Trinity
Wall Street is an Episcopal parish that has been a part of New York City since
1697; Trinity is a symbol of spiritual values among downtown’s financial
district. It was established before the Revolution, and in fact burned during the
Great Fire. It was recognized by royal charter, trinity was the first Anglican
Church in Manhattan. After the Revolutionary war Trinity helped form the
Episcopal Church of America.
Trinity
is responsible for a number of churches in New York. George Washington prayed there after his inauguration as president in
1789. At the Trinity Congregation there is at least 1,000 strong congregation
members. Because of a land grant from Queen Anne in 1705 Trinity is an
important New York property owner.
Trinity Church during the time of slavery, actually opened up a school for slave children. This is just one example among many, of how Trinity church is continuously trying to make the city better by running a lot of foundations and charities.
Over 3 different church buildings have sat at
this sit, and the current one by architecture Richard Upjohn. He is one of the most famous and renowned architect of his time and even now his work is recognized as very impressive and historical.
The sycamore tree that is cut to show the roots, is a 9/11 landmark. That sycamore tree was credited with keeping St.Paul's and Trinity church safe and surprisingly unharmed, from the 9/11 debris that was found to be very harmful and destructive. The Trinity root is a sculpture by Steve Tobin put in 2005 in the south courtyard of the church. During the time of 9/11 Trinity was very accepting of the fire fighters, who were emotionally distraught It accepted everyone of all religions very openly and just tried to be there for spiritual support and guidance.
Trinity Church is one of the biggest land owners, even to this day. And it also has many charters that branch off of them, such as St.Paul's is one of the most famous charters that the church has.
The Church itself is an Episcopal parish, but when looking at it, it looks very similar to a Roman Catholic style Church. It has the massive arches and large stained glass windows inside along with a very central focus on the main alter.
In the cemeteries at the Trinity church many famous New Yorker's were buried. William Alexander (1724-1783) who was a revolutionary war continental army major general, Alexander Hamilton (1755- 1804) continental army officer and a military aide to general George Washington and the first US treasurer and John Peter Zenger (1697-1746) Newspaper publisher whose liberal trial helped establish the right to freedom of press.
I admire how much Trinity Church was involved in a diverse group of things. It allows more people to connect with it instead of one focused group of people, and for people to be attached to it for numerous reasons. Also the fact that it has withstand so much is honorable, because there are fewer and fewer things in the city with so much history. This church represented a lot to nyc in my eyes.
ReplyDeleteAnd I remind everyone that at one time this was the tallest building in the city -- perhaps an accurate reflection of the importance of the English elite and of the larger role of religion had in people's lives. Today, the church is dwarfed by corporate skyscrapers -- perhaps an accurate reflection of how Big Business plays a bigger role today (at least in this part of town).
DeleteThere are a lot of connections that can be drawn between Saint Paul's Chapel and Trinity Church. They were both built before the Revolutionary War. Trinity Church did not survive the Great Fire during the Revolutionary War. Saint Paul's Chapel survived the Great Fire. Both places have been used as a spiritual haven from before the Revolution to today. George Washington prayed at both the church and the chapel. George Washington's inauguration was right by both these places. During 9/11, Saint Paul's Chapel and Trinity Church served as a place for fire fighters, rescue workers, and other such people to take a break.
ReplyDeleteGood connections ~ and they were also both Anglican churches, and so reflected the importance of English power and rule during the colonial period.
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