Mother church

An amazing cloud formation in late afternoon light frames the spire of the Moederkerk (the mother church) of the Dutch Reformed Church  in Stellenbosch. The church is a neo-Gothic structure completed in 1863 under supervision of the German architect, Carl Otto Hager.  However, the institution dates back much longer, more than 300 years, and has gone through a series of re-locations, renovations and modifications. Men and women were originally seated separately – the men were allocated pews along the walls and the women were seated on “juffrouwens-stoelen” or “ladies’ chairs” in the centre of the church.