A big year of celebration kicked off with the unveiling of a spectacular statue at the Founders Day commemoration of the St Michael’s School for Girls.
The new headmistress, Noèline Stumpfe, said the beautification and the installation of a statue of St Michael at the roundabout at the school was a wonderful way to celebrate the 150th birthday of the school.
St Michael’s, established in 1874, is the oldest girls’ school north of the Orange River.
Dr Johan Cromhout, acting deputy headmaster and head of the department of arts at St Michael’s, has since around 15 years ago had a vision of creating a beautiful garden here.
With the celebration at hand, money from the sale of second-hand clothes at the school shop was made available to beautify the roundabout in front of the school. As the crowning glory, a custom-made statue was installed as part of the sesquicentennial celebrations.
Bloemfontein artist Rudolf Bitzer was commissioned to create the statue of St Michael at an Italian style fountain. The statue, of the saint fighting the devil, is a mix of concrete and bronze.
Bitzer said it was a challenge for him, working with concrete for the first time.
“I wanted to create a lot of movement to bring the victory of St Michael over the devil to life. This represents the moment in Revelations when the Warrior Angel St Michael kicks the devil out of heaven, never to return again.”
He designed the statue of St Michael slaying a reptile-like creature representing the devil, stepping onto him holding his fiery sword aloft. The statue is 1,2 m in height, but thanks to it standing on a pedestal above the fountain, it is a bit higher.
The concrete and wooden park benches that suround the fountain were made by Michiel Duvenhage, the school’s ground manager.
The way in which these are placed, enhances the image of the cross that can be seen when the circle is viewed from above.
Duvenhage used wood from a blue gum tree hit by lightning and split in two during school hours in 2014. Back then he kept the planks in a storeroom, never knowing what special place it would fill in this newly created showpiece.
The unveiling took place on Thursday, 8 February, with Father Michael Sparrow – who flew from England for the event. His father was a teacher at St Andrew’s and his aunt, sister Constance who passed away in 1997, was one of the last nuns at the school.
Stumpfe said the design also harked back to the sister’s emblem of the fiery sword.
“Our theme for the year is 150 years of grace,” Stumpfe said.
“It celebrates the rich history of the school sustaining the values of care, education and mission work instilled by the sisters who started the school 150 years ago.
“I want St Michael’s to be a place where people are loved and where they care about one another.”
With the sound of bubbling water on the school grounds, it is easy to see why learners and staff alike can find a home here.
