photo 1: showing Muslim memorial mosque (Haji Gookool Meah) on the Western Main Road. This photo was taken at night and persons were still seen entering and leaving the facility. This shows that religion is an important aspect of the residents' lives.
photo 2: showing the Port of Spain Hindu Mandir (Paschim Kaashi). It is located on Ethel Street in St. James. In the 19th century St. James was a cane farming area inhabited by indentured Indian labourers. "It was their dream to erect a structure of which they could be proud. This took place in 1963 when construction began of Port of Spain's first Hindu Mandir or temple".
source: http://www.trinoutdoors.com/pages/religous%20sites.htm
These two religious facilities show the withstanding cultural influence of a predominantly East Indian community historically and presently.
photo 3: showing St. Agnes Anglican church on Clarence Street, St. James
source: http://www.theanglicanchurchtt.com/parish-directory/
photo 4: showing St. Mary's Roman Catholic church on George Cabral Street, St. James. This church however is currently under renovation as of recent times.
source: bestoftrinidad.com
These two churches show the colonial/ christian influence in the building form of St. James.
Sacred places make up a significant and irreplaceable community asset - not only architecturally, but also in terms of the arts, human services, and community vitality. This is another reason why these religious structures have 'stood the test of urbanization'. St. James can therefore be said to have an Ecclesiastical function: this refers to the religious facilities provided by a town (an urban function). These religious institutions are also somewhat indicative of various ethnic groups present is St. James.
References:
Jaeger, Robert A. 2015. 'Urban Sacred Places: What Are They Worth'. Faith & Form Volume 47 (Issue 3). http://faithandform.com/feature/urban-sacred-places-worth/.
Skoool.ie,. 2015. 'Skoool.Ie :: Homework Zone'. http://www.skoool.ie/skoool/homeworkzone.asp?id=1910.
Trinoutdoors.com,. 2015. 'Religous Sites In Trinidad, Churches, Mandirs, Mosques, Temples And Places Ofworship'. http://www.trinoutdoors.com/pages/religous%20sites.htm.
This is a very informative post! It displays a good analysis of the religious culture of St. James. We particularly liked the inclusion of the historical facts on photo 2. We can also direct you to our blog which shows a very similar aspect of the urban area of Chaguanas. (http://urbandiversitychag.blogspot.com/2015/04/take-me-to-church-or-to-temple-or-to.html)
ReplyDeleteNice pictures by the way!!!
Celine and Kristen :)
I soooo jealous I didn't think of this theme/post eh.
ReplyDeleteThis post hints that Trinidad's rich and diverse history can be seen through the differing religious infrastructure throughout Port-Of-Spain. The Mosques and Temples reflects Indentureship and the Catholic and Anglican reflects Colonialism and Slavery. If you go deeper it can also reflect the diversity among races and ethnicities seen every day in Port-Of-Spain.
Great post!.....Still jealous tho