Cape Town, St. Martini Lutheran Church

Abstract

Photographs and information on the three bells of St. Martini Lutheran Church in Cape Town. When in 1861 the Lutheran Church in Cape Town split, one branch became the German Evangelical Lutheran St. Martini Church. This new church was built in Long Street. The Cape Town architect was Peter Penketh. This church was at the origin of others such as those in Wynberg, Paarl, Philippi, Bellville and Stellenbosch. The Gruhl-foundry made three bells in 1887 and shipped them to Cape Town. The founder was Theodor Werner who ran the family business at that time. Only two of the three bells have survived. The largest one cracked sometime before the Second World War. In 1961 a bell made by Rincker in Germany was shipped to Cape Town and installed in the tower. A report on this appeared in the Cape Argus with reference 000046639. According to information in a 1957 thesis of W.H.C. Hellberg, Die Deutschen Evangelisch-Lutherischen Kirchen Gemeinden im Westendes Kapstadt, the Pastor of the church, Wagener, asked support from the German Kaiser for the making of the bells. For this reason the three bells were named Kaisersglocken. A picture of the three bells before the embarkation in Germany was mailed to us by Helmut Klotke. The details of the three bells are as follows. One of the Gruhl-bells is called Luther and is the Gebetsglocke. It has the traditional four angels in the canon. Below it are beautiful decorations as well as on the sound bow and lip of the bell. As texts we have on one side LUTHER ST. MARTIN’S KIRCHE-KAPSTADT 1887. On the reverse side LASSET DIE KLEINLEIN ZU MIR KOMMEN Luc., 19,18. In the middle hangs the St. Martinsglocke that replaced the broken bourbon of the original Gruhl set. On top of the bell one reads GOTT IS UNSERE ZUKUNFT FÜR UND FÜR. On the waist on one side there is a small emblem of the founder Rincker above the date 1961. On the other side in the waist figures an emblem with an effigy of Saint Martin surrounded by the text DEUTSCHE EK LUT-H ST.MARTINI KIRCHE ZU KAPSTADT with on the left I.D. and on the right 1861-1961.The smaller Gruhl-bell carries the name Franziska and is considered to be the Taufglocke. It also has the signature angels of the foundry in the canon and the same floral ornaments as on the other bell. As texts we have on one side FRANZISKA ST.MARTIN’S KIRCHE-KAPSTADT 1887 while on the other side stands WOHLAN ALLE, DIE IHR DURSTIG SIND, KOMMET HIER ZUM WASSER, Jes, 55,1. The set of three makes up one of the most remarkable bell sets in the entire city. More information on the church and its activities can be found in the booklet Festschrift zum 150 jährigen Jubiläum 2011, written by Hans-Dieter Büttner at the occasion of the 150 year anniversary of the Deutsche Evangelisch-Lutherische St. Martini Kirchengemeinde Kapstadt.