Trinity Church (Boston) facts for kids

Trinity Church
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. National Historic Landmark
U.S. Historic district Contributing property
Trinity Church in Boston
Location in Boston Show map of Boston Location in Massachusetts Show map of Massachusetts Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Location	Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Built	1872–77
Architect	Henry Hobson Richardson
Architectural style	Richardsonian Romanesque
Part of	Back Bay Historic District (ID73001948)
NRHP reference No.	70000733
Quick facts for kids Significant dates
Added to NRHP	July 1, 1970
Designated NHL	December 30, 1970
Designated CP	August 14, 1973

Trinity Church in the City of Boston is a famous church located in the Back Bay area of Boston, Massachusetts. It is part of the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts. The church community started in 1733. Today, about 4,000 families belong to the church.

Trinity Church holds three services every Sunday. Weekday services are also offered once a week from September to June. The church is known for its welcoming style of worship. Besides services, the church helps the community. It offers care for people, programs for kids and teens, and Christian education for all ages. The church also has several excellent choirs. These include the Trinity Choir and Trinity Choristers. The building was designed by Henry Hobson Richardson. It is being studied to become a special Boston Landmark.

History of Trinity Church

The first Trinity Church on Summer Street. It was built in 1735 and burned down in 1872.

The first Trinity Church building was on Summer Street. It was destroyed in the Great Boston Fire of 1872. After the fire, the church built a new home. This new church was built under the leadership of Rector Phillips Brooks. He was a very famous preacher of his time.

The church and its parish house were designed by Henry Hobson Richardson. Construction took place from 1872 to 1877. The church was officially opened in 1877. Trinity Church is located in Copley Square in Back Bay. This building made Richardson a very famous architect. It is the first example of the Richardsonian Romanesque style. This style uses a clay roof, different colored stones, and heavy arches. It also features a large, strong tower. This building style soon became popular across the United States. The stone used for the church was Dedham Granite.

Stanford White worked in H.H. Richardson's office. He designed the main tower of Trinity Church in 1872. He based it on a Romanesque tower in Spain.

Music at Trinity Church

Church Choirs

The main worship area inside Trinity Church.

Every December, the church choirs perform "Candlelight Carols." This is a very popular event in Boston. Nearly 5,000 people come to hear the music. People often wait in long lines to get in. The service is based on a tradition from England.

The choirs at Trinity Church are a big part of Boston's music scene. The Trinity Choir has traveled a lot. They have also made several popular recordings. The Trinity Choristers are children who learn and sing church music. They follow a special tradition from England. The current Director of Music is Colin Lynch. The Trinity Choir and Trinity Choristers travel to England every three years. They sing in famous churches like Westminster Abbey.

Church Organs

The church's interior in 2014, showing the large organ.

Trinity Church has a long history with its organs. The first organ was built in 1876. Over the years, the organs have been rebuilt and improved many times. Famous organ builders like Hilborne L. Roosevelt and Ernest M. Skinner have worked on them.

In the late 1990s, both organs were cleaned and fixed. More recently, in the 2010s, the church worked to bring back the original sound of the Skinner organs. A new organ console was built in 2018. The church has two main organs, one in the nave and one in the chancel. Together, they have 121 stops, 113 ranks, and 6,898 pipes. This makes them very powerful and complex instruments.

Worship Services

Trinity Church offers different types of services on Sundays. These include a traditional Morning Prayer service. They also have a sung Compline service in the evening. During the week, they offer Evening Prayer on Wednesdays. On Thursdays, they have a Holy Eucharist service with prayers for healing.

Because of its central location, Trinity Church often hosts special events. It is known as "Boston's church." These events have included services for different faiths. For example, they held services after the 9/11 attacks. They also host important funerals and other special church ceremonies.

Community Service

The church is very active in helping the community. They work with many groups to support social justice. Some of their partners include Rosie's Place and Habitat for Humanity. They also support the Walk for Hunger.

The Trinity Boston Foundation is a special non-profit group. It was started in 2007. Its goal is to help young people in Boston grow and feel good about themselves. This foundation grew out of Trinity Church's outreach programs. It now helps about 500 young people in the Boston area. The foundation welcomes people of all faiths, or no faith at all.

Rectors of Trinity Church

In the Episcopal Church in the United States of America, the Rector is the main priest. They lead a church that supports itself. Trinity Church is very important in Boston. Because of this, its Rectors often had a big impact on the city. This was especially true in the early years.

Phillips Brooks was Rector from 1869 to 1891. He is remembered in the Episcopal Church calendar. His special day is January 23. You can see his statue outside the church on the left side.

Here are the Rectors who have led Trinity Church since it began:

Art and Architecture

A detailed photo of Trinity Church from around 1877–1898.

The exterior staircase of the church.

"David's Charge to Solomon," a stained-glass window from 1882.

The church building has a unique shape, like a modified Greek Cross. This means it has four arms reaching out from the central tower. The tower itself is 64 meters (211 feet) tall. Trinity Church is in Copley Square. Since the 1970s, it stands near the tall John Hancock Tower.

Boston's Back Bay area was once a muddy flat. So, Trinity Church sits on about 4,500 wooden poles. These poles are driven deep into the ground. They must stay wet to prevent them from rotting.

The inside of the church is covered with amazing murals. These paintings cover over 21,500 square feet. They were all painted by American artists. Architect Richardson and Rector Brooks wanted a colorful interior. They asked John La Farge to help. La Farge had never done such a big project. But he knew it was important. His work made him very famous.

The church's windows were mostly clear glass when it opened in 1877. Soon, beautiful stained-glass windows were added. Four windows were designed by Edward Burne-Jones and made by William Morris's studio. Four other special windows were made by John La Farge. He used new ways of layering glass to create amazing effects.

Trinity Church is very special. It is the only church in the United States to be named one of the "Ten Most Significant Buildings in the United States." This honor was given by the American Institute of Architects. In 1885, architects voted it the most important building in the U.S. It is still on that list today! The church was named a National Historic Landmark on December 30, 1970.

The church also has sculptures by famous artists. These include Daniel Chester French and Augustus Saint-Gaudens.

Images for kids

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  Trinity Church under construction, around 1875.

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  An illustration of the church in Copley Square from 1896.

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  A photograph of the church from around 1900.

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  A view of the church and Copley Square in the 1950s.

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  Trinity Church next to the John Hancock Tower.

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  Stained glass window "Nativity of Jesus" by Edward Burne-Jones and William Morris, 1882.

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  Edward Burne-Jones and William Morris's The Worship of the Magi window, 1882.

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  Edward Burne-Jones and William Morris's The Worship of the Shepherds window, 1882.

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  A close-up detail from The Worship of the Shepherds window.

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  The main entrance (portal) of the Boston Trinity Church.

See also

In Spanish: Iglesia de la Trinidad (Boston) para niños

• List of National Historic Landmarks in Boston
• National Register of Historic Places listings in northern Boston, Massachusetts
• Trinity Church, Boston (Summer Street)
• Trinity Neighborhood House
• Trinity Rectory