My first
entry will show how historical religious monuments that are presently seen as
an urban attraction in the city were once an integral part of society when the
city was now being formed. According to Hall 2012, landmark buildings are
usually ‘key markers of a city’s identity’ and so the church in this photo
represents Port of Spain of once being somewhat a pre-industrial city in which it was dominated by Christianity.
As the city
progressed from historical times, religious monuments such as the Roman
Catholic and Anglican churches which were built in the early 1800’s were kept
and preserved in the city as a representation of history. Through this
preservation, their significance in the urban area at that time was seen as
there are many old churches still in existence in Port of Spain. In addition,
these elaborate designed churches also symbolised the rich architecture that
was introduced to the Caribbean by the Europeans. These churches represented
their culture and so was brought to the region as they took control of their
‘new lands.’ Going back to the date of Colonialism, Christianity once played a
fundamental role in society and was the first religion to have such a great
impact on the city’s culture as these churches were the first set of religious
centres built.
This photo
of the Holy Trinity Cathedral located in Port of Spain represented the need and
importance of having religious monuments in the city in the 1800’s. This ideology can be supported by pre-industrial
theorist Gideon Sjöberg who believed that pre-industrial cities were dominated by
these shrines such as Churches as this was the focal point for community
living. He viewed the city as being ‘the seat of the key religious
functionaries whose actions set standards for the rest of society’. (Hatt,
1951) Sjöberg also emphasised on the city having one dominating religion. In
this case, Christianity was the religious system influencing the city’s
structure. Trinidad in the 1800’s was indeed a pre-industrial colony and so was
influenced by the eurocentric culture imposed by the Europeans.
In Sjöberg’s
pre-industrial model, he also stated that the rich elite lived in the heart of
the city and this was also the case with Port-of-Spain in the early 1800’s –
1900’s as this was where the plantation owners and business men lived. They were
responsible for religious and political control and many functions of the city
in which they themselves were responsible for the institutions being
constructed.
Follow my blog and stay tuned for my next entry in which we will further explore
historical building landmarks that were built by these Elites in the city!
References
Hall, T.
2012. Urban Geography 4th Edition. New York: Routledge.
Hatt, Paul
K. 1951. Cities and society: The revised reader in urban sociology. Glencoe: Free Press
