First wooden chapel 1852 (≈ 1852)
Edited rue de Clichy on the Tivoli site.
1861-1867
Construction of the present church
Construction of the present church 1861-1867 (≈ 1864)
Directed by Théodore Ballu in the framework of Haussmannian works.
1869
Installation of large organs
Installation of large organs 1869 (≈ 1869)
Work of Aristide Cavaillé-Coll, restored after the Commune.
1913
Consecration of the parish
Consecration of the parish 1913 (≈ 1913)
First French parish entrusted to the Community of Emmanuel in 1986.
1977
Registration for historical monuments
Registration for historical monuments 1977 (≈ 1977)
First official protection of the building.
2016
Final classification
Final classification 2016 (≈ 2016)
Full protection of the church and its square.
2019
Discovery of twin clocks
Discovery of twin clocks 2019 (≈ 2019)
Mechanism identical to that of Notre-Dame, destroyed during the fire.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Key figures
Théodore Ballu - Architect
Church designer in neo-Renaissance style (1861-1867).
Baron Haussmann - Prefect of Paris
Sponsor of the transfer in the context of urban transformations.
Aristide Cavaillé-Coll - Organ factor
Creator of the great organs in 1869, restored after 1871.
Olivier Messiaen - Full organist
It was composed for 61 years (1931-1992).
Alexandre Guilmant - Organist and composer
Holder from 1872 to 1901, created his works on this organ.
Jean-Marie Lustiger - Cardinal Archbishop of Paris
The parish was entrusted to the Community of Emmanuel in 1986.
Eugène Guillaume - Sculptor
Author of statues of the facade (Augustin, Grégoire de Naziance).
Félix-Joseph Barrias - Painter
Director of the paintings of Saint Geneviève Chapel.
Origin and history
The church of the Holy Trinity of Paris was originally built in 1852 as a polychrome wooden chapel on the site of the ancient Tivoli. In 1861, as part of the Haussmannian transformations of Paris under Napoleon III, its stone reconstruction was decided at its present location, Place d'Estienne-d'Orves. The architect Théodore Ballu designed an imposing building (90 m long, 65 m steeple) to mark the perspective of Rue de la Chaussée-d'Antin, while raising it to marry the slope of the hill Montmartre. Costing 3.2 million francs, the church was completed in 1867 and became a symbol of imperial Paris.
Inside, richly decorated in an academic style prized by Napoleon III, includes an elevated choir flanked by columns symbolizing the Ten Commandments, murals depicting the Fathers of the Church, and an imperial balcony never used. The lateral chapels, dedicated to saints such as Vincent de Paul or Geneviève, house works by renowned painters (Barrias, Lecomte du Nouÿ, Laugée). The organ, built by Cavaillé-Coll in 1869 and restored after the Commune, was played by illustrious owners such as Alexandre Guilmant and Olivier Messiaen, the latter of whom was 61 years old.
Ranked a historic monument in 2016 (after a first inscription in 1977), the church is linked to significant events: funerals of Berlioz, Rossini and Bizet, or the discovery in 2019 that its clocks, worked by Collin-Wagner in 1867, shared the same mechanism as that of Notre-Dame, destroyed during the fire. The parish, entrusted in 1986 to the Emmanuel Community by Cardinal Lustiger, remains an active place of worship and a witness to the religious architecture of the Second Empire.
The exterior, in an eclectic neo-Renaissance style inspired by the Italian Renaissance, features a facade decorated with statues of the Church Fathers (Gregory, Augustine, Thomas Aquinas) and theological virtues. The adjacent square, designed by Alphand, recaptures the Trinitarian symbolism with three triple-basket fountains. The church served as a model for other buildings, such as Saint-Martin d'Hayange (1884) or Saint-Jean-Baptiste de Québec (1883), illustrating its architectural influence.
The stained glass windows of the abside, commissioned in Oudinot, Nicod and Leloir in 1864, narrated the life of the Virgin, while the frescoes and murals (Delaunay, Jobbé-Duval) combine biblical scenes and allegories. The sculptures, signed Dubios, Moreau or Gumery, complete this stunning decor. Access to some chapels, reserved for the choir balconies, remains forbidden to the public, preserving unknown frescoes.
Today, the Church of the Holy Trinity, accessible from the Saint-Lazare train station or the Trinity metro station - the Estienne d'Orves, remains a place of living heritage. Its clocks, historic organs and architecture make it a key monument to the 9th arrondissement, both a witness to Haussmann's urbanism and a place of memory for major musical and religious figures.
