Contact Artefacts
please if you have any comments or more information regarding this record.
Menu
HomeUpfront
Now Up
Books
Towns
Structures
People
Firms
Lexicon
Gereformeerde Kerk - Paul Kruger Church
Tshwane (Pretoria), Gauteng
 |  |  |  |  |
Contact Artefacts | MenuHomeUpfront Now Up Books Towns Structures People Firms Lexicon | Gereformeerde Kerk - Paul Kruger Church | | ||||||
| |||||||||
Click to view large map Coordinates: | (Pretoriana Apr 1957:28) On 10 October 1896 then President Paul Kruger laid the foundation stone of the new Reformed Church building. The Church Council had already in 1892 called for the establishment of a building fund for a larger church due to the rapid growth of the congregation. After experiencing several delays, Kruger, one of the congregation’s influential members, could eventually lay the foundation stone. The architect was Klaas van RIJSSE, himself an elder of the congregation, and the firm DAANEN and DORLAS acted as building contractors. The final building cost was £13 000, of which Kruger contributed £2 250. The church building was commissioned on Christmas Day 1897 after Kruger entered and closed its doors. It seats nearly 900 churchgoers. The building was erected in the Dutch Neo-Renaissance style, with red brick and decorative plasterwork as distinctive elements. The floor plan forms a Greek cross and the high interior space has no internal supporting structures; steel tension-bars integrated into an artfully designed ceiling obviate their use. Van RIJSSE gave great attention to both the interior and exterior. The richly decorated oak pulpit from Rotterdam, designed by the Dutchman, CH Eckhart, is one of the most striking features. The stained-glass windows feature strong reds, while copper chandeliers were installed in 1897. The church initially had no electric lighting. The traditional benches in the cross-arms still remain. Initially men were seated there, while the women occupied the chairs at the centre. The exterior bricks were replaced in 1931, due to deterioration and major repairs were done in 1951 without damaging the historical character. The church building and yard were declared a national monument in 1983 [now a Provincial Heritage Resource]. The chairs on which President and Mrs Kruger sat during worship were declared separately in 1981 as National Monuments [now Heritage Objects]. (Translated from text posted on Artefacts FB page by Morné van Rooyen, October 2026) All truncated references not fully cited below are those of Joanna Walker's original text and cited in full in the 'Bibliography' entry of the Lexicon. References:
|
|
