The College of the Transfiguration in

Makhanda, Eastern Cape Makhanda, also known as Grahamstown, is a town of about 140,000 people in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. It is situated about northeast of Port Elizabeth and southwest of East London. Makhanda is the largest town in the Makana Loc ...

, is the only

provincial Provincial may refer to: Government & Administration * Provincial capitals, an administrative sub-national capital of a country * Provincial city (disambiguation) * Provincial minister (disambiguation) * Provincial Secretary, a position in Can ...

residential college of the

Anglican Church of Southern Africa The Anglican Church of Southern Africa, known until 2006 as the Church of the Province of Southern Africa, is the province (Anglican), province of the Anglican Communion in the southern part of Africa. The church has twenty-five dioceses, of whi ...

, offering a contextual approach to theology studies. The college opened in 1993, following the amalgamation of the colleges of St Bede's,

Mthatha Mthatha , formerly Umtata, is the main city of the King Sabata Dalindyebo Local Municipality in Eastern Cape province of South Africa and the capital of OR Tambo District Municipality. The city has an airport, previously known as the K. D. Matanzi ...

and St Paul's,

Grahamstown Makhanda, also known as Grahamstown, is a town of about 140,000 people in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. It is situated about northeast of Port Elizabeth and southwest of East London, Eastern Cape, East London. Makhanda is the lar ...

. Although the buildings and location were inherited from St Paul's, the college's growth has been marked by the spirit, motives and perceptions that sustained both former colleges. Respected LGBT activist, pharmacist and Pastor; Rev. Vuyolwethu Chulayo, now a pentecostal pastor, briefly studied at The College of the Transfiguration

Before 1993

St Bede's College in

was founded in 1879 by Henry Callaway, the first bishop of the Diocese of St John. The purpose of the institution was the "training of young natives, and colonists as clergy and teachers." At that time the primary task was to train clergy and catechist for the diocese. A shift happened in the mid-twentieth century when the college was given some provincial recognition as a result of a synod of bishops in 1955. Pressures brought to bear by the apartheid regime, and other institutional factors, resulted in the consideration of different schemes of amalgamation as early as the seventies. The college was temporarily closed in 1983 and the premises were leased to the University of

Transkei Transkei (, meaning ''the area beyond he riverKei''), officially the Republic of Transkei ( xh, iRiphabliki yeTranskei), was an unrecognised state in the southeastern region of South Africa from 1976 to 1994. It was, along with Ciskei, a Ban ...

for a year, before being re-opened in 1985. At the time of its closure in 1992 the college had an influential role in the

. St Paul's College in Grahamstown was founded in 1902, by Bishop

Charles Cornish Charles Edward Cornish (9 October 1842 – 14 July 1936) was an Anglican bishop in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Early life Cornish was born to Charles Lewis Cornish (then Dean of Exeter College, Oxford) and Eleanor Monro in London, ...

. The initial idea of a college came from Bishop Allan Webb,

Bishop of Grahamstown The Bishop of Grahamstown is the Ordinary of the Diocese of Grahamstown in the Anglican Church of Southern Africa. The Bishop's residence is Bishopsbourne, Grahamstown List of Bishops of Grahamstown Diocesan bishops # John Armstrong, D ...

. He brought a vision of theological education with him, having been vice-principal of

Cuddesdon Theological College Ripon College Cuddesdon is a Church of England theological college in Cuddesdon, a village outside Oxford, England. The College trains men and women for ministry in the Church of England: stipendiary, non-stipendiary, local ordained and lay min ...

, Oxford. The hostel was opened for the reception of theological students in 1902. In 1910 work began on a new west wing to increase its capacity. The college also officially became a Provincial college. Between 1929 and 1931 further alterations took place. Cullen House was purchased in 1933. The college went through difficult times during both world wars as numbers declined, even closing for five months in 1943. Extensive additions were again made in the 1950s, with the Espin Wing and new chapel being dedicated in 1957. The Burnett wing was completed in 1962. Like St Bede's, St Paul's was affected by fluctuating numbers. It was also faced with the particular pressures of apartheid as it sought to be racially mixed. At the time of its closure in 1992 the college was about eighty percent "black". When the St Bede's and St Paul's were closed, the site chosen for the new college for the

was the old campus of St Paul's. The amalgamated college was initially called "

Peter Masiza Peter (Petrus) K. Masiza (c 1840 - 1907) was the first black Anglican priest ordained in South Africa. Early life Masiza was born in Shiloh, near Whittlesea, Eastern Cape in about 1840. He grew up in the Moravian Church. In 1871 Peter's bro ...

College", after the first ordained black priest in the province. Subsequent research showed that the name was problematic and the "College of the Transfiguration" was chosen, influenced by the then, Archbishop

Desmond Tutu Desmond Mpilo Tutu (7 October 193126 December 2021) was a South African Anglican bishop and theologian, known for his work as an anti-apartheid and human rights activist. He was Bishop of Johannesburg from 1985 to 1986 and then Archbishop ...

List of wardens of St Paul's College

*c.1911 - Canon Edward Mason, brother of Agnes Mason *... others *1965-1976 Canon John N Suggit

Post 1993

List of rectors of COTT

* 1993 - Canon Luke Lungile Pato * 2000 - Canon Livingstone Ngewu * 2007 - The Rev. Janet Trisk (acting) * 2008 - Canon Bill Domeris * 2011 -

Barney Pityana Nyameko Barney Pityana FKC GCOB (born 7 August 1945) is a human rights lawyer and theologian in South Africa. He is an exponent of Black theology. Biography Pityana was born in Uitenhage and attended the University of Fort Hare. He was on ...

* 2015 -

Vicentia Kgabe Right. Rev Dr Vicentia Refiloe Kgabe is an Anglican Bishop of Diocese of Lesotho in the Anglican Church of South Africa and academic teaching Practical Theology. Early life and education Born in Soweto, Kgabe attended schools in Soweto, she ...

*2022 - Percy Chinganga

References

Bibliography

* * *

External links

* {{Authority control Anglican Church of Southern Africa Anglican seminaries and theological colleges Anglicanism in South Africa Buildings and structures in Makhanda, Eastern Cape Education in the Eastern Cape Seminaries and theological colleges in South Africa Educational institutions established in 1993 1993 establishments in South Africa Anglican buildings and structures in Africa