Holy Trinity Cathedral, Port of Spain

Description

The Cathedral of the Holy Trinity is one of Port of Spain’s oldest surviving structures. Built between 1816 and 1823 it remains the center of the Anglican Church in Trinidad and Tobago. It was constructed as a result of a decision made in Britain to strengthen the Anglican Church in the West Indies and as a tool for anglicizing the predominantly Roman Catholic population of Trinidad after it was taken by the British in 1797. It originally served as a place of worship for the English elite in Trinidad and as the seat of the Anglican Bishop of the Diocese of Trinidad.The Cathedral was constructed using elements from the Gothic Revival movement which began in the late 1740s in England. As a result, the Cathedral incorporates lancet windows, pinnacled buttresses, a steeply pitched roof and an overall emphasis on height. Materials used in construction include blue limestone, from the Laventille quarries and yellow brick (transported from England). Text provided by the National Trust of Trinidad and Tobago