Pretoria

Alain Proust/Hidden Pretoria Johan Swart, University of Pretoria Apart from Pretoria’s legacy of grand institutional buildings, South Africa’s capital city and historical seat of the apartheid government, also contains some unique architectural masterpieces that have been built and cared for by various religious communities. These buildings reflect the stories, traditions and resilience of diverse community groups. Also made visible are the precarious conditions that have threatened the conservation of these special places over time. And the continuous efforts of community groups to preserve their buildings and their cultural identities. A number of these sites have recently been documented by architect Johan Swart and photographer Alain Proust in a publication called Hidden Pretoria. This is an edited extract from the book. Among a variety of remarkable religious buildings in Pretoria’s inner city are the likes of the iconic Gereformeerde Kerk Pretoria …