American Cathedral in Paris
Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity
Cathédrale Américaine de Paris
The bell tower, among the tallest in Paris
American Cathedral in Paris The location of the American Cathedral in Paris
48°52′3.0″N2°18′3.0″E / 48.867500°N 2.300833°E /48.867500; 2.300833
Location	23Avenue George V,Paris,75008
Country	France
Denomination	Episcopal Church
Churchmanship	High Church
Website	americancathedral.org
History
Status	Cathedral
Founded	1859
Consecrated	1864 (rue Bayard), 1886 (Avenue George-V)
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Heritage designation	Monument Historique PA75080002[1]
Designated	August 27, 1997
Architect(s)	George Edmund Street, Arthur E. Street,Arthur Blomfield
Style	Gothic Revival architecture
Groundbreaking	1882
Completed	1886
Specifications
Length	146 feet (45 m)
Width	70 feet (21 m)
Height	58 feet (18 m)
Spire height	280 feet (85 m)
Materials	St. Maximin and Savonniere stone,Ancy-le-Franc marble
Administration
Province	Province II
Diocese	Convocation of Episcopal Churches in Europe
Clergy
Bishop	Mark D. W. Edington
Dean	James R. Harlan
Canon Missioner	Hailey Jacobsen
Laity
Director of music	George Nicholls (interim)
Organist	Andrew Dewar
Organ scholar	George Throup
Churchwarden(s)	Kim Powell Angelina Stelmach Blundell
Music group	The American Cathedral Choir
Parish administrator	Timothy Thompson

TheAmerican Cathedral in Paris (French:Cathédrale Américaine de Paris), formally known as theCathedral Church of the Holy Trinity, is one of the oldest English-speaking churches in Paris. It is the gathering church for theConvocation of Episcopal Churches in Europe, and is part of the worldwideAnglican Communion. The church is located in centralParis between theChamps-Elysées and the RiverSeine at 23avenue George V in the8th arrondissement.^[2] The closestmétro stations areAlma – Marceau andGeorge V.

The origins of the American Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, an English-speaking Episcopal church in Paris, date back to the 1830s when American Episcopalians began to meet together for services in the garden pavilion of theHôtel Matignon, now the official residence of the French prime minister, then the home of American expatriate Colonel Herman Thorn (1783–1859).^[3] In 1859, the formal establishment of a parish took place and in 1864 the first church building was consecrated on Rue Bayard.^[4]

It was in the 1870s that John B. Morgan, who was a cousin ofJ. P. Morgan, became the rector of Holy Trinity Parish. He decided that the congregation needed a larger church and began a fund-raising effort which was successful in raising the money needed. The site that was purchased for construction is onAvenue George V (then called Avenue de l'Alma) and was originally part of the estate of the half-brother of EmperorNapoléon III, theDuc de Morny. The plans were approved in October 1882 and construction was completed in less than four years. The church had its inaugural services in September 1886.

Consecration of the church took place onThanksgiving Day, 25 November 1886, which coincided with the dedication of theStatue of Liberty in New York. Holy Trinity became a cathedral in 1922, continuing as a parish church and also serving as the official seat of the bishop in charge of Episcopal churches in Europe.^[5]

The cathedral appears in the paintingAprès l'Office à l'Église de la Sainte-Trinité, Noël 1890 ("After the Service at Holy Trinity Church, Christmas 1890") byJean Béraud. The original painting is on loan to theMusée Carnavalet in the3rd arrondissement.^[6]

During theGerman occupation of France during World War II (1940–44), the cathedral was taken over by the German military chaplaincy.^[7]

The congregation of the American Cathedral is composed of around four hundred permanent parishioners supplemented by many students, tourists, and business travelers. The ministries of the church include parish life, Christian education, development, finance, mission and outreach, community outreach, stewardship, the 20s and 30s group, and music. The building hosts a bilingualMontessori school, recovery groups such as AA, a weekly free concert series on Sundays sponsored by Les Arts George V,Paris Choral Society and many more community-based services.^[8]

The current building was designed by English architectGeorge Edmund Street, who had also designed theAmerican Church in Rome, in theGothic Revival style. He subscribed to what he called "ethical architecture," such that if something seems to be a column made of marble, then it should be an actual column, needed for a structural reason, made of marble.

Street died in December 1881 before the finalization of plans and his son, Arthur E. Street, as well asArthur Blomfield, took over the work. While the chancel and aisles vaults are stone, the nave is vaulted in oak, perhaps due to the constrained site preventing the buttresses that would be required for the weight of a stone ceiling. The construction was accomplished by Henry Lovatt of Wolverhampton.^[9]

While the main part of the church was completed by 1886, construction on the tower and other work continued for more than two decades. The stained-glass windows were designed by James Bell and constructed between 1883 and 1893. Forty-two in number, their theme is the words of theTe Deum. The tower, at 280 feet (85 m) among the tallest in Paris, was dedicated on Easter Sunday in 1909.^[10]

• 
  Nave and part of the organ.
• 
  Avenue George V with the American Cathedral in Paris in the background.
• 
  Baptismal font
• 
  The altar
• 
  Tapestry of the American Cathedral in Paris in the self-same cathedral.
• 
  Tapestry ofSt. Bartholomew's Episcopal Church in Manhattan.
• 
  The Courtyard of the American Cathedral in Paris.

Wikimedia Commons has media related toCathédrale Américaine de Paris.

• American Church in Paris
• American Church in Berlin
• American Church in Rome
• The Scots Kirk

• Allen, Cameron (2013).The History of the American Pro-Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, Paris (1815-1980). iUniverse.ISBN 978-1475937824.

• Official website

• Anglican cathedrals in Europe
• Episcopal (ECUSA) church buildings in Europe
• Protestant churches in Paris
• American expatriates in France
• Buildings and structures in the 8th arrondissement of Paris
• Cathedrals in Paris
• 19th-century Anglican church buildings in France

• Pages using gadget WikiMiniAtlas
• Articles with French-language sources (fr)
• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Coordinates on Wikidata
• Articles containing French-language text
• Commons category link from Wikidata