Holy Trinity Cathedral (Port of Spain)

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Rear view from Woodford Square

The Holy Trinity Cathedral is an Anglican church in Port of Spain . It is the cathedral church of the Diocese of Trinidad and Tobago .

location

Holy Trinity Cathedral is located in the central Downtown district, just south of Woodford Square Park on Frederick Street's main shopping street . At the time of construction, the location corresponded to the center of Port of Spains; since then the city has expanded particularly to the northwest. Formally, the cathedral is no longer in the urban area, but in the San Juan-Laventille region .

history

The Anglican Church gained a foothold in the then Catholic Trinidad after the British came to power in 1797. The island's first Anglican Church was built shortly afterwards at the junction of today's Frederick Street and Prince Street, but fell victim to the Great Fire in 1808 that destroyed much of Port of Spains, including the Catholic Church. Since the Catholics, mostly of Spanish or French origin, made up the clear majority of the population, the colonial power Great Britain could not ignore them, and so both churches had to be rebuilt. For the Anglican Church, Governor Thomas Hislop petitioned King George III. with a request for funds for the construction. In 1809 Parliament allocated £ 20,000 to build a new church and prison. After the outer walls had already been completed, the residents noticed that the construction was taking place in the wrong place, namely in the middle of Brunswick Square, today's Woodford Square. At that time, this was the only local recreational area in the city and was owned by over 40 mostly Catholic residents who, in return for granting some financial privileges, made the space available to the general public and who immediately sued the building. The court agreed with the residents, and Governor Ralph Woodford ordered the demolition. The architect Philip Reinagle, son of Philip Reinagle and Woodford's private secretary, redesigned it, and in May 1816 the cornerstone of Holy Trinity Church was laid. The building was completed in 1818, but it was not consecrated until May 1823. The church was under the control of the Diocese of Canterbury until 1824 , when it was assigned to the newly created Diocese of Barbados . Woodford had financed a ringing of six bells for the church from his own resources , but this was never used - initially there was no one in Trinidad who could operate a bell, then in 1825 the church tower and spire in particular were badly damaged by an earthquake. The damage was later repaired. Woodford also experimented with innovative gas lighting for the church, but produced "more smoke than light". Until 1840 the Holy Trinity Church remained the only Anglican church building on Trinidad; that year another church was built in San Fernando . In 1869 the Diocese of Trinidad was separated from the Diocese of Barbados. In 1871 Richard Rawle was appointed bishop for the diocese of Trinidad, and with his arrival on the island in the same year the church was redeclared as the Holy Trinity Cathedral.

From the 1960s, the Anglican Church opened the building for steel band concerts, and from 1994 to 2011 the Holy Trinity Cathedral was the seat of the Trinity All Generations Steel Orchestra (TAGS), one of the better-known steel bands in Trinidad.

today

The Holy Trinity Cathedral has a dual function as a cathedral church (seat of the bishop) and a parish church . A Eucharist is held on a daily basis, there are also weekly discussion groups with the dean and a Bible study group. The church runs literacy and training programs, a clinic and a home for the elderly. Since December 2017 the dean has been Shelley-Ann Tenia, the first female dean of the diocese.

Architectural style

Front view from Hart Street

The Holy Trinity Cathedral is predominantly in the neo-Gothic style, but also contains elements of Georgian and Victorian architecture. It offers space for around 1200 people. The outer walls are made of Hollington sandstone and blue limestone, the former imported from Staffordshire , Britain , the latter from the quarries in nearby Laventille . Clocks are attached to four sides of the octagonal spire; one of the church tower bells dates back to 1819. The central nave, designed in neoclassical simplicity, is kept in the Georgian style and is lined with panels depicting local dignitaries of the 19th century. Neo-Gothic elements can be seen in the hammer-beam vault made of mahogany and in the pointed arched windows.

The current pulpit from 1897 is in Victorian style. The main altar was erected in 1927, is made of native alabaster- clad mahogany and rests on a Portland stone foundation . Inside the church is a marble memorial depicting life-size Ralph Woodford, designed by Francis Leggatt Chantrey . In the outside area of ​​the church there is a large, round stone slab with a painted labyrinth, which is modeled on the labyrinth of Chartres .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Michael Anthony: Historical Dictionary of Trinidad and Tobago . Scarecrow Press, London 1997, ISBN 0-8108-3173-2 , pp. 17 .
  2. ↑ Michael Anthony: The Making of Port of Spain. Volume 1: 1757-1939 . 2nd Edition. Paria Publishing, Port of Spain 1978, ISBN 976-8054-54-9 , pp. 30 .
  3. ↑ a b Discover-TT.net: Cathedral Churches of Trinidad and Tobago. Retrieved September 22, 2016 .
  4. ↑ TriniView.com: Governor Chapeau Paille: Woodford's Years. Retrieved September 22, 2016 .
  5. ↑ CitizensforConservationTT.org: Holy Trinity Anglican Cathedral ( Memento from September 16, 2016 in the Internet Archive )
  6. ^ Gérard A. Besson & Bridget Brereton: The Book of Trinidad . Paria Publishing, Port of Spain 2010, ISBN 978-976-8054-36-4 , pp. 156 .
  7. ^ A b Gertrude Carmichael: The History of the West Indian Islands of Trinidad and Tobago . Alvin Redman, London 1961, p. 132 .
  8. ↑ Trinidad Guardian, May 7, 2011: Pan school looking for new home. Retrieved September 22, 2016 .
  9. ↑ Miranda La Rose: TT's first female Anglican dean and rector at Holy Trinity Cathedral . In: Trinidad Newsday . 4th December 2017.
  10. ↑ Michael Anthony: Historic Landmarks of Port of Spain . Macmillan Caribbean, Oxford 2008, ISBN 978-0-333-97555-8 , pp. 28 .
  11. ↑ Moon, Light and Shadow (Blog): The Labyrinth ( Memento from October 14, 2016 in the Internet Archive )

Coordinates: 10 ° 39 ′ 8.4 "  N , 61 ° 30 ′ 37.3"  W.