Trinity Church | |
 Trinity Church inBoston | |
    | |
| Location | Boston,Massachusetts, U.S. |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 42°21′0″N71°4′32″W / 42.35000°N 71.07556°W /42.35000; -71.07556 |
| Built | 1872–77 |
| Architect | Henry Hobson Richardson |
| Architectural style | Richardsonian Romanesque |
| Part of | Back Bay Historic District (ID73001948) |
| NRHP reference No. | 70000733[1] |
| 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, located in theBack Bay neighborhood ofBoston,Massachusetts, is aparish of theEpiscopal Diocese of Massachusetts. The congregation, currently standing at approximately 4,000 households, was founded in 1733.[2] Three services are offered each Sunday, and weekday services are offered four times a week from September through June. Within the spectrum of worship styles in the Anglican tradition, Trinity Church has historically been considered aBroad Church parish.
In addition to worship, the parish is actively involved in service to the community, pastoral care, programs for children and teenagers, and Christian education for all ages. The church is home to several high-level choirs, including the Trinity Choir, Trinity Schola, Trinity Choristers, and Trinity Chamber Choir. The building, designed byHenry Hobson Richardson, is currently under study for becoming aBoston Landmark.[3]
After itsformer site onSummer Street burned in theGreat Boston Fire of 1872, the current church complex was erected under the direction of RectorPhillips Brooks (1835–1893), one of the best-known and most charismatic preachers of his time.
The church and parish house were designed byHenry Hobson Richardson and construction took place from 1872 to 1877, when the complex was consecrated. Situated onCopley Square inBack Bay, Trinity Church is the building that established Richardson's reputation. It is the birthplace and archetype of theRichardsonian Romanesque style, characterized by a clay roof, polychromy, rough stone, heavy arches, and a massive tower. This style was soon adopted for a number of public buildings across the United States. The stone used wasDedham Granite.[4]
Stanford White, then working in H.H. Richardson's office, designed the current main tower of the Trinity Church of Boston in 1872, basing it on the romanesque tower of theOld Cathedral of Salamanca (Spain).[5][6]
According to L.C. Norton, the inventor of door checks, the heavy main entrance doors of Trinity Church were the first to be fitted with a quiet and effective means to resist slamming.[7] This led to a patented pneumatic door check that was seen throughout the 1880s to 1910s. Norton's door check device eventually developed into the moderndoor closer with his guidance in both the Norton Door Controls and LCN companies.[8]
Each December, the choirs of Trinity offer three iterations of a service of Candlelight Carols. These are a "Boston tradition", and very popular events, drawing nearly 5,000 attendees from as far away asMaine. A traditional scene in Copley Square in December is that of a long line of people waiting to enter the church for the free event. The service is based on theNine Lessons and Carols model developed atKing's College, Cambridge from a service atTruro Cathedral inCornwall.
In addition to their primary function of supporting worship, the choirs of Trinity Church are fixtures in the rich musical landscape of Boston. The Trinity Choir has toured extensively, and can be heard on several critically acclaimed recordings. The Trinity Choristers are a group of children who learn music and sing in the tradition of the Royal School of Church Music. The current Director of Music and Organist is Colin Lynch.[9] The Trinity Choir and Trinity Choristers tourEngland every three years, serving as choirs-in-residence at major houses of worship such asEly Cathedral,Chichester Cathedral, andWestminster Abbey (summer 2016).
The nave and chancel organs feature 121 stops, 113 ranks, and 6898 pipes.
Trinity Church offers three services ofHoly Eucharist on Sundays. Weekday services include WednesdayEvensong and TuesdayHoly Eucharist, as well as an online-onlyCompline service on Tuesday and Thursday evenings.
Trinity has played host to many special services over the years, due mainly to its central location in Boston, large seating capacity, and reputation as a parish willing to open its doors and be "Boston's church." These services have included interfaith (Christian,Jewish,Muslim) services immediately following the9/11 attacks, a similar service following theJuly 2005 London bombings, and many prominent funerals, consecrations of bishops, and the like.
The parish supports many forms of community outreach and social justice ministry. These include partnerships withRosie's Place, the Greater Boston Interfaith Organization, Pine Street Inn,Habitat for Humanity, Community Servings, theWalk for Hunger, the Rodman Ride for Kids, and others. The Trinity Boston Foundation is a nonprofit organization with a mission to support the social and emotional well-being and development of young people. Formed in 2007, it grew out of several of Trinity Church's outreach ministries, and now functions as a separately incorporated subsidiary organization that directly serves approximately 500 young people in the Boston community. Trinity Boston Connects' (formerly known as the Trinity Boston Foundation) programs honor and respect people of all faith traditions, including those with no faith tradition.[11]
In theEpiscopal Church in the United States of America, theRector is the priest elected to head a self-supporting parish. Because of the importance of Trinity Church in the life of the city of Boston, the Rectors had great influence in the political and social sphere, especially in the early years of the church through the mid-1900s.
Phillips Brooks, who was Rector from 1869 to 1891 has been memorialized in the official calendar of the Episcopal Church. His feast day in the calendar according to the 1979Book of Common Prayer is January 23. His statue is located on the left exterior of the church.
The following are the Rectors of Trinity Church from its founding to the present day:
The building's plan is a modifiedGreek Cross with four arms extending outwards from the central tower, which stands 64 m (211 ft) tall. The church is situated inCopley Square, and since the 1970s, in the shadow of theJohn Hancock Tower. Having been built in Boston'sBack Bay, which was originally amud flat, Trinity rests on some 4,500 wooden piles, each driven through 30 feet ofgravel fill,silt, andclay, and constantly wetted by the water table of the Back Bay as they will rot if exposed to air.
The central portal may have been modeled on that ofSaint Trophîme at Arles,[12]
Its interiormurals, which cover over 21,500 square feet (2,000 m2) were completed entirely by American artists. Richardson and Brooks decided that a richly colored interior was essential and turned toJohn La Farge (1835–1910) for help. La Farge had never performed a commission on this scale, but realized its importance and asked only for his costs to be covered. The results established La Farge's reputation.[13]
The church's windows were originally clear glass at consecration in 1877, with one exception, but soon major windows were added. Four windows were designed byEdward Burne-Jones and executed by the studio ofWilliam Morris. Another four windows were exceptional commissions byJohn La Farge, and revolutionized window glass with their layering of opalescent glass. The Suter window (donated by Hales W. Suter) was painted byCharles Mills.[14]
Trinity Church is the only church in the United States and the only building in Boston that has been honored as one of the "Ten Most Significant Buildings in the United States" by theAmerican Institute of Architects. In 1885, architects voted Trinity Church as the most important building in the U.S.; Trinity Church is the only building from the original 1885 list still included in the AIA's current top ten list.[citation needed] The building was designated aNational Historic Landmark on December 30, 1970.[15]
The church also houses sculptures byDaniel Chester French andAugustus Saint-Gaudens.
In 1985 Trinity Church was featured in the opening scene of the second television episode portraying novelistRobert B. Parker's character— Boston's preeminent detective,Spenser— inSpenser For Hire: "No Room at the Inn".
Interior scenes from the 1999 thrillerThe Boondock Saints were filmed within Trinity Church.[16]
The church was featured in the 2015 video gameFallout 4.
The Trinity Church was prominently shown inReba McEntire's 1986 music video for "Whoever's in New England".
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