I have been involved in photographing aspects of KwaZulu-Natal heritage for many years and, after stumbling across the first Trappist Mission, I was fascinated by these underrated treasures. The Missions were founded by Austrian Trappist, Francis Pfanner, in the late 1800’s. My intention is that this book, using images, will draw attention to the beauty of these Missions and create renewed interest in their preservation. My full colour publication of some 170 pages (280*210),comprises a short history of the Missions, accompanied by images focusing on the beauty of their architecture, murals, stained glass windows and objets d’art.

The Trappist Missions - Book Cover.jpg

Book Cover

As much has been written over the years about these Missions, my intention is not to rewrite the history, but to rather illustrate the Trappist achievement. The extent of this, is well illustrated when one considers that in 1906, there were 320 Monks and 275 Sisters at Mariannhill alone and that 400 children were being educated. In all, a total of 22 missions, all of which are featured in this publication, were founded by members of the Trappist Order.
 
The book is published by Otterley Press, authored by Hugh Bland. The Foreword is by heritage architect, Robert Brusse, who has restored many of these missions and has assisted in providing information for the text, and images.
 
You can participate in the pre-publication sales of the book by purchasing an advance copy. In recognition, your name will appear in the back of the book as one of the sponsors.
 
There will be a choice of a Standard Edition in soft cover or a Collectors’ Edition of 50 numbered and signed hard-cover copies. Download the Pre-Order form below. For more information email info@otterley.com