Church of the Holy Trinity, Toronto
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The Church of the Holy Trinity is a church in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is affiliated with the Anglican Church of Canada.
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[edit] Origins
The simple structure was built in 1847, by architect H.B. Lane, who also designed Little Trinity Anglican Church on King Street and St. George the Martyr Church in Toronto.
The funds for its construction were a gift by Mary Lambert Swale of Settle, England. Swale had originally made the donation anonymously, but her name was eventually revealed. She had provided the gift with the stipulation that the church be open to the public, with no reserved pews.
Holy Trinity was the fourth Anglican church in Toronto, after St. James' Cathedral, Little Trinity, and St. George the Martyr Church.
The church's first rector was Henry Scadding.
[edit] Location and community involvement
The church is located at 10 Trinity Square, next to the west side of the Toronto Eaton Centre. The original Eaton Centre construction plans called for the church to be demolished as well, but the parishioners successfully resisted and forced the mall's design to be changed.
Since its construction, the city of Toronto has expanded so that the church now finds itself in the middle of Toronto’s urban core. As a result, the church has tailored its ministry to the urban homeless and needy. It also has an active outreach to Toronto's lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. Prior to acquiring its first building in 1985, the Metropolitan Community Church of Toronto worshipped there.
The church has also become an important venue for artistic events, and has presented a dramatization of the Christmas story every December since 1937.
Due to the church's excellent acoustics, Canadian rock band Cowboy Junkies recorded their 1988 breakthrough album The Trinity Session at the church on November 27, 1987.
