Dark Knight Trilogy

50. Trinity Cathedral

Chicago, IL

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The Trinity Cathedral, located at 328 Sixth Avenue, is an Episcopal church located in downtown Pittsburgh. Built in 1824, the cathedral became the first Gothic structure in Pennsylvania. The cathedral's churchyard was built over Native American sacred ground that was afterward used by the first settlers. The churchyard now contains some of the oldest marked gravestones in the country, including Native American leaders and English and French colonists. The antique architecture and stone exterior gave a fitting portrayal of St. Swithen's Home for Boys in The Dark Knight Rises. St. Swithen was Bishop of Winchester but has become idolized for his posthumous miracles. He is regarded as a saint one should pray to in the event of a drought. Created by filmmaker Nolan, St. Swithen's Home for Boys fostered the young Robin John Blake known to idolize the "billionaire orphan," Bruce Wayne, whose company sponsored the orphanage. The original storyline of Robin, Boy Wonder, created by DC's Bob Kane and Bill Finger outlined the death of the young boy's parents as a greedy act by a random gangster Boss Zucco. The character and his goons were brought to justice by Batman and his newly trained ward, Robin. Robin was introduced to attract young readers and to be Batman's sidekick, like Watson was to Sherlock. Multiple characters after Dick Grayson adopted the title of Robin throughout the Batman comic's career. All eventually shed the title for more adult aliases that aided Batman or turned against their mentor. Filmmaker Nolan developed a new outlook for Robin, implying the young man, who gave up believing in the authority of the law, would eventually follow in Bruce Wayne's footsteps. Blake demonstrates this as he gathers the orphan boys in front of Trinity Cathedral in an attempt to save the citizens of Gotham.