Trinity Church is located on 74 Trinity Place. Buried in the heart of the financial district, this structure stands out because of its gothic architecture. This landmark gives off an aura of ancient power, endless history, and a sense of calm. Although surrounded by tall, modernized skyscrapers, the church is beautiful in its simplicity.
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As I crossed the bustling street to enter the church, I imagined it would be just as crowded inside. Fortunately, I was wrong. The atmosphere of the church was serene, and it drew people to step inside and give their thanks to God. Similar to how the church was an asylum for immigrants, I think today it serves as a reminder for New Yorkers to stop, breathe, and appreciate.
As soon as I entered the church, its beauty transfixed me. The altar took my breath away. And now if you know me then you could probably guess what I did next. I opened my sketchbook and started to draw. I wanted to capture it all- from the fine details on the cross to the careful choice of color on the mosaic artwork on the windows to the arched ceiling. It was a lot to take in and after a while I just gave up and let it all sink in. I sat down on the mahogany benches and closed my eyes to enjoy the quiet silence. I think immigrants might have had the same reaction when they first saw this church because Trinity Church was the highest building at the time.
Our group then proceeded to go the Saints Chapel, cemetery, and the modest museum. I was saddened to see that the church did not display more of its rich history in the museum. The only documents I found were some pamphlets on lent and baptism and there was very little information on church’s historical context was posted on the information sign outside the church.
All in all it was a wonderful experience, but I only wish there was more historical information available. It would have helped me gain a better appreciation for such an ancient landmark.
–Madeeha Khalid
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On a cold February day, my group decided to take a trip to the Trinity Church, one of New York’s most well known landmarks. Having served the Anglican community for over three centuries, it is one of the nation’s oldest churches. After hopping on the 1 train and traversing the snow-covered streets of Lower Manhattan, we found ourselves standing before its doors, ready to embrace a new experience.
As I opened the church doors on February 15th, I was greeted with a visually stunning sight. The colorful stained-glass window above the altar coupled with the mahogany benches were a picturesque neo-Gothic scene, and I found myself staring at them with awe for a brief moment.
After taking in the beauty of the church, we began to explore its various rooms. I was surprised to find a small museum near the back of the church, which had a photography exhibition entitled “Picturing An Ethical Economy.” I took a brief tour of the exhibit, which attempted to answer questions pertaining to capitalism through pictures. Although the exhibition wasn’t horrible, I was disappointed because I expected the museum to display more of the church’s rich history; unfortunately, the only historical information about the church was displayed outside. It would have been nice to see the museum display more of it in order to give a clearer picture of how life was like hundreds of years ago, along with how the church played a role in the development of New York City.
Later on, we visited to the cemetery. Trinity Church’s cemetery contains the graves of many war heroes as well as other important figures in American history, such as Robert Fulton, who perfected the steamboat, and Alexander Hamilton, the first Secretary of Treasury. It was an honor to stand before their graves; these were people who contributed greatly to my country’s development, and the experience of visiting them is one I’ll never forget.
As the trip came to a conclusion, the group took a picture underneath a sculpture known as the Trinity Root. I learned that the sculpture, located right next to the entrance of the Trinity Church, actually commemorates the tragic events that occurred on September 11th, 2001. According to Tim Robins, who created it in 2005, the sculpture is a bronze cast of the roots from a sycamore tree that shielded the church from falling debris during the September 11th attacks. The tree was actually ripped off the ground on that fateful day; had it not been there, the church could have been severely damaged. I thought that this was amazing; considering how many buildings were collapsing around the church on September 11th, the fact that it remains unharmed is a testament to its strength.
Overall, visiting the Trinity Church was a great experience. Having not been raised in a very religious family, exploring churches and cemeteries was new to me. For this reason, I initially thought these trips would provide for awkward experiences, but I’m glad they turned out to be memorable ones. From them, I walked away with a greater respect for the Trinity Church, its history, and most important of all, its people.
When I stepped into the church I was a bit worried. I wasn’t even sure if they’d let me in, let alone let me take a look around. I figured they’d take one look at my race, my religion and tell me I wasn’t welcome. Well apparently I haven’t been living in the melting pot long enough because that was not the case. Other than the one security guard who was glaring at me for being a tad rowdy the entire church and its people were all rather welcoming. The doors weren’t locked. That was the first thing that struck me. So I sat down in one of the many benches the church and admired the architecture. And they were not modest in terms of aesthetic quality. Everything from the pillars to the windows were finely crafted each detail reverberating as strong as the next. Mr. Upjohn must’ve had a very keen skill in Gothic style architecture.
