Among the busy streets of central Accra stands one of the city’s oldest church buildings. The Holy Trinity Cathedral has watched Accra grow from a colonial town to a crowded capital.
The name and the cathedral
Its official name is the Cathedral Church of the Most Holy Trinity. Most people simply call it Holy Trinity Cathedral. The church was completed in 1894, during the colonial period, when Accra was the capital of the Gold Coast Colony. In 1909, the building became a cathedral when the Anglican Diocese of Accra was created. A cathedral is the seat of a bishop, so Holy Trinity became the mother church of the diocese.
The cathedral belongs to the Anglican Diocese of Accra in the Church of the Province of West Africa, which includes Anglican dioceses in several West African countries.
Location, worship and music
The cathedral stands in the old administrative heart of Accra, near government buildings, the old Parliament House area and the High Street district. Services follow Anglican liturgy, with hymns, prayers and readings, and are held in English and local languages. The cathedral hosts ordinations, consecrations of bishops and major state and church events. Like many Anglican cathedrals, Holy Trinity has a tradition of choral music, with choirs singing hymns and anthems at services and festivals such as Christmas and Easter.
Weddings, heritage and visits
The cathedral is a popular venue for weddings and memorial services, especially for families with long Anglican connections. As one of the older buildings in central Accra, the cathedral is part of the city’s architectural heritage. Its survival matters in a city where many historic buildings have been lost. Visitors are welcome at services. Those who wish to view the building at other times should check with the cathedral office and dress respectfully.
Anglicans in Ghana
The Anglican Church is one of the older Christian traditions in Ghana, with roots in the colonial period and missionary work along the coast. Today it has several dioceses across the country, with Accra as one of its main centres. Christmas, Holy Week and Easter services at the cathedral draw large congregations, with processions, special music and readings that follow the church calendar.
The cathedral was finished before the twentieth century began. It has seen colonial rule, independence and every government since, and through all of it, the bells have called worshippers on Sunday mornings.