Throughout Trinidad, there are numerous religious
sites of a variety of faiths reflecting the diversity of the backgrounds of the persons
who have made this island their home.
The temple in the sea is the culmination of the vision of one man. Siewdass Sadhu
repeated sought to erect a temple on sugar cane land and was prevented from doing so.
Eventually in 1947 he began construction of the temple on land that he reclaimed from the
sea, doing the reclamation by personally carrying the rocks by hand. In all Siewdass
Sadhu spent 25 years building it in the sea. Unfortunately the effect of sea erosion
prevented Sadhu from ever completing the structure and he died in 1971 with the structure
incomplete. In 1994, the government created a more permanent artificial island and
finished the temple to commemorate the 150th anniversary of Indian Arrival Day.
The temple is located at the end of the Orange Field Road in Waterloo.
Located at Orange Field Road, Carapachaima. this place of worship
is dedicated to Dattatreya, the Hindu trinity. Admission to the complex is
free and it is open from 6 am to 12 noon and 5 pm to 8 pm Monday to Friday; and from 6 am
to 12 noon and 4 pm to 8 pm on Saturday and Sunday. On its pink exterior walls are
numerous small statues carved into the walls, while inside are several murties.
Fourteen stonemasons were specially flown in from India and worked alongside local
artisans in order to create the filigree ornaments and the life-sized elephant statues on
the entrances of the meditation centre.
The inner roof of the entrance foyer has exquisite paintings and
statuettes. Photography is permitted on the outside but not allowed inside. Visitors are
expected to show reverence by removing their shoes before walking inside. Cold drinks and
snacks are on sale.
This 85 foot statue is reputed to be the largest such statue outside of India and was
consecrated in 2003. It is on the grounds of the Dattatreya Yoga Center and Mandir at
Orange Field Road, Carapachaima.
Hannuman was the best warrior and he protected the gods from evil powers. He stands for
faith, friendship, strength and the willingness to make sacrifices.
The first Anglican Church, known simply as the Trinity Church, was a
modest wooden building on the corner of Prince and Frederick streets. In 1808, a great
fire swept through the city, destroying every public building, including the church. In
1809 the British Crown granted money for the construction of a new church. The
construction was started in Brunswick Square (now Woodford Square but there were objections
from the public resulting in a halt to the construction.
On May 30, 1816, the cornerstone of the Trinity Cathedral was laid in
its current location on 30A Abercromby Street, Port of Spain. Architecturally, the
Cathedral reflects the late Georgian style mixed with Gothic, as well as elements of the
Victorian age. The layout was designed by the Colonial Secretary, Philip Reinagle. The
magnificent hammer-beam roof is made of local wood and characterized by huge trusses. The
altar is built entirely of selected local mahogany and backed by alabaster and marble
mounted on a base of Portland stone. The stained glass windows showcase magnificent
representations of the saints. The Cathedral is filled with interesting historical items
such as the marble statue dedicated to former Governor and founder of the Church, Sir
Ralph Woodford. Along the walls inside the Cathedral are Tablets placed "in
the memory of" former members of the British elite of colonial days.
There are tours of the Cathedral, on Tuesdays and Thursdays which cost $10, and begin
at 8.30 am and 1.30 pm.
St John's London Baptist Church is located at 8 Pembroke Street in Port
of Spain, next to the Port of Spain City Hall. London Baptists first came to Trinidad at
the end of the American War of Independence with the negro soldiers who were transported
to Trinidad in 1815 in exchange for helping the British in the war.
The cornerstone of the church was laid in 1853 and the church opened for
worship in March 1854. In 1882 the church was enlarged. The original Manse built in 1845
still stands and is now the church office.
Construction of the Holy Rosary Church began in 1892. The design of the
church is in the Gothic revival style. Its vaulted ceilings in the main aisle and the
lower ceilings of the side aisles form the shape of a cross. The stained glass lancet
windows came from Toulouse, France and the stone blocks for the exterior of the building
came are blue limestone from the Laventille quarries.
