St Jago de la Vega's glorious heritage
Published:Sunday | December 15, 2013 | 12:00 AM
Amitabh Sharma, Contributor
The brick-wall edifice still reverberates with the click of the hooves of the carriage drawn by horses, aristocracy in all their Sunday best, alighting and walking up the doorsteps.
Life, etched in history, that travelled along the street of Cathedral
Church of St Jago de la Vega, in its casual pace in the 18th century has
fast-forwarded to cars zipping by on an overdrive, but it stands still,
frozen in time.
From the Spanish to the British, the
cathedral stands testimony to almost two centuries of colonial rule in
Jamaica. Interestingly, the building is also a confluence of their
respective styles.
"The structure (of the cathedral) is two
buildings joined together at the point of the transepts and the
chancel," explained Bill Poinsett, chair, heritage committee, Cathedral
Church of St Jago de la Vega.
Like the chapters of
history, it was built and razed and rebuilt - tracing its genesis to
about 1525 on the site of the Spanish Chapel of the Red
Cross.
"Built in 1714, this is the oldest Anglican
cathedral in the former British colonies," said James Robertson, senior
lecturer in history, Department of History and Archaeology, University
of the West Indies, Mona.
Historic monument
Cathedral Church of St Jago de la Vega, like any
other multifaceted and historic monument worldwide, has time stamps
etched, plastered and even buried in its
compound.
"The present cruciform shape has been built
upon the foundation of an earlier Spanish church," informed Robertson,
who has authored Gone is the Ancient Glory: Spanish Town,
Jamaica, 1534-2000, adding that the nave and transept are in
Romanesque style, "these are characterised by the rounded shape at the
top of the windows and the doors".
In its opulent
sanctum sanctorum is a fairy tale treasure chest unfolding, the
cathedral houses a medley of gems that are embedded and others tucked
away.
Like the facade, the interior of the cathedral
has gone through its share of metamorphosis.
"A taste
change in the early 1840s," Robertson said, "brought down the decorated
plaster ceiling and the panelling to give way to dark-stained planked
roof angling up."
The interiors are interspersed with
mahogany, stained glass and marble, and an organ loft at the entrance.
"Under the organ loft were box pews that were rented by white families,
to be replaced by pitch-pine pews," said Poinsett.
The
plush woodwork transcends to a polygonal mahogany pulpit raised on a
stem. "There used to be a sounding board behind the pulpit, but it was
removed when the chancel was rebuilt," Poinsett
said.
It is not only the walls that house pieces of
craftsmanship, the floor, which once had memorial slabs, was retiled
with English glazed tiles. "This design," Poinsett informed, "was
recently discovered in Westminster Abbey."
Inscribed
tables and sculptures, bathed in sunlight from the stained-glass
windows, echo memories of the island's famous men in that
era.
From plain to intricate, the life stories
engraved are poetry written in pearly white marble which has visitors
transfixed.
Most of the intricate pieces were made by
celebrated sculptor John Bacon. "His works can be found in St Paul's
Cathedral in London, Bath Abbey, among others," said Robertson. "One of
his most famous works is the statue of George III and the River Thames
in the courtyard of Somerset House in London."
Bacon
produced 12 works for Jamaica, three of which are housed in the
cathedral. Like the island, these historical antiquities are a melting
pot of various cultural influences.
In the words of
Archbishop of York John Sentamu, who was mesmerised when he visited the
Cathedral in 2007, "The Gospel offers forgiveness for the past, new life
for the present, and hope for the future ... Cathedral Church of St
Jago de la Vega is a living testament to
that."
Cathedral Church of St Jago de la Vega
celebrates 300 years in 2014. For information on the planned activities
log on to www.cathedralja.org or call 1-876-984-2535.
Photos
by Amitabh Sharma