About
Paternoster (pronounced ) is one of the oldest fishing villages on the West Coast of South Africa. It is situated 15 km north-west of Vredenburg and 145 km north of Cape Town, at Cape Columbine between Saldanha Bay and St Helena Bay. The town covers an area of 194.8 hectares (481 acres) and has approximately 1880 inhabitants. The origin of the name remains unknown. Many people believe that the name, which means ‘Our Father’ in Latin, refers to prayers said by Catholic Portuguese seamen when they became shipwrecked. It appears as St. Martins Paternoster on an old map of Pieter Mortier, so the name may be derived from Paternoster Row in the City of London, which is adjacent to St. Martin's Court. Other people believe it refers to the beads that the Khoi tribe wore that were called Paternosters.