Trinity Episcopal Cathedral

About the Trinity Episcopal Cathedral

Located in Pittsburgh’s bustling Downtown neighborhood, Trinity Cathedral has been a part of the city for almost as long as the city itself has existed. The story of the cathedral begins in 1787 when one of William Penn’s heirs gifted land originally used by Native Americans, the French army, and the British army as a burial ground to the Episcopal church. The first structure was “The Round Church,” built in 1805, which allowed the congregation to meet in a church rather than people’s homes or the courthouse. It took only two decades for the congregation to outgrow the current structure, so a Gothic-style structure was constructed to replace it.

The new Trinity was built on the same spot that it still rests today and was consecrated in 1825. Following the creation of the Diocese of Pittsburgh in 1865, the congregation once again outgrew Trinity’s walls. In 1872, a new English Gothic-style church was built, featuring a 200-foot tall spire and a blue chancel ceiling decorated in gold. Trinity church officially became Trinity Cathedral in 1927, and its charter has since required that Morning and Evening prayer be offered daily. After years of growth and stability, a disastrous fire in 1967 destroyed much of the cathedral, leading to extensive renovations as well as an opportunity to modernize the building. Alongside contemporary amenities such as air conditioning, a 14-foot cross made of steel, glass, and aluminum was suspended above the altar to honor Pittsburgh’s major industries. Trinity has continued to grow with the city since then and faces challenges in the modern day, from restoring its historic graveyard to removing remnants of industrial soot on its exterior. Just visiting the Cathedral can teach about how Pittsburgh has been shaped into the city it is today.

Neighborhood
Downtown

Trinity in the Modern Age

Trinity Episcopalian Cathedral has existed nearly as long as the city it resides in – the church was established in 1805, less than 50 years after Pittsburgh was named by General John Forbes. Over the last two centuries, Trinity, which began as a church, has gone through several extensive renovations, the most recent occurring in the late 1960s after a disastrous fire destroyed much of the cathedral’s interior.

Trinity and Pittsburgh's History

Edward Soja defines a lived space as “combining the real and imagined”, which can be seen as the way people view or interact with a space (Soja). Trinity Cathedral is very much a lived space and has been since Pittsburgh’s beginning. For centuries Trinity has been occupied by different people who have transformed both the church and the city over the years. Without people interacting with Trinity as a space, it would not be here today.