St. Mary's Cathedral, Cape Town
The St. Mary's Cathedral more formally known as the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Flight into Egypt, is the cathedral and mother church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cape Town, located in the City Bowl of Cape Town, South Africa. in South Africa. It lies in Stalpein directly opposite the Houses of Parliament.
The oldest Catholic cathedral in the country, St. Mary's history is intimately linked with the history and development of the Catholic Church in South Africa over a period of more than 175 years; it is mother church not only to the "Mother City" and the archdiocese, but to all Catholics in Southern Africa.
The local bishop bought land in 1839 and the first stone was laid two years later. The edifice was designed in the Gothic Revival style by Carl Otto Hagger, the architect behind several Dutch Reformed churches which are also listed heritage sites. It was consecrated on April 28, 1851.
A tower was added in 1926 and the sanctuary was remodeled in 1947. In 1951 the church was consecrated as the cathedral when Pope Pius XII elevated the apostolic vicariate of Cape Town to the status of metropolitan archdiocese. Its last restoration was done in 1997.