In 1829 Abbé Francis de Ridder purchased land that the
church and schools currently stand on. He was a free coloured priest in Trinidad at a time
when the first civil governor, Sir Ralph Woodford, had been imposing restrictions upon the
coloured population. His work and independence challenged the colonial establishment. In
the political struggle for justice that ensued, the site of the Holy Rosary Church was the
free coloured headquarters in Port-of-Spain.
The Holy Rosary Church was considered the last French enclave in a predominately
British Port-of-Spain. Because Trinidad was a British Crown Colony, french culture was
being systematically dismantled. The finance for building came directly from the mainly
french creole parishioners and as a result the progress of the project depended entirely
on their fortunes. It took almost fifty years of hard work for this beautiful building to
be completed and blessed in 1939, plus a further forty years for it to be consecrated in
1980.
Tranquility Methodist Church is located on the corner of Victoria Avenue and Tragarete
Road in Port of Spain. This church is part of the National Trust of historic buildings. In
1796 the first Methodists came to Trinidad as Wesleyan missionaries. They established a
church in Port of Spain using rented premises. The church members however wanted a
building of their own and so in 1870 they acquired the land on which the church presently
sits. After much saving the foundation stone of the church was laid in 1886 with the
church being completed in April 1886. Then in January 1906, cornerstone of the present
building was laid. This church has survived an earthquake in 1954 and a fire in 1984 and
continues to be a place of comfort for the weary soul.
Trinidad is not usually thought of as an island with significant limestone
but yet there are large limestone beds. The Northern Range of Trinidad has extensive beds
of limestone known as the Maraval formation that run through the the entire range from
Diego Martin to Toco. These limestone beds cause the flat areas in many of the Northern
Range valleys. Many of the early churches in the Port of Spain area were constructed using
limestone with much of the limestone coming from quarries in Laventille.
Laventille is located on the eastern side of Port
of Spain and the name reflects the French influence on Trinidad. The northeast trade winds
come over the Laventille hills and then onto Port of Spain. The name was therefore given
to the area because it was considered The Vent (La Ventaille)
through which the winds blew. The Laventille area had several quarries, with two of these
being the Eastern Quarry and Jeremy Quarry that are situated on Picton Hill to the east
and west of Fort Picton respectively. Another quarry in the area was called the
Piccadilly Quarry. Due to the close proximity of Laventille to Port of Spain, the stone
from these quarries was widely used for construction.
In addition to the Laventille limestone, ballast bricks were often used especially for outlining the
windows. The huge sailing ships that came from Europe while bringing manufactured goods
could not completely fill their holds with goods because of the small size of the island's
population and so filled their hulls with the bricks to be used as ballast. In sailboats
ballast is used to help the boat resist the lateral forces on the sail as insufficiently
ballasted boats will tend to tip, or heel, excessively in high winds and too much heel may
result in the boat capsizing. Once the ships arrived in Trinidad the ballast bricks
were unloaded and used for local building needs while the ships took the locally produced
rum, sugar, cocoa, cotton back to Europe. To hold the rocks and bricks together, the
cement was often a mortar made from sand, limestone and molasses.
The initial spanish settlers of Trinidad were all of the Catholic faith. When the
Cedula de Populacion, which allowed French settlers into Trinidad, was introduced in 1783,
one of the conditions for entry was that the immigrant had to be Catholic. As such when
the British captured Trinidad in 1797, the majority of the population was non-english
speaking. In order to cater for English speaking Catholics, Sacred
Heart Church was constructed in 1882.
This church which is located on the corner of Richmond Street and Sackville Street in
Port of Spain was constructed using limestone from the Laventille Quarries. Many aspects
of it design give the impression of a medieval fort with towers and battlements. The Photo Gallery has
additional pictures that show these features.
