St George's Cathedral

Anglican cathedral known as the People's Cathedral for its anti-apartheid role

St George's is Cape Town's Anglican cathedral, an early-twentieth-century Gothic Revival building on Wale Street that gained the nickname "the People's Cathedral" for its sanctuary role during the apartheid years. Desmond Tutu was archbishop here from 1986 to 1996 and used the pulpit relentlessly against the regime; the cathedral was a refuge for protesters and a forum for some of the period's most influential sermons.

The interior is unspectacular by European cathedral standards but historically important. Free walking tours can be arranged on weekday mornings; the cathedral hosts regular concerts and is the start point of guided heritage walks through the central city.

things to do sight religious city bowl
A story
Archbishop Desmond Tutu used St George's as the public pulpit of the anti-apartheid struggle from 1986 onwards, and in September 1989 led a march of around 30,000 people from the cathedral steps through central Cape Town in defiance of the regime — one of the first mass public protests of the political opening that ended apartheid.

Other places in Things to Do