Sacred

Sacred

LLandaff Oratory is an oratory in Van Reenen, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The oratory was built by Maynard Mathews in memory of his son Llandaff Mathew who died while saving the lives of 8 co-workers at the Burnside Colliery mine on 19 March 1925.

Initially Maynard Mathews wanted to erect a plaque in honour of his son at the Roman Catholic Church in Ladysmith, but could not secure permission to do so. Determined that a memorial to his son will be placed in a church, Maynard decided to build his own, have it consecrated a Catholic Church and become a priest himself (he was ordained into the Order of St Dominic on 7 May 1926). It is the only privately-owned Catholic church in the world and also claimed to be the smallest church in the world.

The oratory seats just eight people, apparently the same number of people Llandaff saved in the mine accident and is architecturally based on a wing of the of the Cardiff Cathedral in Wales.

The LLandaff Oratory is a National Monument

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