith and the carpenter Jacob Graaff, and was inaugurated on 29 November 1789. The Groote Kerk lays claim to housing South Africa's largest organ, which was installed in 1954 and has 5917 pipes.

Rust en Vreugd Building in Cape Town

Rust en Vreugd, is an historic house and garden, located on Buitekant Street at the edge of the central business district of Cape Town, South Africa. It is one of the few remaining 18th-century buildings in the city. The Rust en Vreudg is home to the William Fehr Collection of pictorial Africana. It is a part of the Iziko Museums.

Mt. Pisgah Lutheran Church United States historic place

Mount Pisgah Lutheran Church, also known in its early years as the First Lutheran Church and First English Lutheran Church and more recently as The Sanctuary on Penn, is located at 701 North Pennsylvania Street in downtown Indianapolis, Indiana. The historic church was built by the city's first Lutheran congregation, which organized in 1837, and was its third house of worship. The former church, whose present-day name is The Sanctuary on Penn, is operated as a for-profit event venue.

St. Michaels Evangelical Lutheran Church (Mt. Airy) United States historic place

St. Michael's Evangelical Lutheran Church is a historic church building in the Mount Airy neighborhood of Philadelphia, just north of the Germantown neighborhood. The congregation was founded sometime before 1728 and three successive church buildings have occupied the same location since that time. The church was closed in 2016.

Martin Melck House

The Martin Melck House on 96 Strand Street and the Kostershuis on 100 Strand Street, on either side of the Lutheran Church in Cape Town, are both national heritage sites of South Africa.

Lutheran Church of the Ascension (Savannah, Georgia) Church in Savannah, Georgia

The Lutheran Church of the Ascension is a historic Lutheran church in Savannah, Georgia, located in the Savannah Historic District. The congregation was founded by Johann Martin Boltzius in 1741, with the current building constructed in 1843.

Martin Luther Church (Paramaribo) Church building in Paramaribo, Suriname

The Martin Luther Church is a church of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Suriname. It is located on Waterkant in the historic centre of Paramaribo, Suriname. The building is a monument. The first church burnt down in 1832. The current church dates from 1834.

References

  1. 1 2 "History of Strand Street Lutheran Congregation and the early Lutherans at the Cape". www.safrika.org. 4 May 2012.
  2. Encyclopaedia: Afrikaanse kinderensiklopedia, publisher: Nasionale Boekhandel Beperk, second revised edition, Place printed: Elsiesrivier, 1972,Editor Dr. C F Albertyn etal, volume 10, page 236
  3. "Martin Melck's history is certainly one of the greatest success stories". www.muratie.co.za.
  4. Book: Cape Baroque and the contribution of Anton Anreith : a stylistic survey of architectural decoration and the applied arts at the Cape of Good Hope, 1652-1800, Author Fransen, Hans Publisher: Rapid Access Publishers Place: Stellenbosch Year: 2014 ISBN No :13 978-1-919985-59-6
  5. "Our History and Heritage". www.lutheranchurch.org.za.
  6. 1 2 "Lutheran Church". Lutheran.co. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
  7. "Lutheran Church - Cape Town History". capetownhistory.com.
  8. "Lutheran Church".