Royal Connexion

As Head of the Church of England, King George III played a key role in the founding of Holy Trinity Cathedral. Wishing to mark the establishment of the Church in Canada.

George III is often remembered as the 'mad monarch' who lost the American colonies, but he was also a great patron of the arts and sciences. Despite brief bouts of mental illness, he supported the Royal Academy and artists like Thomas Gainsborough, as well as scientists such as William Herschel. He built one of Europe’s finest private libraries, housed in the Queen’s House (now Buckingham Palace). Today, his 65,000 richly bound books are preserved in a six-storey glass tower at the British Library.

If you look at the balcony in front you will see King George III's coat of arms. Since the cathedral was built as a symbol of British authority in Quebec, a royal pew was designed for King George III but he never made the voyage to Canada. This pew remains reserved for royalty or their representatives, but few dignitaries ever attendant our Service from this point of view. 

We had the honor of welcoming Queen Elizabeth II on three occasions. At her last visit in 1987, she attended a service and, in a thoughtful gesture, chose to sit in the main aisle alongside Prince Philip rather than in the designated royal pew. This decision reflected both an awareness of Quebec’s colonial history and the more egalitarian spirit of the time.