Llandaff Oratory is an
oratory in
Van Reenen,
KwaZulu-Natal
KwaZulu-Natal (, also referred to as KZN and known as "the garden province") is a province of South Africa that was created in 1994 when the Zulu bantustan of KwaZulu ("Place of the Zulu" in Zulu) and Natal Province were merged. It is locate ...
,
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
. The oratory was built by Maynard Mathews in memory of his son Llandaff Mathews who died while saving the lives of eight colleagues at the Burnside Colliery mine on 19 March 1925.
Initially, Maynard Mathews wanted to erect a plaque in honour of his son at the Roman Catholic Church in
Ladysmith Ladysmith may refer to:
* Ladysmith, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
* Ladysmith, British Columbia, Canada
* Ladysmith, Wisconsin, United States
* Ladysmith, New South Wales, Australia
* Ladysmith, Virginia, United States
* Ladysmith Island, Queenslan ...
, but could not secure permission to do so. Determined that a memorial to his son should be placed in a church, Maynard decided to build his own, have it consecrated a Catholic church and become a priest himself (he was ordained in the
Dominicans on 7 May 1926).
The oratory seats just eight people, apparently the same number of people Llandaff saved in the mine accident, and is architecturally based on a wing of
Cardiff Cathedral in
Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...
.
The Oratory is a
Heritage Landmark (formerly called a
National Monument
A national monument is a monument constructed in order to commemorate something of importance to national heritage, such as a country's founding, independence, war, or the life and death of a historical figure.
The term may also refer to a spec ...
).
See also
*
Cardiff Cathedral
References
Verposing in klein kerkie met 'n groot hart, ''Beeld''
Notes
External links
Entry on SAHRA the
South African Heritage Resources Agency
The South African Heritage Resources Agency (SAHRA) is the national administrative body responsible for the protection of South Africa's cultural heritage. It was established through the ''National Heritage Resources Act, number 25 of 1999'' and ...
Roman Catholic chapels in South Africa
Monuments and memorials in South Africa
Buildings and structures in KwaZulu-Natal
South African heritage sites
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