Dutch Reformed Church, Kroonstad, Reformed church building in Kroonstad, South Africa.
The Dutch Reformed Church in Kroonstad, known as the Moederkerk, is a 1914 building by British architect W. H. Ford with seating for 1,200. It has an iron roof and a large dome added to improve acoustics, replacing an earlier Gothic design. The cornerstone was laid on 24 December 1912 by Rev. G.W.B. van der Lingen.
The congregation began as part of the Harrismith Dutch Reformed parish, with services held at Kleinfontein, Doornkop and Kransdrif between 1852 and 1854. The first church on this site was inaugurated on 3 January 1862, a thatched building with a mud floor and no benches. It was replaced in 1877 by a church designed by Carl Otto Hager, which served as a hospital during the Second Boer War. The present church, designed by W. H. Ford, was completed in 1914 at a cost of about £17,000.
The church is the mother congregation of the Dutch Reformed Church in Kroonstad and the eighth oldest in the Free State Synod. Two monuments stand by the building: a burgher monument and a memorial to Voortrekker Sarel Cilliers, unveiled on 16 December 1950, bearing the text of the Vow. Congregations that split off include Kroonstad-Noord (1927), Kroonstad-Suid and Kroonheuwel (both 1950).
The church stands on a large grassed and wooded site bounded by Kruis, Kerk, President and Murray streets, with entrances facing several sides. The 1912 cornerstone laid by ds. G.W.B. van der Lingen can be found at the base of the walls. Two monuments stand on the grounds: the burgher monument and the Sarel Cilliers monument unveiled on 16 December 1950.
The second church on this site, dedicated on 24 November 1877 and designed by architect Carl Otto Hager, served as a hospital during the Boer War. A visitor named Nixon called it "the handsomest Dutch church I have remembered seeing in South Africa". It was demolished to make way for the 1914 building.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 94,042 contributors worldwide.