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, which is a type of Christian church.

The church community started way back in 1733. Today, about 4,000 families are part of this church. They have three services every Sunday. They also have services during the week from September to June. Trinity Church is known for being a "Broad Church" parish. This means it welcomes many different ways of thinking and worship within its tradition.

Besides worship, Trinity Church helps the community a lot. They offer care for people, programs for kids and teens, and Christian education for everyone. The church is also home to several amazing choirs. These include the Trinity Choir, Trinity Schola, Trinity Choristers, and Trinity Chamber Choir. The church building was designed by a famous architect named Henry Hobson Richardson. It is currently being considered to become a special Boston Landmark.

History of Trinity Church

The former Trinity Church, built in 1735, was destroyed in the Great Boston Fire of 1872.

The original Trinity Church was on Summer Street. Sadly, it was destroyed in the Great Boston Fire of 1872. After the fire, the church decided to build a new home.

The new church was built under the leadership of Rector Phillips Brooks. He was a very popular preacher at that time. The famous architect Henry Hobson Richardson designed the church and its connected parish house. Construction took place from 1872 to 1877. The church was officially opened in 1877.

Trinity Church is located in Copley Square in the Back Bay neighborhood. This building made Richardson very famous. It is the first and best example of the Richardsonian Romanesque style. This style uses a clay roof, different colored stones, rough stone, and large, rounded arches. It also features a huge tower. This unique style soon became popular for many public buildings across the United States. The stone used to build the church was Dedham Granite.

The main tower of Trinity Church was designed by Stanford White in 1872. He worked in H.H. Richardson's office. He based the design on an old Romanesque tower in Salamanca, Spain.

Music at Trinity Church

Trinity Church is well-known for its amazing music programs.

The beautiful sanctuary at Trinity Church.

Choirs and Special Events

Every December, the choirs at Trinity Church perform "Candlelight Carols." This is a very popular event in Boston. Nearly 5,000 people come to enjoy the free show. People often wait in long lines in Copley Square to get in. The service is based on a tradition called "Nine Lessons and Carols." This tradition started in England.

The choirs at Trinity Church are a big part of Boston's music scene. The Trinity Choir has traveled to many places and has made several recordings. The Trinity Choristers are a group of children who learn and sing church music. They follow the traditions of the Royal School of Church Music. The current Director of Music and Organist is Colin Lynch. The Trinity Choir and Trinity Choristers travel to England every three years. They sing in famous places like Ely Cathedral and Westminster Abbey.

Organs of Trinity Church

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

Trinity Church has a long history with its organs.

• 1876: The first organ was built by Hilborne L. Roosevelt. It was later moved to the gallery.
• 1903: A new organ was built for the chancel (the area near the altar). Both organs could be played from one console.
• 1924-1926: Ernest M. Skinner worked on the organs. He built a new organ in the gallery and a new console for the chancel.
• 1956-1962: Aeolian-Skinner added a new console and a new chancel organ. The gallery organ was also rebuilt.
• 1987: A special set of horizontal trumpet pipes was added. These pipes are in memory of Paul Albert Merrill.
• Late 1990s: The organs were cleaned and repaired.
• Late 2010s: Since 2012, the church has been collecting old organ pipes. These pipes were installed to help the organ sound like it did when Skinner first built it. This work was done by Foley-Baker Inc. and Jonathan Ambrosino. In 2018, a new four-manual organ console was built.

The nave (main part of the church) and chancel organs together 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 special version of Morning Prayer and a service of sung Compline in the evening. During the week, they have Evensong on Wednesdays and Holy Eucharist (Communion) on Thursdays.

Because of its central location and large size, Trinity Church often hosts special services. It is known as "Boston's church." These services have included interfaith gatherings after big events like the 9/11 attacks and the July 2005 London bombings. Many important funerals and ceremonies for bishops have also taken place here.

Community Service

Trinity Church is very active in helping the community. They support many programs that help people and work for fairness. They partner with organizations like Rosie's Place, Pine Street Inn, and Habitat for Humanity. They also support events like the Walk for Hunger and the Rodman Ride for Kids.

The Trinity Boston Foundation is a non-profit group. It helps young people in Boston grow and feel good about themselves. It started in 2007 from the church's outreach programs. Now, it is a separate organization that helps about 500 young people. The Foundation welcomes people of all faiths and those with no faith.

Rectors of Trinity Church

In the Episcopal Church in the United States of America, the Rector is the main priest who leads a church. Because Trinity Church is so important in Boston, its Rectors have had a big impact on the city's life. This was especially true in the early years and through the mid-1900s.

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

Here are the Rectors of Trinity Church from when it started until now:

Art and Architecture

A detailed photo of Trinity Church from the late 1800s.

The exterior staircase of Trinity Church.

The "David's Charge to Solomon" stained-glass window, installed in 1882.

The church's design is like a modified Greek Cross. It has four parts reaching out from the central tower. This tower is 64 meters (211 feet) tall. Trinity Church is in Copley Square, and since the 1970s, it stands near the tall John Hancock Tower.

Boston's Back Bay area was once a mud flat. Because of this, Trinity Church sits on about 4,500 wooden piles. Each pile was driven 30 feet deep into the ground. These piles must stay wet from the underground water to prevent them from rotting.

The church's main entrance might have been inspired by the Saint Trophîme in Arles, France.

The beautiful paintings inside the church cover over 21,500 square feet. They were all created by American artists. Architect Richardson and Rector Brooks wanted a very colorful inside. They asked John La Farge (1835–1910) to help. La Farge had never done such a big project, but he knew it was important. He only asked for his costs to be covered. His work made him very famous.

When the church opened in 1877, most of its windows were clear glass. But soon, many amazing stained-glass windows were added. Four windows were designed by Edward Burne-Jones and made by William Morris's studio. Four other windows were special creations by John La Farge. He used layers of special glass to create new effects. The Suter window was painted by Charles Mills.

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" 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 building was officially named a National Historic Landmark on December 30, 1970.

The church also has sculptures by famous artists like 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 about 1900.

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

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  Trinity Church next to the John Hancock Tower.

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  The "Nativity of Jesus" stained-glass window 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