The Holy Trinity Cathedral of the Episcopal Church had its beginnings in Port-au-Prince in 1861. In 1949 the Church invited Haitian artists to paint murals on the interior walls. Recognized as masterpieces for their artistic and cultural merit, these murals depict various stories from the Bible using people of African heritage as the characters. In all, fourteen of these huge paintings were completed, including the two large ones behind the alter shown here.
Sadly, on January 12, 2010, a massive earthquake strikes Haiti, killing more than 300,000 people, seriously injuring more than 250,000, and leaving 1.3 million people homeless. Untold numbers of private and public buildings are destroyed throughout the country including Holy Trinity Cathedral, as well as other buildings on its campus. Of the fourteen renowned murals that adorned the interior of the Cathedral, only three survived the destruction.
The Cathedral and Port-au-Prince are slowly being rebuilt but the obstacles may prove insurmountable. Below are two images of Port-au-Prince near the church soon after the earthquake.
Adinparadise
1 Aug 2013What a tragedy, both for the buildings and loss of life.
fotograffer
4 Aug 2013Indeed and Haiti is struggling to cope.
Tina Schell
1 Aug 2013It’s a beautiful shot Ron. Is this one that survived? Are the survivors now exposed to the elements?
fotograffer
4 Aug 2013Unfortunately, no. These are the largest ones. Only three smaller ones from the back of the church survived. Many of the people are still in temporary shelters though this is slowly improving.
The Wanderlust Gene
1 Aug 2013Extraordinary even three survived – wonderful post Ron – showing us a masterpiece of such exuberance.
fotograffer
4 Aug 2013The devastation was so horrendous I am not sure the country will ever totally recover. Thanks.
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Etta Levi Smythe
22 Apr 2022When did you take this photograph?
Ron Mayhew
24 Apr 2022January, 2007
Kelly
7 Mar 2024Hi Ron, Great photograph! I’m organizing an exhibition of Haitian art in Washington, D.C. I’ve been looking for a high res image of these murals and yours looks like a great candidate. Can we get in touch via email?