The Cathedral of the Holy Trinity is the
cathedral
A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denomination ...
for the
Church of England
The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...
Diocese of Gibraltar in Europe
The Diocese in Europe (short form for the Diocese of Gibraltar in Europe) is a diocese of the Church of England. It was originally formed in 1842 as the Diocese of Gibraltar. It is geographically the largest diocese of the Church of England and th ...
. Located in
Cathedral Square, it is sometimes referred to simply as Gibraltar Cathedral, although it should not be confused with the
Cathedral of St. Mary the Crowned, which is
Gibraltar's Roman Catholic
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
cathedral. The cathedral is particularly notable for its
Moorish revival architecture, particularly in its use of
horseshoe arch
The horseshoe arch (; Spanish: "arco de herradura"), also called the Moorish arch and the keyhole arch, is an emblematic arch of Islamic architecture, especially Moorish architecture. Horseshoe arches can take rounded, pointed or lobed form.
Hi ...
es. This is an architectural style inspired by
Moorish architecture
Moorish architecture is a style within Islamic architecture which developed in the western Islamic world, including al-Andalus (on the Iberian peninsula) and what is now Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia (part of the Maghreb). The term "Moorish" com ...
, appropriate given the period of Moorish control in
Gibraltar's history.
History
19th century
The church was originally built to meet the needs of
Anglican
Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...
worshippers among the civil population of Gibraltar, as the
King's Chapel
King's Chapel is an American independent Christian unitarian congregation affiliated with the Unitarian Universalist Association that is "unitarian Christian in theology, Anglican in worship, and congregational in governance." It is housed ...
was primarily reserved for military use.
John Pitt, Earl of Chatham, who had arrived as
Governor of Gibraltar
The governor of Gibraltar is the representative of the British monarch in the British overseas territory of Gibraltar. The governor is appointed by the monarch on the advice of the British government. The role of the governor is to act as the ...
in 1820, persuaded the
British Government
ga, Rialtas a Shoilse gd, Riaghaltas a Mhòrachd
, image = HM Government logo.svg
, image_size = 220px
, image2 = Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (HM Government).svg
, image_size2 = 180px
, caption = Royal Arms
, date_es ...
to sell a derelict building and use the money to build a church on the land.
Building work began in 1825 and the church was completed in 1832. The original architect was
Peter Harrison who prepared a design around 1740, without Moorish arches. More than eighty years later Colonel Pilkington of the
Royal Engineers
The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the ''Sappers'', is a corps of the British Army. It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces and is heade ...
was in charge of the work, and the design was modified. During the building process, the partially completed church had to be used for a short time as an emergency hospital during an
epidemic
An epidemic (from Greek ἐπί ''epi'' "upon or above" and δῆμος ''demos'' "people") is the rapid spread of disease to a large number of patients among a given population within an area in a short period of time.
Epidemics of infectious ...
of
yellow fever
Yellow fever is a viral disease of typically short duration. In most cases, symptoms include fever, chills, loss of appetite, nausea, muscle pains – particularly in the back – and headaches. Symptoms typically improve within five days. In ...
.
The church was
consecrated
Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service. The word ''consecration'' literally means "association with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different grou ...
in 1838 by Archdeacon Edward Burrow in the presence of the
Dowager
A dowager is a widow or widower who holds a title or property—a "dower"—derived from her or his deceased spouse. As an adjective, ''dowager'' usually appears in association with monarchy, monarchical and aristocracy, aristocratic Title#Aristocr ...
Queen Adelaide
, house = Saxe-Meiningen
, father = Georg I, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen
, mother = Princess Louise Eleonore of Hohenlohe-Langenburg
, birth_date =
, birth_place = Meiningen, Saxe-Meiningen, Holy  ...
, widow of
William IV
William IV (William Henry; 21 August 1765 – 20 June 1837) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from 26 June 1830 until his death in 1837. The third son of George III, William succeeded h ...
. It was raised to cathedral status in 1842, with the creation of the Diocese of Gibraltar at the time of
enthronement
An enthronement is a ceremony of inauguration, involving a person—usually a monarch or religious leader—being formally seated for the first time upon their throne. Enthronements may also feature as part of a larger coronation rite.
...
of
George Tomlinson
George Tomlinson (21 March 1890 – 22 September 1952) was a British Labour Party politician.
Biography
George Tomlinson was born at 55 Fielding Street in Rishton, Lancashire, the son of John Tomlinson, a cotton weaver, and his wife Alice, né ...
as the first
Bishop of Gibraltar.
20th century
The cathedral suffered no significant damage during the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. After the war had come to an end, Bishop
Harold Buxton
Harold Jocelyn Buxton (20 June 1880 – 13 March 1976) was a British Church of England cleric. He was Bishop of Gibraltar in Europe, Bishop of Gibraltar from 1933 to 1947.
