Taking refuge in the shadow of angelic wings
It’s easy to forget how old you are. With the right song playing and a spring in your step, you can feel like you’re still in your late twenties even as you slide towards fifty. Yet there are moments that remind you very quickly of your age.
I recently met someone who was in a quandary: she had been invited to three weddings on one weekend. It occurred to me that I haven’t attended a wedding in more than a decade. This is a sure sign (in white SA culture anyway) that you have reached a certain life stage. My own friends are either married or divorced — if they remarry, there’s less ceremony — and my kids, nephews and nieces are way too young to get married. Weddings barely feature in conversations at dinner parties and braais.
That’s my excuse for being utterly ignorant, until last weekend, of BOSJES. One of the most sought-after wedding venues in the country, BOSJES is known for its iconic chapel, designed by Coetzee Steyn and completed in 2017. The architectural concept takes its inspiration from a biblical verse, Psalm 36:7, which refers to people “taking refuge in the shadow of God’s wings”.
Viewed from certain angles, the building’s flowing white roof does call to mind the wings of a great bird — or perhaps, if the mood takes you, of an angelic spirit. With its glass walls and reflective pool, the chapel invokes other forms of movement; it could be a ship afloat. Viewed from a distance, a different maritime image is apt, for the structure becomes an island floating in a sea of green.
Located in the fertile Breede
River valley, off the R43 between Worcester and Ceres, BOSJES is an impressively productive farm. Peach orchards and protea fields, olive trees and grape vines surround the chapel — although it is most immediately flanked by an intricate and superbly landscaped garden.
Steyn’s architectural coup seems to invite a love-it-orloathe-it response. In our group, the two camps were more or less evenly divided (I loved it and had the deciding vote). But
the chapel is not a standalone design; instead, it is in conversation with a cluster of other striking buildings at BOSJES. Foremost among these
is the Herehuis, the old manor house, constructed in 1790 and renovated on various occasions since. The chapel’s symmetrical concave and convex curves echo the holbol gable typical of Cape Dutch Baroque.
Between them, nestled in the expansive gardens, are two structures in what might be called Steyn’s signature style. Housing the Spens restaurant and the BOSJES shop selling local crafts, décor and farm produce, these cavernous spaces boast swirling trellises that soar across the ceiling and out into the greenery beyond — a nod to the dome-like lattice framework supporting the grass huts of the San peoples who once lived in the area.
The final piece of the puzzle, the Kombuis restaurant, imitates the manor house in its layout but is distinctly modern. Here the gables are minimalist, with wooden slats and glass offsetting the more traditional face-brick and tin roof. The effect is an almost seamless blending of interior and exterior.
The innovative architecture and exquisitely kept grounds at BOSJES are not, however, intended as “look but don’t touch” museum pieces. It is a family-friendly venue through and through, with various welcoming kids’ play areas.
Notwithstanding this, the general atmosphere is one of tranquility: wandering the elevated Boombrug canopy walk or lazing at the pool as piano music drifts across the water, you’re sure to find your zen.
I was also lucky enough to explore the trails running up and across the foothills of the Waaihoek mountains (which lend BOSJES its dramatic backdrop) via Bergkamp, the nature reserve that abuts the farm. Giraffe, bontebok, springbok, oryx, kudu and quagga eyed me from a distance as I ran, then jogged, then walked, then staggered ever higher. My chest heaving, I turned to look down across the valley.
The view was sublime, although I could barely make out the chapel roof in the dusk. My eyesight has never been that good — and after all, I’m midway into my fifth decade. But I will admit that, for a moment, I felt young again.