The St Ann's Roman Catholic Church is
another of the stone churches of Trinidad. Located in the suburb of St Ann's on St Ann's
Avenue (just after the Chinese Association building), it was constructed in 1861.
On first hearing the name, The St. Ann's
Church of Scotland, many persons would think that this church is located in the suburb
of Port of Spain now called St Ann's. In fact this church is located on the corner of
Charlotte Street and Oxford Street in Port of Spain. The church derived its name
because in 1854 when the church was built, Charlotte Street was called Rue St. Anns (St
Ann's Road).
This church was created by Portuguese
Presbyterian immigrants who fled from Catholic religious persecution in Madeira and
arrived in Trinidad on 16th of September 1846. In Madeira the Catholics had
burned their schools and destroyed their vineyards. As a result of the violence against
them, these Presbyterians had been almost forced to run to the harbour, where there
happened to be ships that had come for other Portuguese immigrants to Trinidad and
St Vincent. The first group was 197 persons and in all approximately 600 Portuguese
Presbyterians came to Trinidad. Many of these first Portuguese Presbyterian
immigrants were destitute when they arrived in Trinidad as a result of the
haste with which they left Madeira. Unfortunately they were snubbed by the other Madeirans
in Trinidad who were Catholic. They were assisted by Greyfriars Church on Frederick Street
and St John's Baptist Church in Port-of-Spain. In 1854
under the leadership of Reverend Henrique Vieira they constructed their own church. In
1894, the church was enlarged using Laventille limestone and ballast
bricks. over the years the church has been known by several names, The Portuguese
Church, the United Free Church and the United Kirk.
Built during 1844 and 1846 of Laventille stone with ballast bricks outlining the doors and windows, All Saints Church is on the western side of the Queens Park Savannah at the corner of
Marli Street immediately after Boissiere
House. It was enlarged in 1884. Within this Anglican Church are three beautiful
stained glass windows and a hand carved Episcopal chair.
The Port-of-Spain Hindu Mandir also known as Paschim Kaashi (Benares of
the West) is situated on Ethel Street in St. James. Within its walls are the most
beautiful murtis (idols) imported from India made especially for the Mandir. A manicured
garden exists to provide the fresh flowers used for worship and it contains trees that
have been sacred to Hindus for thousands of years.
At the back of the Mandir there
is a cultural centre containing classrooms where dance, music,craft and Hindi are taught.
The Mandir is open to all visitors. The main Mandir is open for worship
on Sundays at 8:00 am and 6:00pm and other visits may be made during the week by
telephoning the caretaker at 868-622- 4949. Visits by tour groups must be arranged in
advance.
In the 19th century St. James was a cane farming area
peopled by indentured Indian immigrants. It was their dream to erect a structure of which
they could be proud. This took place in 1963 when construction began of Port of Spain's
first Hindu Mandir or temple. All the major Hindu families living in St. James in the
early fifties became actively involved. Many prominent members of the Port of Spain Hindu
community assisted in this construction effort.
Local architect John Newel Lewis designed the original structure utilizing Trinidad
architectural concepts of a city temple making the Mandir uniquely Trinidadian Hindu and
not a Mandir of India. Within the compound there is a Kali Mandir that again reflects a
Trinidadian approach in that the architect was Chinese, the builder Muslim and the
craftsmen African and Indian. Inside can be seen the inspired work of Ken Morris.
Many persons rushing through the village of Carenage on their way to and
from Chaguaramas, never notice the little chapel that juts into the sea at St Peters Bay.
This chapel, the entrance to which is located opposite School Street and next to the gas
station, has existed since 1876. Constructed by the people of Carenage under the direction
of their parish priest, Abbe Poujade, the Our Lady of the Sea chapel was at the request of
the local fishermen who wanted spiritual protection. The building is made of stone which
the fishermen collected from nearby bays and transported in their boats to the site.
