Touro and Trinity in Newport

Rhode Island’s history as an early refuge for those seeking religious freedom resulted in some of the state’s towns developing a bit differently from the tradition New England model of a community centered by one church that served the religious needs of most, if not all, of the area’s residents.

Newport is a good example of a city where many different congregations established churches that enveloped the city’s core in a comforting web of faith represented by numerous houses of worship scattered throughout the downtown area.

We visited the homes of two of Newport’s oldest and most notable congregations while staying in the city earlier this year.

Newport seemed to us an unlikely home for the oldest synagogue in the United States, but it really does stand to reason that Rhode Island’s reputation as a haven of religious tolerance would attract a congregation that established Touro Synagogue.

Touro Synagogue, dedicated in 1763, owes its respectful melding of majestic Georgian architecture and the traditions of Sephardic Jews to the design of well-known Newport architect Peter Harrison and the guidance of Isaac Touro, the congregation’s spiritual leader at the time.

Paying the small fee to take the synagogue tour was definitely worthwhile, although we were surprised to find we seemed to be the only non-Jewish folks in our tour group. Tour guides take small groups of 10 or 12 people into the synagogue for a tour, a short talk about the site’s history and to answer questions.

When our tour guide pointed out an elaborate chandelier as a feature that created a good bit of controversy for the 1760s era congregation, we were the only ones in our group who couldn’t correctly guess why. Our tour guide explained that the fixture in question featured images of human heads, viewed as a form of idolatry by strict members of the faith. The chandelier, a gift from the people of Newport, was a meant as a welcoming gesture. Touro’s congregation eventually accepted the kind gesture represented by the gift, and it remains a prominent feature in the synagogue today.

The chandelier was one of a group of metal artifacts undergoing a restoration in 2005-2006. Check out a detailed report of that project with some great before and after photos here.

Our guide also said that architect Harrison, unfamiliar with Jewish faith and traditions, expressed initial reluctance about designing Touro Synagogue. He eventually agreed to accept the commission to design the building, now a National Historic Site and one of the elite group of sites named to the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

The historic 1726 Trinity Episcopal Church, a National Historic Landmark modeled after Boston’s famous Old North Church, is a short walk from Touro Synagogue.

Trinity regularly welcomes visitors to tour the church. Box pews, beautiful stained glass windows (many of them picturing famous parishioners and benefactors from Trinity’s history), a massive pipe organ in the church balcony, and the sole center-aisle, triple-deck, freestanding pulpit left in America today, make it an unusual and interesting sanctuary.

A small graveyard surrounding the church featuring some headstones dating back to the early years of the church’s history also make for some interesting browsing. It is fun to imagine the lives of the people behind the names and the sometimes funky graphic images carved into the stones.

The day we visited, we listened in on a lecture given to a small class of local college students visiting the church with their professor.

Visiting both Trinity Episcopal Church and Touro Synagogue offered an intriguing look at just two of the historic congregations that contributed to Newport, Rhode Island’s vibrant and diverse religious community.

© Dominique King 2008

Comments

[Gypsyscarlett]

Nice article. I love learning historical facts. I had no idea the oldest synagogue was in R.I. Very interesting.

The architecture of the Trinity Church is beautiful. Unfortunately, I've never been inside.

[Dominique King]

Both places were very beautiful and interesting to visit. Touro didn't allow us to take photos inside, unfortunately, but they did have a small gift shop where you could buy postcards with interior views.