Trinity and Saint Philip’s Cathedral
The history of Trinity and St. Philip’s Cathedral extends beyond the Revolutionary War. In the mid-eighteenth century, a small stone edifice with a steeple was erected on almost the same site as the present cathedral. It was made of hewn stone and the steeple stood 95 feet tall. King George II granted a charter to complete Trinity Church in 1746.
During the Revolutionary War, both British and American troops used Trinity Church as a hospital for wounded soldiers. The building sustained such extensive war damage by 1810 that a new church building had to be built and refurbished. The new white steeple stood 168 feet tall, facing Broad Street.
Trinity Church was elevated to full cathedral status in May 1944. Twenty years later, fire destroyed St. Philip's Church, a nearby church on High and West Market Streets in Newark. In 1966, the predominantly black congregation of St. Philip’s and the largely white congregation of Trinity merged, bringing two strong traditions together. The following year, Dillard Robinson became the first African American dean of a cathedral in the United States. The congregation renamed the church "Trinity and St. Philip’s Cathedral" in 1992. The cathedral hosts an extensive calendar of events every day of the week for the Newark community.
To learn more, visit Trinity and St. Philip’s Cathedral's website.