On the seaward side of the chapel is a large statue of St. Peter, the
patron saint of fishermen. It is doubly symbolic that this statue is placed at this point
because in the 1870's the particular piece of land was merely a rock jutting into the sea
at which fishermen tied their boats. The symbolism arises because of the words of
Christ who in referring to Peter said, "on this rock I will build my church".
After it was first constructed, the chapel which has come to be known as
St Peter's chapel was used often with a regular mass. In particular it was used for the
blessing of the boats at the annual St Peter's Day festival held on the first Sunday after
the 29th of June. Over the years its use declined and the chapel fell into disrepair. In
July 2007, the chapel was restored and blessed by Archbishop Edward Gilbert.
The little chapel is now only used on special occasions. The area around
the chapel is however used by persons seeking spiritual blessings as can be seen by the
numerous burnt candles on the sea walls. The bay in which the chapel sits is a popular
location for baptisms by the Spiritual (Shouter) Baptists.
For a close view of St Peter's statue visit the Photo Gallery
Construction of the present Catholic church in St. Joseph commenced in 1815 and was
completed in 1816. When St Joseph was founded in 1592, one of the first buildings
constructed was a Catholic Church. That church was destroyed in a raid in 1595 by Walther
Raleigh but another church was rebuilt on the same spot. In 1649, the church was again
destroyed in a Dutch raid and again rebuilt on the same spot. In 1815 the wooden church
was replaced by the existing structure, so that the present church stands on the same
location as the original church in the founding of the town in 1592. More information on
St. Joseph can be found on our Other Places of
Interest page.
Mount St. Benedict is located 800 feet above sea level and a sense of calm descends as
you ascend until upon reaching the Abbey, peace seems to fill your being. Founded in 1912
by monks fleeing religious persecution in Brazil, the monastery is dedicated to the Virgin
Mary under the title Our Lady of Exile. The monastery had very humble beginnings and
expanded over the years. In 1943 the Monastery began a seminary to
prepare young men for the diocesan priesthood. In that same year the Monastery established
a Secondary School. In 1967, a Vocational School was established to teach young
people a skill such as woodwork, bookbinding, plumbing, welding or other technical craft.
The Abbey is located in the Northern Range above the suburb of St.
Augustine and provides a panoramic view of the Central Plains. The Abbey welcomes persons
of all faiths who visit to worship or simply absorb the serenity of the surroundings.
There is a small gift shop and cafeteria where items produced by the monks, such as
yogurt, honey, jams, jellies, bread and coffee, are sold.
In 1916, the Monastery opened Pax Guest House, which is still functional
today and receives bird watchers from around the world. The Abbey sits on a 600 acre
private reserve where the slopes are covered with lush lowland forest. There are various trails through the forest that are favored for birdwatching as a variety of species can be seen that include
hawks, pigeons, hummingbirds, orioles, mockingbirds. A colony of Oilbirds nests in
a cave on the property.
To get to Mount St. Benedict from Piarco International Airport, proceed west on the
Churchill Roosevelt Highway (towards Port of Spain). Turn right into Macoya Road, then
left (west) onto the Eastern Main Road. At the intersection of the Eastern Main Road and
St Johns Road (Scotia Bank is at the corner) turn right onto St. John's Road. Follow St
John's Road up the hill in a northerly direction until the signs for the entrance to the
Abbey. Turn left at the entrance and follow the road to the Abbey. For those travelling
from Port of Spain or areas in the South, along the Eastern Main Road, St John's Road will
be on the left.
When the Mission at Arima was
established by the Capuchin missionaries the original church was a small house with
thatched roof. The land for the church donated by Christian Robles and eventually the
church was replaced by a larger structure built with boulders taken from Calvary Hill by
Amerindians. At some point the church was dedicated to Santa Rosa de Lima, the first saint
from the Americas.
There is some conjecture surrounding the birth of St Rose. Some say that she was of
Amerindian heritage. Others have said that she was born in Arima from Spanish parents and
went to Peru at the age of two. Yet others have said that she was born to Spanish parents
in Peru in 1586. What is known is that she devoted her life in Peru to helping the poor
and destitute and sick slaves. She died in 1617 and on April 12 1671 was declared a saint.
