Church of the Holy Trinity
Rittenhouse Square

Founded in 1857, The Church of the Holy Trinity was designed and built by Scottish Architect John Notman in the "Norman style" with non-ornate straight lines, semi-circular arches, simple trusses, flat ceiling and a shallow chancel. The tower design is derived from the nine towers of the Abbaye-aux-Hommes in Caen (Normandy) France. It satisfied the needs of a large population of low-church Episcopalians moving from early settlements along the Delaware River toward the less crowded Rittenhouse Square area. It is also the church where Phillip Brooks composed the holiday classic, "O Little Town of Bethlehem" in 1868.