Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, Gibraltar Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Cathedral of the Holy Trinity
Gibraltar Cathedral
Main entry of the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity in Gibraltar viewed from Cathedral Square, depicting its Moorish-style horseshoe arches.
36°08′18″N 5°21′15″W / 36.138235°N 5.35406°W / 36.138235; -5.35406
Location	Cathedral Square
Country	Gibraltar
Denomination	Church of England
History
Status	Cathedral (since 1842) Church (1825 – 1842)
Founded	1838
Founder(s)	John Pitt, 2nd Earl of Chatham
Dedication	Holy Trinity
Dedicated	1838
Events	Explosion of the RFA Bedenham (1951)
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Architect(s)	Peter Harrison
Style	Moorish Revival
Years built	1825–1832
Administration
Archdeaconry	Gibraltar
Diocese	Diocese in Europe

The Cathedral of the Holy Trinity is an important church in Gibraltar. It's the main church for the Church of England in this area. You can find it in Cathedral Square. People often call it just Gibraltar Cathedral. But be careful not to mix it up with the Cathedral of St. Mary the Crowned. That's Gibraltar's Roman Catholic cathedral.

This cathedral is special because of its unique Moorish Revival style. This means its design is inspired by old Moorish architecture. You can see this in its cool horseshoe arches. This style fits well with Gibraltar's history, as Moors once ruled there.

History of the Cathedral
Clergy and Leadership
Gallery
See also

History of the Cathedral

Building the Church

The church was first built for Anglican people living in Gibraltar. The King's Chapel was mostly for soldiers. So, a new church was needed for everyone else.

John Pitt, who was the Governor of Gibraltar, helped make it happen. He convinced the British Government to sell an old building. The money from that sale was used to build this new church.

Work on the church started in 1825. It was finished in 1832. The first design was by Peter Harrison. Later, Colonel Pilkington of the Royal Engineers changed the design. He added the Moorish arches we see today. While it was being built, the church was even used as a hospital for a short time during a yellow fever outbreak.

Becoming a Cathedral

The church was officially opened in 1838. A special guest was Queen Adelaide, the wife of King William IV. In 1842, the church became a full cathedral. This happened when the Diocese of Gibraltar was created. George Tomlinson became the first Bishop of Gibraltar at that time.

Events in the 20th Century

The cathedral was lucky during the Second World War. It did not get much damage. After the war, Bishop Harold Buxton started a fundraising effort. It was called "Saying Thank You to Malta and Gibraltar." The money helped improve churches in both places.

In Gibraltar, the funds were used to build new rooms for the clergy. They also created a second chapel inside the cathedral. This chapel is dedicated to Saint George. It remembers all those who died in the Mediterranean Sea during the war. There's even a small stone from Coventry Cathedral in England. That cathedral was badly damaged in the war. The stone, with a cross on it, is behind the baptismal font.

However, the cathedral did suffer damage in 1951. An explosion from a ship called the RFA Bedenham shook the building. The roof was lifted, and the beautiful stained glass windows shattered. The side windows were replaced with plain glass. But the broken pieces of colored glass were collected. They were used to make a new stained glass window above the main altar. The cathedral needed a lot of repairs. It was not used again until Christmas that same year.