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Trinity Parish (St. Augustine, Florida)
Encyclopedia
Trinity Parish is an historic Episcopal Church at the corner of King and Saint George streets in downtown St. Augustine, Florida
. It is the oldest Protestant church in Florida and has some of the oldest and most beautiful stained glass
windows in the Episcopal Diocese of Florida
.
in the United States
. Trinity is one of the seven original parishes when the Episcopal Diocese of Florida
was received into union with the General Convention in 1838.
The first church building was begun in 1830 and services began on June 30, 1831. Constructed of coquina
, a local shell stone that was also used to build the Castillo de San Marcos
, the original structure was 36 feet (11 m) wide by 50 feet (15.2 m) long. Bishop Nathaniel Bowen of South Carolina formally consecrated it on June 5, 1834.
Growth was slow but steady in the years following and small additions and improvements were made to the church. Three stained glass windows were added just prior to the American Civil War
. Although there was only one major battle in Florida
, the war took a terrible toll on the state, the Diocese of Florida and Trinity.
The next 50 years saw a slow recovery by St. Augustine and Trinity, with continued work by a committed laity
that raised funds to keep the church going through a succession of Rectors. The Rev. C M. Sturges arrived in 1895 and determined that the church building was outmoded, too small and in dire need of repair. That began a six-year effort to obtain plans and funding to enlarge the church structure. Work began in early 1902 and on January 17, 1903 the first services were held in the “new” church, a cruciform
structure, neo-gothic in appearance that seated more than 500 parishioners. A new era had begun.
The 20th century brought profound changes to St. Augustine including a substantial increase in population and a steady rise in winter visitors – many of whom chose Trinity as their church. The Reverend L. Fitz-James Hindry served as Rector from 1904 until 1936. His tenure saw the formation of many lay organizations - the Altar Guild, Daughters of the king, St. Catherine’s Guild, and others – all devoted to working with the church on a variety of projects.
The Rev. Charles Seymour was called to Trinity 1949 and served until 1964. By 1955, a two-story education facility and Parish Hall were added. The Seymour years was a time of significant physical changes to Trinity and marked an upturn in the number of communicants to more than 500 by 1959. In 1960, after a successful stewardship campaign, Trinity Church went from a relatively small church to a full parish complex with a new parish hall, kitchen, classrooms, administrative offices and a nursery. Architecturally, the new facilities and cloistered walkways complemented and continued the neo-gothic features of the historic church building.
The Rev. Canon Walter T. Saffran served as rector during the 1980s and into the 1990s and membership continued to increase. St. Monica Chapter of the Daughters of the king was estalished February 18, 1996. When he retired in 1997, he was named Trinity Episcopal Parish Rector Emeritus. The present Rector is the Rev. Dr. David J. Weidner.
, Ultreya, Daughters of the King, Brotherhood of St. Andrew, Youth Group, River Region meetings and Diocesan meetings. It is an integral part of the ministries of Trinity Episcopal Parish. The building is 6000 sq ft (557.4 m²). with a capacity for 400 people.
above the altar were made by Franz Mayer & Co.
of Munich, Germany. There is a Louis Comfort Tiffany
window as well as windows made by Maitland, Armstrong, Rudy Bro, Henry Payne
, Burnham, Colgate and Jacoby. Two windows were given as general thank offerings, twenty six are memorials to loved ones: wives, husbands, sons, other family members and rectors.
The original purpose of stained glass windows was to teach the great truths of religion, rather than adornment. Since most people could neither read nor write, the windows were used to explain the meaning of scripture and symbols.
The windows of Trinity call to mind many great biblical figures and events. Jesus is pictured three times as the Good Shepherd and his life is chronicled from the Nativity through the Resurrection. The four Evangelists - Matthew, Mark, Luke and John - accent the original entrance on King Street. These are the only windows designed to be viewed and read from outside the church. The round "Descending Dove" glass above the present entrance complements the stained and painted traditional glass. Symbols of the Christian faith are found in all the windows; the dove, wheat and grapes, lilies and passion flowers, crosses, bibles, staffs and scripture citations from the Old and New Testaments.
