St Stephen's Church

There are two churches in Cape Town by this name, St Stephen's Church, Riebeeck Square, in central Cape Town and St Stephen's Bible Church in Claremont.

Of interest to theatre history in South Africa, is St Stephen's Church, Van Riebeeck Square - housed in one of the oldest custom built theatre buildings in the Southern hemisphere: The African Theatre, built in 1800. By 1838 the theatre had fallen into disuse and the Presbyterian church began St Stephen's congfregation there, with the support of the Dutch Reformed Church. In 1857 the Dutch Reformed Church bought the original structure, and took over the congregation.

For more on the history of the original theatre, see The African Theatre

For more on the history of the building as a church, see the entry about St Stephen's Church, Riebeeck Square on the SAHO website[1]