Buxton was born into a noble family, the son of Sir Thomas Buxton, 3r ...
made an appeal for the purpose of "Saying Thank You to
Malta
Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...
and Gibraltar", with the intention of raising funds to be spent on improvements for
St Paul's Pro-Cathedral, Malta and the cathedral in Gibraltar. In Gibraltar the money raised was used for the construction of new
vestries
A vestry was a committee for the local secular and ecclesiastical government for a parish in England, Wales and some English colonies which originally met in the vestry or sacristy of the parish church, and consequently became known colloquially ...
and the creation of a second chapel in the south
aisle
An aisle is, in general, a space for walking with rows of non-walking spaces on both sides. Aisles with seating on both sides can be seen in airplanes, certain types of buildings, such as churches, cathedrals, synagogues, meeting halls, parl ...
of the cathedral, to be dedicated to
Saint George
Saint George (Greek: Γεώργιος (Geórgios), Latin: Georgius, Arabic: القديس جرجس; died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was a Christian who is venerated as a saint in Christianity. According to tradition he was a soldier ...
and in memory of all who lost their lives in the Mediterranean area during the war. A stone from
Coventry Cathedral
The Cathedral Church of Saint Michael, commonly known as Coventry Cathedral, is the seat of the Bishop of Coventry and the Diocese of Coventry within the Church of England. The cathedral is located in Coventry, West Midlands, England. The curren ...
, which was ruined in
the Blitz
The Blitz was a German bombing campaign against the United Kingdom in 1940 and 1941, during the Second World War. The term was first used by the British press and originated from the term , the German word meaning 'lightning war'.
The Germa ...
, is let into the wall behind the baptismal font. It is a small stone with a cross.
The
explosion of the RFA ''Bedenham'' on 27 April 1951 caused substantial damage to the cathedral, lifting the roof and smashing the stained glass. The windows in the sides of the building were re-glazed with plain glass, whilst the gathered fragments of coloured glass were used to construct the new stained glass window which remains in the east wall, above the high altar. The cathedral required extensive repair work and was not in use until Christmas of that year.
Clergy
As with most
Church of England
The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...
cathedrals, the
priest
A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...
in charge of the building and its ministry is called the
Dean
Dean may refer to:
People
* Dean (given name)
* Dean (surname), a surname of Anglo-Saxon English origin
* Dean (South Korean singer), a stage name for singer Kwon Hyuk
* Dean Delannoit, a Belgian singer most known by the mononym Dean
Titles
* ...
, currently Ian Tarrant (
John Paddock
Alvin John Paddock (born June 9, 1954) is a Canadian professional ice hockey coach and former player, currently the senior vice-president of hockey operations of the Regina Pats of the Western Hockey League (WHL). He is a former head coach of t ...
retired in 2017). The Canon Theologian is
Robin Gill.
Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, Gibraltar — Clergy
(Accessed 7 January 2018) Adrian Mumford is the honorary Lay Canon Precentor. The Bishop in Europe
The Bishop of Gibraltar in Europe, commonly known as the Bishop in Europe, is the ordinary of the Church of England's Diocese in Europe in the Province of Canterbury.
Overview
The diocese provides the ministry of Anglican chaplains, not onl ...
is based in Brussels
Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...
.
Gallery
File:Cathedral of the Holy Trinity portico.jpg, Cathedral's portico
A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls. This idea was widely used in ancient Greece and has influenced many cult ...
.
File:Cathedral of the Holy Trinity main entrance.jpg, Cathedral's main entrance.
File:Cathedral of the Holy Trinity nave.jpg, Cathedral's nave
The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...
.
File:Cathedral of the Holy Trinity bema.jpg, Cathedral's bema.
File:Cathedral of the Holy Trinity lectern and organ.jpg, Cathedral's lectern
A lectern is a reading desk with a slanted top, on which documents or books are placed as support for reading aloud, as in a scripture reading, lecture, or sermon. A lectern is usually attached to a stand or affixed to some other form of support. ...
and pipe organ
The pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurized air (called ''wind'') through the organ pipes selected from a keyboard. Because each pipe produces a single pitch, the pipes are provided in sets called ''ranks ...
.
File:Cathedral of the Holy Trinity southern aisle.jpg, Cathedral's southern aisle.
See also
*Anglicanism in Spain
Anglicanism in Spain has its roots in the 16th-century . Today it is represented by two Church bodies, namely, the Spanish Reformed Episcopal Church and Church of England's Diocese in Europe.
Background
The Spanish Reformation started in the 16 ...
*List of cathedrals in the United Kingdom
NK = Not known
See also
* List of Anglican churches in the United Kingdom
*List of Catholic churches in the United Kingdom
A list of Catholic churches in the United Kingdom, notable current and former individual church buildings and congr ...
* Holy Trinity Pro-Cathedral, Brussels
* St Paul's Pro-Cathedral, Valletta
References
External links
* - Official website
*
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{{Deans of Gibraltar
{{Diocese in Europe
{{Cathedrals of the Church of England
{{Gibraltar topics
Churches completed in 1832
19th-century Anglican church buildings
Holy Trinity
The Christian doctrine of the Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the central dogma concerning the nature of God in most Christian churches, which defines one God existing in three coequal, coeternal, consubstantial divine persons: God the F ...
Holy Trinity
The Christian doctrine of the Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the central dogma concerning the nature of God in most Christian churches, which defines one God existing in three coequal, coeternal, consubstantial divine persons: God the F ...
Diocese in Europe
Moorish Revival architecture in the United Kingdom
Buildings and structures in Gibraltar