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The architecture of the structures in which South Africans worship is as diverse as the congregations they represent. Photographer Elizabeth Sejake went on a trip to find some of the most striking examples of holy bricks and mortar
This Dutch Reformed Church was designed by Kallenbach & Reynolds and was opened in 1906. It is in Commissioner Street in Troyeville, Johannesburg
The Russian Orthodox Church of St Sergius of Radonezh, which can be seen in Midrand, Gauteng. It serves a small Russian congregation
The Nizamiye Masjid in Midrand, Gauteng, is based on the 16th-century Selimiye mosque in the Turkish city of Edirne. The complex – the first of its kind in the southern hemisphere – houses traditional Turkish shops, a restaurant, bakery, school, accommodation and a clinic. The mosque can accommodate up to 3?000 worshippers, according to the Nizamiye Complex’s website
The Nan Hua Buddhist temple in Bronkhorstspruit, on the border of Mpumalanga and Gauteng, is the biggest in Africa. Novices from all over the continent congregate there to study for three years. The annual head-shaving ceremony is a symbolic demonstration of the devotees’ willingness to start a new life, and it promotes love, kindness, tolerance and peace. The temple, in the middle of rural farmland, recently celebrated the Chinese Year of the Monkey
The Mariamman Hindu temple in Marabastad, Pretoria, was built in 1905. It stands witness to a devoted Hindu community that once lived in the capital. Today its splendour rises from a colourful inner-city suburb where many African cultures intersect
