Trinidad Iglesia Parroquial de la Santisima Trinidad
About Iglesia Parroquial de la Santisima Trinidad
Iglesia Parroquial de la Santisima Trinidad
Iglesia Parroquial de la Santisima Trinidad, or Holy Trinity Parish Church, is located in the center of Trinidad, next to Plaza Mayor. It boasts a neoclassical façade and was reputedly the sixth temple built on the same site.
Work initially started in 1867 under the then archbishop Martinez who contributed substantially to its costs. Another priest Fr Leza left his fortune to the church after his death in 1883. Shortly afterwards though the construction of the church was halted and it was not until 1890 that it commenced once again under Don Manuel González Cuervo who overcame great obstacles to finish the roof, have the floor laid and various other amenities that were until then abandoned. The Santisima Trinidad was eventually completed in 1892. On the 21st of February Fr Eduardo Ferrer celebrated the first public mass.
Along one of the left hand side altars is a Spanish wooden statue dating to 1713 and referred to as Cristo de la Vera Cruz. It was originally bound for a church in Vera Cruz, Mexico. When the ship transporting it was blown off course and instead landed in Casilda, the statue was left behind and eventually taken to the Iglesia Parroquial de la Santisima Trinidad.
It must also be noted that Bárbara Iznaga de Montalvo and Micaela Herr de Alvarez greatly assisted in collecting money for the church for the final eight months of construction.
Noteworthy is the main wooden altar sporting a neo-gothic style. It was painted by señora Bárbara Sánchez de Bluhme. In fact, the cedar and mahogany for the altars came from local forests. The many items of adoration that adorn them were labored and made by artisans such as Hermano Lucas Zufferey, Silverio Marín and Vicente Ruiz.
In 1527 a hurricane destroyed the first church on this site and this apparently occurred several more times until this present one was built.
On one altar in particular are reliquaries in a silver case of saints Celso, Fausto, Justino, Lucia and Fructuosa.
A famous painting in the form of an open fan is located at the back of the church and was completed by the Cuban artist Antonio Herr.
Finally, towards the back once more is this first altar made by an Italian tradesman and said to be unique of its kind on the whole island. It was donated by Don Boggiano Y Giordano from Savona in Italy and celebrates the miracle apparition of the Virgin to a farm worker called Antonio Botta near Savona on the 18th of March 1536. Thus, it’s dedicated the Virgin of Mercy.
References
José Martí, Trinidad de Cuba, Colombia 2003, pp41-42.
http://www.guije.com/pueblo/municipios/vtrinidad/historia/santisima.htm
http://www.santisimatrinidad.org
External Links:
http://www.santisimatrinidad.org
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