By Rodney Miller, Gleaner WriterHIGHGATE, St. Mary:
THE ST. Cyprian Anglican Church is one of Highgate's historic landmarks.
Situated on a hill overlooking the activities of the developing town, the church was originally made from wood in 1821 but was destroyed by a hurricane in 1880.
Seven years later it was re-constructed with cut stones as the dominant building material.
Constructing such a building would be a difficult task, but the expertise of local architects and masons along with the dedication of its peasant congregation made the job much easier.
VOLUNTARY LABOUR
The late Canon Samuel Augustus Swaby, a former rector of the St. Cyprian Church, in his 1921 published account of the new church building, said: "The stone for the new building had to be gathered miles away where no wheels could go for them, but the people in their love for their church came in hundreds and gave their voluntary labour in gathering and bringing the stones; many carrying them on their heads for long distances."
The St. Cyprian Church is nicknamed the 'Banana Church' and the history behind the name makes it quite fitting for this noble edifice.
The story is that Canon Swaby had borrowed 15 acres of land from a friend and had decided to cultivate and sell bananas with the intention of adding the profit from sales to the church building fund. To execute the plan, the members of the congregation willingly donated their labour to assist with the cultivation of the bananas, but tragedy struck when a terrible hurricane swept over the country, completely destroying the 15 acres of banana plants.
However, all was not lost as £500 had already been raised from bananas. It was because of this innovative method of soliciting money that St. Cyprian got its nickname.
St. Cyprian, a substantial grey stone building of architectural grandeur towering 120 feet high, was dedicated on the April 19, 1906 by Dr. Enos Nuttall, then archbishop of the West Indies.
But disaster struck again a few months later when the 1907 earthquake rocked the building, causing it to collapse. But this did not dampen the spirit of the congregation, which worked relentlessly to renovate the fallen church through a fund established for the restoration of the building.
By January 10, 1911, the building project was complete and the church was consecrated. And today it still stands telling its story of hard knocks and perseverance.
