Trinity Church

At the very top of Wall Street, where it meets Broadway, anyone can easily spot Trinity Church, a serene survivor of early New York.

The congregation of Trinity Episcopal Church is one of the oldest in the USA, having been established in 1697 under charter by King William III. At that time, the crown granted them a prime piece of real estate at the current location, where a church building has stood ever since. 

The current Trinity Church is the third building to stand at that location, being designed by American Institute of Architects co-founder William Upjohn and was consecrated on Ascension Day in 1846. Upjohn was known as a leader of the American Gothic Revival movement. 

His magnificent design made Trinity Church one of the first and finest examples of Neo-Gothic architecture in the United States. 

Upjohn's designs were of "high church" style, much different than many of the simple Protestant churches being erected in and around the city. It was considered "too flashy". However Upjohn had a different view, giving us the rich characteristics the church has to this day. The remainder of the interior conforms to the rubrics of traditional Gothic architecture as well. 

The church's spire soars to a height of 86 metres and for many years it was the highest point in the city. 

Trinity Church graveyard contains some of the oldest graves in the city, including that of Alexander Hamilton, the US's first Secretary of the Treasury, who owned a house at 33 Wall Street and was killed in a duel with Aaron Burt. 

A small museum offers a look at the original charter, among other historic artefacts.

The gates of this historic church have served as an impromptu memorial to the victims of 9/11, with countless tokens of remembrance left by both locals and visitors alike.    

Many probably viewed Trinity Church play an important role in the film National Treasure, starring Nicholas Cage, where it stood over the allegedly largest treasure in the world.  

St. Dunstan in the West, Romanian Orthodox Church

St. Dunstan in the West is a beautiful church in Fleet Street, being a Neo-Gothic building on the outside but yet octagonal inside. 

St. Dunstan was born in 909 A.D.. He was taught by Irish monks at Glastonbury Abbey in Somerset, where he developed a reputation as a formidable scholar. Dunstan became a companion to the King Aethelstan's stepbrothers, Edmund and Eadred, although being banished after the king's death in 939. He after lived at Glastonbury as a hermit. Eventually he was appointed Abbot there in 945. He was appointed as the Bishop of Worcester, then Bishop of London and finally he was elected Archbishop of Canterbury in 960. Dunstan endeavoured peace with the Danes, promoted monastic life and established the library at Canterbury cathedral, where he was, in 988, buried. 

The original church stood at the same sight as the one found today. The exact date it was built is unknown to us, however we are sure it was between 988 and 1070 A.D. It is probable that Saint Dunstan himself, or priests who knew him quite well, decreed that a church was needed here. The church was nearly destroyed in the Great Fire of London (1666), however the Dean of Westminster saved the church by rounding up forty scholars from Westminster School to help him extinguish the flames with buckets of water. 

St. Dunstan was rebuilt in 1831. The tower was extremely damaged by German bombers in 1944 and was rebuilt in 1950. St Dunstan in the West became a Guild Church in 1952.

One great fact concerning this specific church is that it is home to the Romanian Orthodox Church in London. The beautiful altar screen, also known as iconostasis, was brought from a monastery in Bucharest (the capital of Romania) in 1966. It is a centre for the growing Romanian community in the U.K. emphasising how Orthodoxy benefits from the relationship and contact with the Anglican Church, which has in numerous instances accommodated the Orthodox church establish itself in Gr. Britain, as seen in the history of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Thyateira and Gr. Britain and the history of the establishment of the Fellowship of St. Alban and St. Sergius.  

St. Dunstan in the West is also home to the Anglican and Eastern Churches Association (AECA), making St. Dunstan a centre for Christian Unity. The side chapels within the church contain altars dedicated to different traditions, i.e. the Lutheran Church in Berlin, Oriental Churches (Armenian, Coptic, Ethiopian, Syrian, Syro-Indian) and the Lutheran and Reformed Churches. 

Although many in the Eastern part of the Christian world might see this negatively, it is a great example of how various Christian denominations can co-exist in one Church, preserving of course their traditions respectively. It is vital to remember that the Anglican Church has nourished and serviced the establishment of the Orthodox Church within the U.K. and it is still promoting this spirit even today.  

