St.Augustine Cave Church

“Sacred space is not just an external place. It is an internal place as well.“

It’s interesting that some places have a sacredness to them, almost as if they have a different energetic frequency.

For years, I’ve been wanting to visit this Cave Church. Patients and friends have told me about it… but I just never went because…just because that’s why. Maybe I thought it would be difficult to get there. 

Then, when my mom came to visit, it was finally time. We fetched Geetha and drove to St.Augustines… it was really not difficult to get to the cave church!

We drove passed Modderpoort school, which Marcus went to for many years of junior school. We turned into St.Augustines, stopped at the reception, paid R30 per person, followed the receptionist and walked about 400m to the cave… and there we were.

I was dishearted to see a lot of rubbish near the entrance of the cave which was apparently from people who had a church function there during the weekend.  The receptionist did apologise and said they are still going to clean it up.  There are bins.

Anyway, I did feel better once I walked into the cave.  There had been a group there that morning who lit candles inside. The candles were still burning! It was such an amazing atmosphere.

One reason I was so curious about the cave was because of the story of Mantsopa.

There’s a famous story in jungian psychology about the Rainmaker…. and this lady, called Mantsopa Anna Makhetha was a famous rainmaker in this area and spent her last years at St.Augustines.

Today, Mantsopa Local Municipality, which includes Ladybrand and the surrounding towns is named after her.

In the jungian story, an old rainmaker is called to a village suffering from drought. He doesn’t perform magic or special rituals. Instead, he spends several days quietly restoring harmony within himself. Only then does the rain come. It wasn’t really about controlling the weather. It was about bringing oneself back into balance so that the outer world could return to balance too.  I think about the story of the rainmaker every now and then… In my opinion, mothers are also a kind of rainmaker in their homes.

Anyway, Mme Mantsopa was quite a remarkable women. She was a prophetess, healer, spiritual adviser and rainmaker who lived during the time of King Moshoeshoe I.

She became one of his trusted advisers, known for her wisdom and for interpreting events. She was allegedly banished after King Moshoeshoe feared her growing influence.

Mme Mantsopa spent the last years of her life at Modderpoort.

Before the beautiful stone church was built, the Anglican monks of the Society of St Augustine lived and worshipped in the cave. They arrived in 1869 and it was their first chapel.

After coming to Modderpoort, Mme Mantsopa lived alongside this Anglican community, was baptised with the Christian name Anna, and remained there until her death in 1908.  She was buried in the St.Augustine graveyard.

The cave church is a place where different histories meet rather than compete. It is still a place of pilgrimage, prayer and reflection.

African tradition, Christian faith, local history and natural beauty all exist together in this one place.

Some places are simply beautiful. Others carry something deeper… this cave church at St.Augustines feels like one of those deeper, almost mystical places… if only the cave could talk… maybe it would… if only we’d make time to listen.