Huguenot Monument
Encyclopedia
Huguenot
The Huguenots were members of the Protestant Reformed Church of France during the 16th and 17th centuries. Since the 17th century, people who formerly would have been called Huguenots have instead simply been called French Protestants, a title suggested by their German co-religionists, the...
s have brought to the Cape Colony
Cape Colony
The Cape Colony, part of modern South Africa, was established by the Dutch East India Company in 1652, with the founding of Cape Town. It was subsequently occupied by the British in 1795 when the Netherlands were occupied by revolutionary France, so that the French revolutionaries could not take...
(and ultimately the whole of South Africa) after their immigration during the 17th and 18th centuries.
The monument was designed by J.C. Jongens, completed in 1945 and inaugurated by Dr. A.J van der Merwe on April 17, 1948.
The three high arches symbolizes the Holy Trinity, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. On top of the arches is the sun of righteousness and above that, the cross of their Christian faith.
The central female figure, created by Coert Steynberg
Coert Steynberg
Coert Steynberg Sculpting the Dias statue, 1933Birth nameCoert Laurens SteynbergBorn7 January 1905 Hennops River, South AfricaDied28 July 1982 PretoriaNationalitySouth AfricanFieldsculpture, drawingTrainingRhodes UniversityRoyal College of ArtMovementModernismWorksMonuments, Statues, Coin...
, personifies religious freedom with a bible in her one hand and broken chain in the other. She is casting off her cloak of oppression and her position on top of the globe shows her spiritual freedom. The fleur-de-lis
Fleur-de-lis
The fleur-de-lis or fleur-de-lys is a stylized lily or iris that is used as a decorative design or symbol. It may be "at one and the same time, political, dynastic, artistic, emblematic, and symbolic", especially in heraldry...
on her robe represents a noble spirit and character.
The southern tip of the globe shows the symbols of their religion (the Bible), art and culture (the harp), the agriculture and viticulture (the sheaf of corn and grape vine) and industry (spinning wheel).
The water pond, reflecting the colonnade
Colonnade
In classical architecture, a colonnade denotes a long sequence of columns joined by their entablature, often free-standing, or part of a building....
behind it, expresses the undisturbed tranquility of mind and spiritual peace the Huguenots experienced after much conflict and strife.
The Memorial Museum neighbouring the monument elaborates on the history of the French Huguenots who settled in the Cape, and especially in the Franschhoek valley
Valley
In geology, a valley or dale is a depression with predominant extent in one direction. A very deep river valley may be called a canyon or gorge.The terms U-shaped and V-shaped are descriptive terms of geography to characterize the form of valleys...
. On exhibition are the various tools they used to make wine, clothes they wore and the culture and desire for a better life that they brought with them.
Also on the site are wine cellar
Wine cellar
A wine cellar is a storage room for wine in bottles or barrels, or more rarely in carboys, amphorae or plastic containers. In an active wine cellar, important factors such as temperature and humidity are maintained by a climate control system. In contrast, passive wine cellars are not...
s joined by a colonnade, which bears the words Post Tenebras Lux
Post tenebras lux
Post tenebras lux is a Latin phrase translated as Light After Darkness.It is Post tenebras spero lucem in the Vulgate version of Job 17:12...
(lit. "after darkness [comes] light"). It was the motto of the Protestants
Protestantism
Protestantism is one of the three major groupings within Christianity. It is a movement that began in Germany in the early 16th century as a reaction against medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices, especially in regards to salvation, justification, and ecclesiology.The doctrines of the...
during the Reformation
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
, and is also inscribed on the Reformation Wall
Reformation Wall
The International Monument to the Reformation , usually known as the Reformation Wall, is a monument in Geneva, Switzerland...
in Geneva, Switzerland.
Other Huguenot monuments and memorials in South Africa
- In the Johannesburg Botanical GardenJohannesburg Botanical GardenThe Johannesburg Botanical Garden is located in the suburb of Emmarentia in Johannesburg, South Africa.The gardens were established in 1968 and cover an area of around...
there is a memorial commemorating the 300th anniversary of the arrival of the Huguenots in South Africa. - In the Joubert Square of Wellington, Western Cape province, there is the Huguenot Fountain.