Saint Andrew by the Wardrobe

Walking around London a couple of months ago I came across a building, which for many is easily ignored. This building is the Church of St. Andrew by the Wardrobe, near St. Paul's Cathedral in London. From outside it looks like a public building and the warn out signs next to the pavement hides the fact that it is a place of worship. However its beauty and warmth lies within, where woodwork from a previous time adds character to the Church. 

St Andrew's Church was burnt down in the Great Fire and bombed out in the Blitz. The current building is a complete reconstruction existing within Wren's walls.  The details found in the interior of the Church are a reproduction of previous designs. 

The history of this Church dates back to the 13th century when it was associated with Baynard's Castle, a royal residence that has long disappeared. St. Andrew's was given the name "by the Wardrobe" due to the fact that King Edward III moved his state robes and other effects from the Tower of London to a large building close by and the Church was known for its affiliation with the Great Wardrobe. The name remained to highlight its location, although the King's store room is only remembered in Wardrobe Place. 

During the course of time it has acquired many antique fitments from various other churches, destroyed in WWII.

Today it is a lovely Church, with The English Chamber Choir and a Girl's Choir. Although St Andrew's is Church of England it holds Roman Catholic Mass, bringing together the two distinct Christian groups, which is evident in the above picture.  

Temple Church, London

The Temple Church in London is a historic and beautiful church, located between the River Thames in the South and Fleet Street in the North. Its location shows how prestigious the Order of the Nights Templar had become.

 This Temple was a centre of economic and political activity. The Church was built by the Knights Templar, the order of crusading monks which was founded in order to protect pilgrims on their way to and from Jerusalem in the 12th century. 

They were one of the two most powerful military-religious order of medieval Europe. Only the Kinghts Hospitaller rivalled them. The Templars's story commenced with the First Crusade. They received their name after the king of Jerusalem gave them headquarters on the Temple Mount, which was built 1000 years ago by Herod the Great. 

The Church consists of two parts, the Round and the Chancel. The Round Church was consecrated in 1185 by Heraclius the Patriarch of Jerusalem, who was in London at the time. It was designed to recall the circular Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, which was built in the 4th century by the Byzantine Emperor Constantine.

The London Temple was the Templars' headquarters in Great Britain. In the beginning the Templars were liked and respected. St. Bernard of Clairvaux became their patron and they gained many privileges from popes and much support from kings.  

After the Order was abolished in 1307 by the Pope, King Edward II took control of the London Temple and eventually handed it over to the Order of St. John, i.e. the Knights Hospitaller, who had worked with the Templars. (Its important to state that the Knights Hospitaller redefined themselves in the 19th century by becoming providers of emergency medical care. The Order of St. John continues to this day to offer first aid and nursing, in peace and war, not only in Britain but all around the world). 

During King Henry VIII's  reign the Temple was confiscated and again belonged to the Crown. A priest was provided who received the title "Master of the Temple". 

In 1941 the church was badly damaged by incendiary bombs. The roof of the round church burned first and the wind soon spread the fire to the nave and the choir. The organ was also destroyed. Due to these catastrophic events the restoration process took a long time. However now the church is still a historical and religious site one needs to visit when in London. 

Whispering Gallery

St. Paul's Cathedral boasts an impressive series of domes leading up to the main one, all of which are open to the public. In the walkway that circles the great dome of St. Paul's Cathedral in London someone can whisper on one side of the gallery and can be easily heard clearly directly across 137 feet. The trick of acoustics is an artifact of the perfection of the dome, which was complete in 1710 by Christopher Wren. 

The visitor has to climb 259 steps up the dome where he finds the Whispering Gallery, which is one of three galleries within the Church and specifically under the centre dome, seen by miles away, making it one of the key attractions of London. Once your up there, the view is breathtaking. All of the Church's interior can be viewed and appreciated. Also there are more steps that take the visitor towards the exterior of the dome, providing an astonishing view of the City of London and the City of Westminster.

The way it works is simple, but yet genius. Sound hugs the walls, allowing it to travel from one side of the room to another without getting a lot quieter.