The Catholic church at Arima has long celebrated the feast of its patron saint, Santa
Rosa with records indicating that this celebration was taking place as early as 1818. A
highlight of the festival is the procession carrying the statue of St. Rose through the
streets of Arima. The Santa Rosa Festival has also long been associated with the
Amerindians. One of the beliefs surrounding how the Amerindians came to be associated with
the festival is that St Rose appeared to a group of Amerindians and told them that in
order to survive they had to accept Christianity. There are also several legends
associated with the statue. One legend is that it was found at the mouth of a cave in
Guanapo and brought to the Church. Another legend is that it was found at an underground
spring in the area now known as Santa Rosa Heights.
Due to its close association with the Amerindians the religious festival has been
expanded and incorporates aspects that highlight our Amerindian heritage. Now often known
as the Santa Rosa Carib Festival it takes place in August - in the week
leading up to Independence Day (August 31). The ceremonies include the crowning of the
Carib Queen, an elder matron of their community who performs the role of focusing their
heritage and traditions; performance of some of the traditional and ritual Amerindian
activities - smoke ceremonies and prayers plus the church procession.
Around 1731 Catholic Capuchin priests from Aragon in Spain established a mission in
Toco. As part of the mission they built a church on a slight hill overlooking the sea.
Over time the village that developed around the church came to be called Mission Village,
which name it bears up to this day. In 1830, the Catholic Church made Toco a parish
and built a new church on the same spot as the original church established in 1731. This
church was called Our Lady of the Assumption Church at Mission Village. Today this church
still sits on the hill ministering to those in the village that it gave its name plus
those who come to camp on the nearby beach.
Mayaro is one of the areas in Trinidad that was originally settled by the
Amerindians. In 1783, the Spanish Governor, Jose Chacon, signed the Cedula de Populacion
that led to an increase in the population of the island with an influx of French settlers.
Chacon gave land in Mayaro to some of these settlers. A Catholic Church was built in 1819.
The Church of St Peter & St Paul was constructed on land donated by
Alphonse Ganteaume who was a descendant of Pierre Nicholas Ganteaume who had fled from
Martinique in 1793 as a result of the French Revolution and attempting to get to
Venezuela, washed ashore at Mayaro.
This church has become a landmark in Mayaro and the area known as Church
Road in Radix Village. Generally a quiet church but at holiday time during July &
August and especially at Easter, the church fills as vacationers attend the service. This
church with its high vaulted wooden ceiling beams encourages one to take time for peaceful
reflection.
The beaches at Mayaro are popular for
bathing and the Church Road area is one of the most popular, with a lifeguard station. It
is also a popular Easter camping location.
The St. Francis of Assisi church was originally established in 1758 and
around this church the village of Erin developed. The
present church was built in 1916, replacing an earlier church from 1876 that had in turn
replaced the first church.
The La Divina Pastora Roman Catholic Church is the site of a religious observance where
Catholics, Hindus and others venerate the same saint. Situated in Siparia in south western
Trinidad, the church is atop a plateau 80 kilometers from Port of Spain and
23 kilometers from San Fernando.
Catholic Church history says that in 1703 in Seville, Spain, Isidore, a
Spanish Capuchin Monk, received an apparition of the Blessed Virgin, in which she
requested him to encourage the faithful to seek her intercession with Jesus, addressing
her as "Divina Pastora" - Good Shepherdess. In 1758, the Aragonese Capuchins
established a mission at Siparia. One of the reasons for the mission was that it lay along
a route used by the Warahoon Indians as they traveled from the Orinoco region in
Venezuela, landing on Quinam Beach. Then in 1795,
Pope Pius VI decreed that the saint known as "The Divine Shepherdess", or more
familiarly called 'La Divina Pastora', be made the patron saint of all the Capuchin
missions. Sometime in the 1800's a Spanish priest brought a black hued statue of this
Catholic saint from Venezuela to the church in Siparia , declaring that it had saved his
life. The church was thereafter referred to as "The Church of La Divina
Pastora".
