Church of the Holy Trinity, Philadelphia

Philadelphia, United States

Open to visitors

The interior is normally open, possibly ticketed.

Strollie cannot guarantee access — always check before you travel.

Find out more

Church of the Holy Trinity is an Episcopal church on Rittenstone Square in Philadelphia, built in 1857 and designed by Scottish architect John Notman in the Romanesque Revival style. The first service was held on March 27, 1859. A corner tower was added in 1867 by George W. Hewitt of the firm Fraser, Furness & Hewitt. The church is distinguished by its simpler "low church" aesthetic, contrasting with the Anglo-Catholic grandeur of Notman's nearby St. Mark's. The church gained broader historical prominence during the rectorship of Phillips Brooks (1862–1869), who delivered a widely reprinted eulogy for Abraham Lincoln on April 23, 1865, and later wrote the lyrics to "O Little Town of Bethlehem," set to music by the church organist Louis Redner in 1868. The church is also renowned for its stained-glass windows, including five by Louis Comfort Tiffany and one by Luc-Olivier Merson. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.