In large European cities, the market square and the cathedral (church) were separated. Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and unto God the things that are God's. But Pretoria was a small town, so the square was one and was called Church Square, because three churches stood on it consecutively from 1857 to 1905, the last of which was the Verenigde Kerk demolished in 1905. The church was not restored, perhaps because the victorious British didn`t want to create a center of ideological consolidation of the defeated but not surrendered Boers. So it turned out to be a Church square without a church. The square is surrounded by several historically and architecturally significant buildings, the Old Capitol Theater, the Tudor Chambers, the Ou Raadsaal (Old Council Chamber) and the Post Office. However, the most notable is the Palace of Justice, where Mandela and other ANC revolutionaries were tried and sentenced during the historic Rivonia trial. The dominant feature of the square is the statue of President Kruger in a tall hat and with a cane established in the early years of apartheid in 1954. During my visit, the pedestal with Kruger was surrounded by a fence. Probably in order to fight the coronavirus.... I found myself in this square twice in the early morning after arriving in Pretoria and in the middle of the next day. The public in the early morning is not disposed to linger here. Many beggars. Everything is fine during the day. The usual audience for the central square of the city.

Somewhat misleading I would say is the name of the square where there's no church although there are some church-like structures with small domes & such above surrounding the square and which are all great-sized heritage-styled structures (for some nice photo-ops), and also making it worthwhile for a brief stop here apart from the great buildings around is the small fenced area right about in the middle of the square where inside the fence is a statue of Paul Kruger (one of the early presidents of the country and actually not just a statue but more of a monument "commemorating the South African Republic's early history" with also engraved historical scenes right around his statue and where there are also about 4 statues likely those of soldiers in arms). And yes, pretty much right in downtown, it's a "pretty vibrant" area right around this square with busy streets (also a "street market" lined with various vendors on both sides at just about a block away which I walked through to get here), and also for somewhat of a relaxation rather than just being on a square is its "big lawn" (the whole square pretty much grass-covered which is not too meticulous but more or less well-maintained). Arriving after the Union Buildings (where I was "quite awed" by its beautiful terraced-garden) and before heading to the Voortrekkers Monument, my only disappointment at this "second stop" on my day tour of Pretoria (after taking the Gautrain from Johannesburg) was not being able to find the Paul Kruger house museum which supposedly is just in the vicinity of this square.