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Iglesia de la Santísima Trinidad
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Iglesia de la Santísima Trinidad In Barrio Playa in August 2010
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| Location: | Intersection of Marina, Mayor, and Abolicion streets, Ponce, Puerto Rico |
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| Built: | 1873 |
| Architect: | Unknown |
| Architectural style: | Late Gothic Revival, Mission/Spanish Revival church from a Bungalow/Craftsman, Neo Gothic |
| Governing body: | Private |
| NRHP Reference#: | 86002766[1] |
| Added to NRHP: | September 29, 1986 |
The Iglesia de la Santísima Trinidad (Holy Trinity Church), an Episcopal-faith church building located at the intersection of Marina, Mayor, and Abolicion streets in Ponce, Puerto Rico, was the first Episcopal church built in Latin America.[2] The building dates to 1873. It was the only Protestant church in Puerto Rico at the time of the American invasion in 1898.[3] Its architect or designer is/are as of yet unknown. The structure was listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places on September 29, 1986.[1]
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The Holy Trinity Church is a free-standing structure located on the east side of "calle Marina" at the intersection of "calle Mayor" and "calle Abolicion", a public area formed by the merging of "calle Marina" and "calle Mayor".
The building follows the typical cruciform plan, created by a double-height nave with a crossing situated just west of the semi-circular apse. The nave incorporates an interior balcony addition above the main entrance. Concrete pilaster masses along the ide walls support a concrete plate which, in turn, supports the wooden king trusses of the exposed roof construction. The side walls are divided into five bays of equal width by the pilaster masses. Bays 1 through 4 are punctured by attenuated, circular arch, glazed windows of gothic proportions, and the transept is located at .bay. 5... All interior walls are free of ornamentation.[4]
The exterior is characterized by the combined usage of neo-gothic and Spanish-Colonial elements. The body of the church is buttressed between the window opening along the north and south facades. The transept rises only one storey in height and its gables are oriented along the north-south axis. The exterior walls are void of any ornamentation as well, and the composition is capped by a ceramic tile roof typical of mission-style churches.
The primary facade is particularly exemplary of the combination of North-American and Hispanic influences. This facade consists of a vertical rectangular frontispiece, surmounted by a bell gable with a bell in each of its two slender, roman arches, and a cross at the ridge, resulting in a composition similar to that of many of the colonial churches found on the island. Nonetheless, the frontispiece is flanked by buttresses and is punctured by a circular window at a second floor height, reminiscent of the neo-gothic church architecture common throughout the United States.
A projecting, one-storey, cubicular reception section provides access to the nave through a semi-circular arch with iron grillework. This foyer area is sheltered by a hipped Spanish tile roof. In addition, its walls are whitewashed, in contrast to the unpainted appearance of the main body of the church, strengthening the impression of a mission-style addition to a gothic structure.[5]
A small garden surrounds the building fenced from the sidewalk by iron railings with concrete posts at equal intervals.
During the Spanish-Colonial period neither Jews not Protestants were permitted to settle in the new world. By the late 18th and early 19th century the rules were relaxed to permit non Roman Catholics to settle in various Spanish colonies.[6]
With the fall of the Spanish monarchy in 1868, the first Spanish republic was formed and a Tolerance of Worship Act was approved the following year. In 1869 the first organized Protestant services in Puerto Rico were held in the city of Ponce. During that same year a representative group from this congregation met to plan the establishment of a free non-Catholic church, The Holy Trinity Church.
In 1873 the construction of a church building began with materials received from England as a present from Queen Victoria to her English subjects abroad. These materials included a bell cast in England, which bears the date 1870 and is still part of the church.
In 1874 the Spanish Republic fell and the monarchy was reinstated. Religious intolerance returned and the Holly Trinity church wad ordered to close. At the intervention of Queen Victoria and the British Consulate, the Spanish crown allowed the Church to function under certain conditions: The front doors were to remain closed, the bell would not be allowed to ring, and there were to be no services held in Spanish. These measures remained in effect until July 25, 1898, when the American troops entered Ponce. On that day the bell rang to greet the soldiers and celebrate the restoration of religious liberty. Even today, this bell is known as the Freedom Bell by the residents of Ponce. By 1923 the old wood and metal structure had deteriorated beyond repair. Funds were raised by public subscription to build a new, more permanent structure on the same site.
The new church was completed in 1926. It combined the use of neo-gothic and Spanish colonial elements which synthesize the building's tradition and function: the neo-gothic represents the British' religious heritage while the Spanish colonial symbolizes the community it would serve. The combination of these architectural styles, not common in Puerto Rico, makes this structure a unique example of its kind in the city of Ponce. While other churches of Anglican faith have since combined characteristics of both styles, the Holy Trinity Church appears to represent the clearest convergence, resulting in hybrid forms and elements rather than Spanish aplique on a gothic church. In addition, the church is a good example of construction in a period of cultural and architectural transition in Puerto Rico, utilizing concrete as a main building material, persisting yet the centuries-old tradition of exposed wooden rafters and Spanish-tile roofing.[7]
The synthesis of styles, technologies, and cultures represented in this building, along with the history of the congregation it serves, have been admired and respected by the people of Ponce and merited the recognition and protection offered by inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places.
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