HOLY TRINITY CATHEDRAL
TRINITY BARES ITS GOTHIC PAST
TOURS TO RESTORE AND PRESERVE
By Michelle Loubon
Guardian Features
October 22, 2001
Page 1
Stations of the Cross crafted by Pat Bishop hang like gold and black pendants on the walls of Holy Trinity Cathedral on Abercromby Street, Port of Spain.
These 14 pieces, fashioned in the shape of the Cross, tell the story of Christ from the time he was condemned to death to when he was laid in a sepulcher.
Visitors can now see both modern and 19th Century works of art as they tour the cathedral as part of a drive to restore and preserve this landmark place of worship.
The Very Rev Dr Knolly Clarke, Dean and Rector of the Cathedral said: "A cathedral must undergo ongoing restoration. You don't repair a cathedral. The roof must be maintained every year at a cost of $100,000. There are special slates that need to be cleaned.
"In the next three years, we need $3 million for the improvement for our cathedral."
Chairman of the Restoration and Development Committee, DR Allan Patrick, welcomed about 40 invited guests the previous week for the first guided tour of this "semi-Gothic-style church with a touch of Gregorian architecture."
Proceeds from the tours will be used for maintenance of the cathedral and a hospice at Oxford Street.
Plans are also on the drawing board for a garden of remembrance, a clinic, a counseling centre for 500 people, and programmes to teach young people about Anglicanism.
After a brief prayer, led by tour guide Kathleen Hackshaw, guests went in search of history. Audio voiced by Joy Dumas resonated across the interior.
As visitors faced the southern entrance, on the soundtrack, which is also available in French, German and Spanish translation, Dumas said: "Its great doors open every day at 5.30 am to offer the city a sanctuary for prayer. The building itself instills a feeling of stability and tranquility."
Hackshaw's outstretched hands pointed to a white marble monument of Sir Ralph James Woodford, right hand propped under his chin, reading a book. He is credited as the British governor who "saw to the construction of this church after the first Anglican Church of Port of Spain was destroyed by fire."
After Woodford laid the foundation stone on May 30, 1816, the Rev John Clapham, Chaplain of the British Garrison, consecrated the building on Trinity Sunday, 1823.
Next visitors moved to the two wooden galleries which accommodate the choirs. They learned that today, the strains of Handel's "Hallelujah Chorus," sung at the consecration ceremony in 1823, ring out on pans played by the Trinity All Generations Steel Orchestra.
The coats of arms symbolic of the network of Anglicanism in regional dioceses were fastened to the galleries. Their installation marked the 1992 consecration of Rawle Douglin as coadjutor Bishop of the Diocese of Trinidad and Tobago.
Feet shuffled in the direction of the great western entrance, which faces Abercromby Street.
The script, researched by co-ordinator of the project Eunice Patrick, continued: "Monarchs, archbishops, presidents and prime ministers, Chief Justices, and chancellors, ambassadors and other VIPs have all stood here in prayer. It is from this courtyard that members of the legal profession of Trinidad and Tobago gather to worship in the cathedral to mark the beginning of each new law term."
Occupying part of this area are the small stools on which slaves sat in the early 19th century. "The nannies sat there too. They held the children while the ladies went to service. The buggy drivers sang their own hymns in Woodford Square," said Clarke.
Tablets bearing the names of soldiers who fell in World War II decorate the walls. The heavy military presence also attests to the yeoman service performed by the army in erecting the Minster.
One memorial lists members of the Royal Navy like Tenel ML, Sills DA, Prior CF, and Reddy JT, who "sank in action in the Atlantic" on September 15, 1940, on board H.M.S. Dundee.
A trek to the east leads to the first two pews on the right, which are reserved for state officials. A right turn on the steps leads to the chancel and a brass lectern in the shape of an eagle spanning a globe, with a Bible spread open on its outstretched wings. It symbolises "the enduring power of the Gospel to transform all our lives."
On either side of the chancel are handcarved West Indian mahogany stalls for choir and clergy. Bishop Calvin Bess' chair sits proudly in the space between the stalls on the right and the communion rails.
The High Altar is handcrafted in local mahogany with intricately sculpted marble and alabaster.
Upper areas of the great stained-glass windows, often visited by art students, portray scenes from the life of Christ, while the lower areas depict Saints John, Peter and Paul.
A door to the left of the communion rails leads to the Lady Chapel, where morning prayer and Eucharist are held during the week. A huge painting of Madonna and Child, set in a backdrop of emerald-green drapes adorns the walls.
On the northern wall of the chapel is a tablet in honour of Lady Sarah Harris, wife of Lord Harris a British governor of Trinidad. Lore and Lady Harris were married in the Cathedral.
Outside the chapel, a left turn leads to the pulpit, donated by the De Silva family. Made of Portland stone, it made use of the oyster-shell-shaped sounding board above it to enhance voice projection in the days before microphones. Engraved on the stone were images of Christ with the Good Book, a little lamb at his feet, and clutching a key.
At the northern entrance hangs Governor Woodford's bell clock, which chimes the hours. Bishop Richard Rawle presented eight bells to the church in 1880.
Westminster chimes were donated by steamship captain George Russell in memory of his wife. "These Westminster chimes can play hymns. Rev Ashley Mungal plays them. Some are played with keyboards or with pulleys. Others have a combination," explained Clarke.
From the northern porch guests turned again to the intersection of the main and cross aisles to absorb the beauty of the rose window above the western door. Its design has been used as motif to highlight Cathedral publications and "remind us," said the soundtrack, "of the need to cherish the beauty of things around us, the satisfaction of accomplishing difficult tasks and the joy of bringing light and upliftment to others."
As the tour concluded, with the recorded music of WITCO Desperadoes, former Miss World Giselle Laronde-West, one of the guests, said: "It's very good. It will be good for Trinidad and for schools. It's steeped in history. I find the Stations of the Cross quite outstanding.
"We travel all over and visit cathedrals in Paris and England. Why not in Trinidad?"
The tours of the Cathedral, which cost $10, begin on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 8.30 am and 1.30 pm.