Christ the King, Johannesburg, sanctuary from the south I

            I went to Africa and all I got was this new favourite piece of Catholic High Modernism – and one designed by a Belfast architect to boot.

Located in the heart of Joburg’s ‘edgy’ Hillbrow neighbourhood, so it gets few visitors, the Cathedral of Christ the King is the mother church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Johannesburg.

From the outside, the Cathedral is impressive for its sheer bulk and scale, but not perhaps the most visually exciting structure. Inside, the glory of the glass and its multi-coloured refractions are instantly striking, especially in early morning or late afternoon sun. The colours on the concrete give the impression of a painted interior of a medieval cathedral. All windows in the cathedral were executed by Patrick Pollen of Dublin.

The architect was Belfast-born Brian Gregory, who merits an entry in the online Dictionary of Irish Architects 1720-1940 as Patrick (Padraig) Bernard Gregory. Born in 1886, his parents had moved to Colorado by the time he was nine and had remained there for at least four years, but by the time of the 1911 Census his mother had returned to Belfast with three of her children and was living with her sister who ran a grocery business. He commenced independent practice in Belfast in 1906, and worked independently or in partnership in various city centre locations until his death in 1967. 

The Dictionary of Irish Architects says of Gregory: “A committed Catholic, he designed many Catholic churches throughout Northern Ireland and was responsible for the original scheme for the Cathedral of Christ the King in Johannesburg. He also designed the altar cloth for the great mass which was celebrated in Phoenix Park at the Dublin Eucharistic Congress of 1932.”

The plans to build the cathedral were envisioned in 1937 by David O'Leary, the first South African-born Catholic Bishop of Johannesburg; due to the Second World War and, presumably, other factors, construction did not commence until 1958 under Bishop Whelan, with consecration taking place soon after in 1960. 

Modern in its detailing and construction, the cathedral has a traditional Latin cross form with a 20-metre-high nave. transepts, crossing and sanctuary. The nave is 58 metres long and can seat 1,500 people with a further 130 in the gallery, which I was unable to access on my visit. The side chapels are flat-roofed single storey spaces that wrap around the perimeter of the nave. The building rises 25 metres from the pavement level on Saratoga Avenue. It is now behind high walls and there is security at the gate – very friendly security when we visited.

Liturgical foci – the altar, baptismal font and holy water fonts – are constructed in solid Botticino marble. The canopy over the high altar is constructed of edge-grained oregon pine with sapele mahogany fascias, in the form of a hyperbolic paraboloid supported on laminated sapele mahogany columns

The organ is a fine instrument but currently out of action needing repair, and the Cathedral is actively seeking a relatively local organ-builder capable of repairing it.

Christ the King is, as I have already noted, located in one of Johannesburg’s tougher corners. We arrived ‘on spec’ having read on other blogs (which I can no longer find) that there was secure on-site car parking and the Cathedral was open during the day. We were welcomed as we arrived by the car park security and the cathedral was indeed open – unfortunately we were the only visitors during the whole half hour we were there, at about 4 o’clock on a humid early December afternoon. When I started flashing my camera around, the site manager did ask who we were and said it would have been better if we had cleared the visit with the diocesan office beforehand, although he was happy enough for me to keep taking photos. 

And if you’d like to take a guided walking tour of Hillbrow, Dlala Nje at Ponte Tower offer one every day—I have meant to do it on my last three visits to Joburg but never quite managed it. Perhaps next time!

This description incorporates, with gratitude, text from the English Wikipedia and the online Dictionary of Irish Architects 1720-1940.

Taken in: South Africa / Gauteng / Johannesburg / Hillbrow (show map)

Taken on: December 5, 2023

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Sets appears in: • South Africa 2023

Groups appears in: • South Africa • Photography more » • Africa • Churches, Chapels, Domes, Mosques, Temples, Shrines and Monaster • CHURCHES & HOUSES OF WORSHIP • Your Best Photography • Architecture Unlimited • ! Beautiful and great captures « less

Camera: Nikon Z 6_2, f/5.6, 1/6 sec, 48mm, ISO 200 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Nikon Z 6_2
Lens:	NIKKOR Z 24-120mm f/4 S
Aperture:	f/5.6
Exposure Time:	0.167 sec (1/6)
Focal Length:	48mm
ISO:	200
Exposure Bias:	-4/3 EV
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Exposure Program:	Aperture-priority AE
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Sharpness:	Hard
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