The church celebrates the feast day of its patron saint during Easter.
Over the years, this feast day has also become a religious observance for many Hindus. The
event has become known as the "Siparee Fete" or Siparia Fete and the statue
known to those of the Hindu faith as Sipari Mai (Mother of Siparia) or Siparee
Mai Ke Mala. The reason for this multi-religious observance has not
been definitively identified. The most popular view is that because the statue was
of a dark-skinnedfemale in a flowing, white sari-like gown with long jet-black
hair the Indian indentured labourers identified her as Mother Kali, who is the black Hindu
deity who leads her children to the invisible God and who readily grants wishes. Others
have claimed that some indentured labourers saw an apparition of a lady in white sitting
on a stone under a palm tree where the church now stands. They claim further that the
apparition was endowed with healing powers, just as Mother Kali. Another theory is that
long ago Siparee Mai appeared at the La Divina Church, as a baby, to grant the
wishes of East Indian forefathers. It is said that the baby, who appeared close to the
altar, aged as the hours of the day went by. By evening, she turned into an old woman and
disappeared as the sun went down.
Whichever the reason for the start of the veneration, hundreds of Hindus visit the
church each year. On Good Friday, persons of the Hindu faith take offerings to
"Sipari Mai" either in supplication or thanksgiving. They believe the statue
bestows fertility to barren women, marital success to couples, healing to the sick, proper
husbands for young girls and blessings to the poor and needy. Children who are unable to
walk or speak could be healed if offerings are made to the Goddess.
Another Hindu ritual which is performed on the church grounds on Good Friday is the
first cutting of the hair of a child, locks of which are placed at the feet of the statue.
The hair is cut as a sign of dedication and offering.
Because of this unique nature of the devotions that take place at La
Divina Pastora, the church has been, and continues to be, the subject of research by
undergraduate and graduate students.
While the La Divina Pastora Church in Siparia is well known, there is
another Trinidad Catholic Church and statue called La Divina Pastora and in a small way
both are linked by the Hindu veneration of the statue in Siparia. The other La Divina
Pastora resides in the La Pastora chapel in Lopinot, which is situated several miles after
the main village in Lopinot and its parish church
of La Veronica. The church at La Veronica was built in 1945 when the colonial government
relocated the people of the Caura Valley to the
site of the former La Reconnaissance estate of Compte
de Lopinot. The residents of Caura dismantled parts of their church, including the
cornerstone, two colonnades, several stained glass windows, a bell and the statue of Saint
Veronica, and carried them to Lopinot. The Church at la Pastora however predates the La
Veronica church having been built in 1890 using sand, gravel and stones from the Arouca
River, which runs through the valley. Within the Chapel that has replaced the La Pastora
Church is a statue of La Divina Pastora. It is reputed that in October 1917 at the Arouca
church this statue wept, shedding tears that were witnessed by 200 persons. Shortly after
the weeping the statue was moved to the La Pastora church. It is this statue that provides
the link to the Siparia church.
The exact date when Hindus began journeying to Siparia is not known but
Catholic Church records of 1871 refer to the practice. In the 1880's planters in north
Trinidad, attempted to reduce the work time lost as a result of their laborers going to
Siparia. They imported a statue of La Divina Pastora and installed it in Calvary Chapel at
the western foot of Laventille Hill, which they re-christened Siparia Hill. Unfortunately
for the planters, the statue they imported was white, so the indentured labourers never
believed in the statue and continued going to Siparia. Eventually the statue was moved to
the Arouca church and then to La Pastora in Lopinot.
All photographs (unless otherwise stated) are the property of Brian Ramsey. None
of the photographs may be reproduced without the express written consent of Outdoor Business Group Limited and Brian Ramsey.