Each of the twenty eight windows is different, but together they form a mosaic of color and sunlit beauty that accentuate the dignity and serenity of Trinity Episcopal Church. Between 1991 and 1992, Advent Glass Works conducted an inspection and appraisal, then performed total restoration of twenty-nine windows in the church. Due to the immense value of the windows, new protective glazing was installed.
St. Augustine, Florida
St. Augustine is a city in the northeast section of Florida and the county seat of St. Johns County, Florida, United States. Founded in 1565 by Spanish explorer and admiral Pedro Menéndez de Avilés, it is the oldest continuously occupied European-established city and port in the continental United...
. It is the oldest Protestant church in Florida and has some of the oldest and most beautiful stained glass
Stained glass
The term stained glass can refer to coloured glass as a material or to works produced from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant buildings...
windows in the Episcopal Diocese of Florida
Episcopal Diocese of Florida
The Episcopal Diocese of Florida is a diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America . It originally comprised the whole state of Florida, but is now bounded on the west by the Apalachicola River, on the north by the Georgia state line, on the east by the Atlantic Ocean and on the...
.
History
The parish of Trinity, St. Augustine was founded in 1821 soon after Florida became a territoryFlorida Territory
The Territory of Florida was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 30, 1822, until March 3, 1845, when it was admitted to the Union as the State of Florida...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Trinity is one of the seven original parishes when the Episcopal Diocese of Florida
Episcopal Diocese of Florida
The Episcopal Diocese of Florida is a diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America . It originally comprised the whole state of Florida, but is now bounded on the west by the Apalachicola River, on the north by the Georgia state line, on the east by the Atlantic Ocean and on the...
was received into union with the General Convention in 1838.
The first church building was begun in 1830 and services began on June 30, 1831. Constructed of coquina
Coquina
Coquina is a sedimentary rock that is composed either wholly or almost entirely of the transported, abraded, and mechanically sorted fragments of the shells of either molluscs, trilobites, brachiopods, or other invertebrates. For a sediment to be considered to be a coquina, the average size of the...
, a local shell stone that was also used to build the Castillo de San Marcos
Castillo de San Marcos
The Castillo de San Marcos site is the oldest masonry fort in the United States. It is located in the city of St. Augustine, Florida. Construction was begun in 1672 by the Spanish when Florida was a Spanish territory. During the twenty year period of British possession from 1763 until 1784, the...
, the original structure was 36 feet (11 m) wide by 50 feet (15.2 m) long. Bishop Nathaniel Bowen of South Carolina formally consecrated it on June 5, 1834.
Growth was slow but steady in the years following and small additions and improvements were made to the church. Three stained glass windows were added just prior to the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. Although there was only one major battle in Florida
Battle of Olustee
The Battle of Olustee or Battle of Ocean Pond was fought in Baker County, Florida on 20 February 1864, during the American Civil War. It was the largest battle fought in Florida during the war.-Background:In February 1864, Major General Quincy A...
, the war took a terrible toll on the state, the Diocese of Florida and Trinity.
The next 50 years saw a slow recovery by St. Augustine and Trinity, with continued work by a committed laity
Laity
In religious organizations, the laity comprises all people who are not in the clergy. A person who is a member of a religious order who is not ordained legitimate clergy is considered as a member of the laity, even though they are members of a religious order .In the past in Christian cultures, the...
that raised funds to keep the church going through a succession of Rectors. The Rev. C M. Sturges arrived in 1895 and determined that the church building was outmoded, too small and in dire need of repair. That began a six-year effort to obtain plans and funding to enlarge the church structure. Work began in early 1902 and on January 17, 1903 the first services were held in the “new” church, a cruciform
Cruciform
Cruciform means having the shape of a cross or Christian cross.- Cruciform architectural plan :This is a common description of Christian churches. In Early Christian, Byzantine and other Eastern Orthodox forms of church architecture this is more likely to mean a tetraconch plan, a Greek cross,...
structure, neo-gothic in appearance that seated more than 500 parishioners. A new era had begun.
