Two Churches in Trinity, Newfoundland (Canada)

 

I had recently written about Trinity [1]. Trinity comes from the Latin trinitus (threefold), but I will only discuss two churches, focusing more on the newer, more imposing St. Paul's Anglican Church than the older, smaller Church of the Most Holy Trinity. The Trinity is a Christian doctrine defining God in three persons: God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ), and God the Holy Spirit [2]. The town of Trinity [3] is located on the Bonavista Peninsula, on Trinity Bay in Newfoundland, and has 182 inhabitants (2021). Trinity was the capital of the salt fish trade in the late 1700s, and nowadays it retains the charm of its 19th-century buildings, which have been restored or rebuilt. Both churches are recognized as Registered Heritage Structures by the Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Church of the Most Holy Trinity
This church belongs to the Roman Catholic parish and was built in 1833 [4]. It is considerably smaller and entirely white. It left me with an impression of modesty, which, however, does not apply to its upkeep, as I could see that it is regularly cleaned and maintained. Incidentally, the picture of the new Pope had not yet been hung up. The picture of Pope Francis, born Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina (2013–2025), was still hanging there; the current Pope is Leo XIV, born Robert Francis Prevost [5]. The church is a single-nave wooden building dating from 1833. The tower was added in 1880. Masses are only held during July and August. Admission is free, but donations are, of course, welcome.

St. Paul's Anglican Church
St. Paul's Anglican Church is both older and younger than the Church of the Most Holy Trinity, as it is the third church on this site. The current church dates back to 1892-1894; before that, a church stood on the site dating from 1821, and before that, even from 1729 [6]. The 19th century saw the neo-gothic revival architecture, and St. Paul's Anglican Church is therefore neo-gothic in style. The original style can be admired inside, especially since the church has never been painted and every effort has been made to conceal modernizations. "Behind the donated altar is a stained-glass window depicting the crucifixion of Christ illuminated by the rising sun." [7] The church is still used for worship but is open to the public for visitation.

The weather wasn't cooperative during my visit, but that doesn't detract from the experience of visiting the interior of a church; rather under the circumstances a church then offers not only spiritual sanctuary. If you visit Trinity, you shouldn't miss the churches.

Links and Annotations:
[1] Trinity Historic Town in Newfoundland (Canada)
https://rheumatologe.blogspot.com/2025/10/trinity-historic-town-in-newfoundland.html
[2] Look at how complicated and controversial this simple concept has been and still is: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trinity
[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trinity,_Newfoundland_and_Labrador
[4] https://www.newfoundlandlabrador.com/plan-and-book/attractions/11766600
[5] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_popes
[6] https://www.newfoundlandlabrador.com/plan-and-book/attractions/213089 The figures are taken from this article, but there are differing figures for the first two churches, though these are insignificant. 1730 and 1820.
[7] https://www.heritage.nf.ca/articles/society/st-pauls-anglican-church.php 

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Trinity Historic Town in Newfoundland (Canada)

 

On the way to Trinity, I had seen a sign for a place called Lethbridge, the bridge over the Lethe River. And although the gloomy weather and a museum-like setting might easily lead one's thoughts to death, Trinity was a very lively place. Trinity is a place where old houses have been bought and converted into small museums, so that a large part of the town has become a museum. It's not a UNESCO World Heritage Site, but it's probably close to something like this. Unfortunately, it started raining harder there, and of course, there was also the time constraint, but I looked at everything that these limitations allowed. Our map of the town, which marked the places to visit,was also interesting. They had copied it and included our entrance ticket on it. The employees at the individual sites only asked us if we belonged to the bus tour group, and then we didn't even need to show it.

The town of Trinity [1] is located on the Bonavista Peninsula and has 182 inhabitants (2021). Trinity was the capital of the salt fish trade in the late 1700s, and nowadays it retains the charm of its 19th-century buildings, which have been restored or rebuilt.

The Trinity Historical Society was founded in 1964; its mission is to boldly go where ... no, that's another story, to "preserve, present and promote the built and cultural heritage of Trinity and the surrounding area" [2].

Even though I like to digress, I have to limit myself and also be clear about what I'm not writing about. The Lester-Garland House (brick Georgian-style house, learning center and home of the archival collection of the Trinity Historical Society), Lester Garland Mercantile (last remaining mercantile building), and The Cooperage (transportation and storage of fish and other goods) unfortunately fall into this category, even though I visited them and found them interesting [3]. 
While I was looking for the last place on my itinerary, I also went to the churches; one is the Anglican church, which is by far the larger one with very beautiful windows and a large organ, as well as a significantly smaller Catholic church, which is entirely white and where the old Pope was still on display at the end of August 2025. Dear reader, I would like to report on these two churches some time later.

Green Family Forge
The Green family worked for over 200 years as blacksmiths in Trinity (1750s to 1955). The forge and a collection of tools, which were used by six generations of the family, were donated to the Trinity Historical Society [4]. The smithy, which can be visited, was built in the late 19th century. While back then they produced horseshoes, anchors and products for use at home, in fishing and farming, today they forge jewelry as well as coat hooks and racks, candle holders, fireplace pokers, and letter openers, which of course cn be bought there. It was interesting for me to watch the demonstrations taking place with two blacksmiths, since one of my grandfathers had trained as a blacksmith but never worked in that profession later in his life.

Hiscock House
Hiscock House stands as a reminder of the resilience of Emma Hiscock. The house was built in 1881 for Emma (née Pittman) and Richard Hiscock, who was a blacksmith, so a forge was part of the property. Richard drowned in 1893, and Emma was faced with the task of raising five children. She managed this through the garden and the shop that belonged to the house and now sells souvenirs. Previously, however, milk, eggs, vegetables, and herbs were sold to maintain the family [5].
I noticed that there was a bookshelf in one room containing many religious titles. The house is furnished to reflect the period around 1910, and I was told that the family was very religious and that when the house was sold to the Trinity Historical Society, the heirs donated the proceeds to the church and also, of course, donated many individual items that are now exhibits. 

It's certainly nicer without rain, but even with rain, the visit is worthwhile. Because of the spaciousness of the grounds, you almost have the feeling of having the museum exhibits all to yourself.

Links and Annotations:
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trinity,_Newfoundland_and_Labrador
[2] https://www.trinityhistoricalsociety.com/
[3] https://www.trinityhistoricalsociety.com/sites.html #2, #3 and #4
[4] https://www.trinityhistoricalsociety.com/sites.html #5
[5] https://nationaltrustcanada.ca/destinations/hiscock-house 

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