The Christmas holiday season will likely conjure images of Trinity Church for those who know its history. And that's not just because the magnificent 'Richardsonian Romanesque' structure located at the head of Copley Square takes on an almost ethereal quality at that time of year, when early darkness and light snow combine to create a picture-perfect setting. Fans of the church - and it has an abundance of followers - know that two of its former ministers wrote songs that have become Christmas classics. John J. Hopkins, assistant minister from 1831 to 1832 wrote 'We Three Kings of Orient Are' and Phillips Brooks, minister from 1869 to 1891 wrote 'O Little Town of Bethlehem.' Savvy readers will note that Hopkins served and Brooks began his ministry before Trinity Church as we know it was constructed at its present site -- overlooking Copley Square. The congregation pre-dates the current church structure by almost 150 years, worshipping first at a small structure (c.1735) on Summer Street and later at a larger church (c. 1828) at the same site. When this second church was destroyed during the Great Fire in 1872, the congregation decided to rebuild at a site in the city's newest neighborhood, Back Bay. Created by filling wetlands with gravel transported by train from suburban Needham, Back Bay was regarded as Boston's up-and-coming neighborhood. That being said, it was still marshland before the fill, which meant the design and construction of the new Trinity Church (c. 1877) had to take into consideration the possibility that too much weight could sink the building. To that end, Trinity Church stands on a foundation of four giant granite pyramids and a series of more than 4,000 wooden pilings. Back on the surface, the design of Trinity Church has been dubbed 'Richardson Romanesque' in deference to the adjustments architect Henry Hobson Robinson made to traditional Romanesque style in the design of the building. Those adjustments included the use of light-colored granite from nearby Dedham combined with red-hued sandstone from the town of Longmeadow. The result is a mix of color and texture reminiscent of desert sand sculpture. Named by the American Institute of Architects as one of the 10 greatest public buildings in the United States, Trinity Church remains a vibrant spiritual center attracting a flock of faithful celebrants for Sunday worship and filling the air with the resounding rhythm of a half-hour pipe organ recital beginning at 12:15 p.m. on Fridays from September through mid-June.
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