South Africa

The oldest Anglican cathedral in Southern Africa and the seat of the Archbishop of Cape Town, originating from the first St George's Church opened in 1834. The present cruciform Gothic Revival building designed by Herbert Baker had its foundation stone laid in 1901, was built in stages across the twentieth century, and remains unfinished today, featuring a great west window by Gabriel Loire and a prayer labyrinth in its courtyard.

Western Cape Provincial Heritage Site (2014)5 Wale Street, góc Government Avenue, Cape Town 8001

Photo: Danie van der Merwe Camera location33° 55 29.15 S, 18° 25 10.42 E View this and other nearby images on: OpenStreetMa, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

The oldest mosque in South Africa, established in 1794 at 43 Dorp Street in the colorful historic Bo-Kaap quarter of Cape Town on land bequeathed by freed-slave descendant Saartjie van de Kaap and led by its first Imam, the exiled Tidore prince and scholar Imam Abdullah ibn Kadi Abdus Salaam (Tuan Guru); the sanctuary preserves Tuan Guru's priceless handwritten Quran transcribed entirely from memory during his imprisonment on Robben Island.

Oldest Mosque in the Republic of South Africa (Established 1794), Western Cape Provincial Heritage Landmark, and Cradle of the Cape Malay Muslim Community43 Dorp Street, Historic Bo-Kaap Quarter on the slopes of Signal Hill, Central Cape Town, Western Cape Province, Republic of South Africa

Photo: LiebeB, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

The largest Buddhist temple and monastic seminary on the African continent, situated in Cultura Park, Bronkhorstspruit (50 kilometers east of Pretoria in Gauteng Province); founded in 1992 by Venerable Master Hsing Yun as the African headquarters of the Fo Guang Shan Humanistic Buddhist order and consecrated with its monumental Mahavira Hall in October 2005, the complex unites classical palace-style Mahayana architecture with the African Buddhist Seminary and community outreach programs.

Largest Buddhist Temple and Monastic Seminary on the African Continent and African Continental Headquarters of the Fo Guang Shan Buddhist Order27 Nan Hua Street, Cultura Park, Bronkhorstspruit (50 km east of Pretoria along the N4 Highway), City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality, Gauteng Province, Republic of South Africa

Photo: Ossewa, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

The largest Roman Catholic church in South Africa, rising along Khumalo Street in the heart of Soweto, Johannesburg; having its foundation stone laid in December 1961 by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Montini (later Pope Saint Paul VI) and opening in July 1964, the sanctuary became universally known as 'The People's Cathedral' for sheltering students during the June 16, 1976 Soweto Uprising, hosting Archbishop Desmond Tutu's Truth and Reconciliation Commission hearings (1995 to 1998), and enshrining Larry Scully's iconic 1973 painting of the Black Madonna and Child of Soweto.

Largest Roman Catholic Church in the Republic of South Africa, National Historical Landmark (The People's Cathedral of Soweto), and Historic Venue of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC)1149 Khumalo Street, Moroka and Rockville Precinct, Soweto (South Western Townships), City of Johannesburg, Gauteng Province, Republic of South Africa

Photo: No machine-readable author provided. Moongateclimber assumed (based on copyright, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

A historic South African National Monument (proclaimed in 1980) standing at 889 Umgeni Road along the southern bank of the Umgeni River in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal; established between 1883 and 1911 by early Tamil Hindu immigrants and merchant benefactor Comarasamy Mudaliar, the complex uniquely unites three classic South Indian Dravidian sanctuaries in one precinct: the Sri Vaithianatha Easparar Alayam dedicated to Lord Shiva the Divine Healer, the Sri Kothandaramaswamy Vaishnava Temple, and the Draupadi Amman Shrine.

South African National Monument (Proclaimed 1980, KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Heritage Landmark) and One of the Oldest and Most Important Hindu Temple Complexes in the Southern Hemisphere889 Umgeni Road (at Connaught Road intersection) on the southern bank of the Umgeni River, Stamford Hill, Durban, KwaZulu-Natal Province, Republic of South Africa

Photo: Janek Szymanowski, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons