Not a detail was left to chance in the design of Holy Trinity Anglican Church.

The church is a treasure trove of thought to one walking through, and when guided by Maurice, one of Holy Trinity's tour leaders for Doors Open this weekend, you might just catch more than a glimpse of all that the parish has to offer.

Nearly entirely still composed of its original fixings and flooring, right down to the cushions on the pews, Holy Trinity displays much to the eyes of visitors, from a two-ton brass eagle Bible stand to multiple carved faces of the devil.

Holy Trinity's picture gallery features the original plans drawn by Charles Wheeler, which depict an additional steeple the church never built.

"After they built everything down here, and they still had money in the budget, they said 'do we still want to have this thing here, which doesn't do too much, or would we like to have a pipe organ?'" Maurice chuckled. Of course, with guidance from the architect, who was himself an organist, it was decided that a pipe organ was a more worthy venture than the steeple, and thus the plans for the additional steeple were abandoned.

The church is Victorian and was designed in Gothic style, although Maurice describes the building as modern in comparison to other churches built in the same style. The office occupied by Holy Trinity's priest is housed within of the church's towers, which is visible plainly from Graham Street.

The church's roof, made entirely of wood from Lac Du Bonnet, features a style similar to that of other Anglican parishes.

"If you have an imagination, and look up there, you think you're on the bottom of a boat," explained Maurice. "That's a Victorian joke, because that area is called the nave, which comes from the latin navium, boat.

"It does look like a boat, upside down, so you're sailing on the bottom of heaven to salvation," the guide chuckled.

 

Older than the city of Winnipeg, Holy Trinity began its ministry in 1883, and remains one of the oldest in all of Canada. The church was even attended by the grandson of Canada's first prime minister, Sir John A. Macdonald.

Built between Donald and Smith Street in Winnipeg's downtown, it was decided that one large church should be built to accommodate the area then dedicated to family housing, rather than building several smaller churches.

"The reason why [Holy Trinity] is so big, is it's all new territory; nothing else had ever been built on this land. This is Aboriginal land and we're grateful for that," the guide shared.

As time has progressed, the area surrounding Holy Trinity has become increasingly commercial, however, suburban congregation members keep the church alive and well.

As members and attendees of the church will know, it's the intricacies and thoughtfulness put into every aspect of Holy Trinity's architecture that set the parish apart.

One instance of this can be seen carved in the

woodwork throughout the church. Several columns, featuring depictions of the same face in multiple expressions symbolize the many faces of the devil, and were included in the parish's design to invite the devil's presence to witness the worship of God by Holy Trinity's congregation each Sunday.

"Subtle Victorians, they put the devil inside the church so that he has to sit there and watch people pray to God and listen to scripture, which is the Word of God," said Maurice. "They're punishing him for being the devil."

As well, the gold organ piping visible within Holy Trinity is completely decorative, with the true sound of the organ coming from pipes obscured by the decoration.

The painted glass windows featured in the church were hand-designed in England by the stained glass artisan, Arthur Moore.

"Imagine, painting on glass... then you fuse the glass in a furnace so that it never comes off," shared Maurice. "They're over 100 years old, and the colours are absolutely spectacular."

Tours around the church, featuring these details and many more incorporated into the church's design will run throughout the day on Saturday, May 26 from 11:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Each tour will last 30 minutes.

 Holy Trinity Anglican Church is located at 256 Smith Street.

Read more:

Steeples and stained glass: the churches of Doors Open - Elim Chapel

Steeples and stained glass: the churches of Doors Open - The Parish Church of St. Luke

Steeples and stained glass: the churches of Doors Open - St. John's Cathedral