St Joseph Roman Catholic Church, Trinidad: A West Indian Church Building in Its Local and Imperial Contexts, 1815–1967

Abstract:This study traces the history of the St Joseph Roman Catholic Church in Trinidad, the island’s oldest existing Christian place of worship. From 1815 to 1967, political, social, cultural and religious factors inside and outside Trinidad have shaped its appearance and form. The architectural history of this church building has therefore been intertwined with the history of Trinidad, the British Empire of which Trinidad became a part in 1797, and particularly the place of Roman Catholics within that empire, the island’s Roman Catholic Church, and Catholicism directed from Rome.