The Rev. Charles Seymour was called to Trinity 1949 and served until 1964. By 1955, a two-story education facility and Parish Hall were added. The Seymour years was a time of significant physical changes to Trinity and marked an upturn in the number of communicants to more than 500 by 1959. In 1960, after a successful stewardship campaign, Trinity Church went from a relatively small church to a full parish complex with a new parish hall, kitchen, classrooms, administrative offices and a nursery. Architecturally, the new facilities and cloistered walkways complemented and continued the neo-gothic features of the historic church building.
The Rev. Canon Walter T. Saffran served as rector during the 1980s and into the 1990s and membership continued to increase. St. Monica Chapter of the Daughters of the king was estalished February 18, 1996. When he retired in 1997, he was named Trinity Episcopal Parish Rector Emeritus. The present Rector is the Rev. Dr. David J. Weidner.
Trinity Hall
In the early 21st century the building adjacent to the church was purchased to serve the large congregation and the community. The new building was named, Trinity Hall and is now the meeting and gathering place of church activities, including the monthly Parish Breakfast, Wednesday dinners, special celebrations and receptions, some functions of CursilloCursillo
Cursillos in Christianity is a ministry of the Roman Catholic Church...
, Ultreya, Daughters of the King, Brotherhood of St. Andrew, Youth Group, River Region meetings and Diocesan meetings. It is an integral part of the ministries of Trinity Episcopal Parish. The building is 6000 sq ft (557.4 m²). with a capacity for 400 people.
Stained glass
Windows have been placed in Trinity Episcopal Church for almost 150 years beginning in 1859. Ten windows, including the TriptychTriptych
A triptych , from tri-= "three" + ptysso= "to fold") is a work of art which is divided into three sections, or three carved panels which are hinged together and can be folded shut or displayed open. It is therefore a type of polyptych, the term for all multi-panel works...
above the altar were made by Franz Mayer & Co.
Franz Mayer & Co.
Franz Mayer & Co. is a famous German stained glass design and manufacturing company, based in Munich, Germany, that has been active throughout most of the world for over 150 years...
of Munich, Germany. There is a Louis Comfort Tiffany
Louis Comfort Tiffany
Louis Comfort Tiffany was an American artist and designer who worked in the decorative arts and is best known for his work in stained glass. He is the American artist most associated with the Art Nouveau and Aesthetic movements...
window as well as windows made by Maitland, Armstrong, Rudy Bro, Henry Payne
Henry Payne (artist)
Henry Arthur Payne RWS was an English stained glass artist, watercolourist and painter of frescoes.Payne was one of the Birmingham Group of Artist-Craftsmen who formed around Joseph Southall and the Birmingham School of Art in the late nineteenth century...
, Burnham, Colgate and Jacoby. Two windows were given as general thank offerings, twenty six are memorials to loved ones: wives, husbands, sons, other family members and rectors.
The original purpose of stained glass windows was to teach the great truths of religion, rather than adornment. Since most people could neither read nor write, the windows were used to explain the meaning of scripture and symbols.
The windows of Trinity call to mind many great biblical figures and events. Jesus is pictured three times as the Good Shepherd and his life is chronicled from the Nativity through the Resurrection. The four Evangelists - Matthew, Mark, Luke and John - accent the original entrance on King Street. These are the only windows designed to be viewed and read from outside the church. The round "Descending Dove" glass above the present entrance complements the stained and painted traditional glass. Symbols of the Christian faith are found in all the windows; the dove, wheat and grapes, lilies and passion flowers, crosses, bibles, staffs and scripture citations from the Old and New Testaments.
Each of the twenty eight windows is different, but together they form a mosaic of color and sunlit beauty that accentuate the dignity and serenity of Trinity Episcopal Church. Between 1991 and 1992, Advent Glass Works conducted an inspection and appraisal, then performed total restoration of twenty-nine windows in the church. Due to the immense value of the windows, new protective glazing was installed.