| St Mary's Cathedral | |
|---|---|
| Cathedral of St Mary the Virgin | |
 St Mary's Cathedral | |
| 26°11′58″S28°2′40″E / 26.19944°S 28.04444°E /-26.19944; 28.04444 | |
| Location | Johannesburg |
| Country | South Africa |
| Denomination | Anglican |
| Churchmanship | Anglo-Catholic |
| History | |
| Founded | 1887 |
| Dedication | St Mary the Virgin |
| Consecrated | 29 September 1929 |
| Architecture | |
| Architect(s) | Sir Herbert Baker and Frank Fleming |
| Style | Romanesque-Italian |
| Specifications | |
| Capacity | over 2000 |
| Height | Five storeys high |
| Materials | concrete and stone |
| Administration | |
| Province | Southern Africa |
| Diocese | Johannesburg |
| Archdeaconry | Archdeaconry 10 |
| Parish | Johannesburg |
| Clergy | |
| Bishop | Sepadi Moruthane Bishop elect |
| Dean | Meshack Mariri |
| Assistant priest | Mothusimang MakataConsole Tleane |
| Laity | |
| Organist | Sidney Place |
Saint Mary's Cathedral, officially theCathedral Church of Saint Mary the Virgin, is the cathedral of theAnglican Diocese of Johannesburg, South Africa. In late 2015Xolani Dlwati was appointed as thedean until 27th of November 2022.The Venerable LT Mariri was installed on the 7th of December 2024.
In 1887, the ReverendJohn Darragh was appointed rector of the first Saint Mary's Church. A block of land was purchased near Plein, De Villiers and Wanderers Streets in Johannesburg where the Chapel of Saint John Chrysostom was built. The plans of the cathedral were commissioned from the firm of SirHerbert Baker, and Frank Fleming was the architect in charge. In 1921 the Chapel of All Souls was completed and on 13 May 1926 the construction of the main body of the cathedral commenced. The cathedral was completed and was consecrated on the Feast of Saint Michael and All Angels, 29 September 1929.[1] The first bishop wasArthur Karney and his name is to be found on the foundation stone.
In the 1950s, St Mary's was one of the few racially integrated churches in downtown Johannesburg.[2] The cathedral is famous for its strong ties to the struggle againstapartheid. In 1975Desmond Tutu was appointed as the cathedral's first blackdean.[3][4] The dean prior to Tutu wasGonville ffrench-Beytagh, who was convicted under South Africa's notorious anti-terrorism legislation. After ffrench-Beytagh's successful appeal against his conviction, he immediately left South Africa to go into permanent exile. This left a vacancy which allowed Tutu to be appointed as the first black dean. In April 1993 the body ofOliver Tambo lay in state in the cathedral before he was laid to rest in Benoni.[5]
As one enters at the west door one is immediately confronted with the full beauty of the cathedral, which is built in hard local whinstone to the designs of Mr F L H Fleming and Sir Herbert Baker.
The cathedral has three chapels: the chapel ofSaint John Chrysostom;All Souls Chapel, which commemorates South Africans who fell inthe Great War; and the Chapel of theHoly Spirit, where theBlessed Sacrament is reserved in atabernacle. The cathedral has two statues of theMadonna, one stands next to the pulpit, another at the entrance of the All Souls Chapel called Mamasoabi (Our Lady of Sorrows). In the chancel which is at the east end of the cathedral, the high altar with abaldachin forms part of a memorial to John Darragh, the first rector of St Mary's, a hugerood featuringJesus on his cross, flanked bySt. John,Mary, a Roman soldier andMary Magdalene. The rood also bears the Latin inscriptionVere Filius Dei Erat Iste (This Truly was the Son of God). The famous hanging rood which hangs above the chancel steps and dominates the whole church is an almost life size wood carving of the Crucifixion. It was designed and constructed by Baden-Beadle, and was hung in 1957 as a memorial to William Palmer who was dean from 1924 to 1951.In 1983, the Stations of the Cross for St. Mary's Anglican Cathedral in Johannesburg were commissioned and created by Cecil Skotnes. They are hung on the walls of the nave of the cathedral
