Sacred Spaces of New England

Formed in 1948, Trinity Lutheran Church is the result of the merger of three nearby parishes: First Evangelical Lutheran Church (1881), Bethany Evangelical Lutheran Church (1900) and Calvary Evangelical Lutheran Church (1921). Designed by architect and World War I pilot Jens Frederick Larson, Trinity’s structure is inspired by both New England’s traditional architecture and Scandinavian church design, as many of the founding parishioners were of Swedish descent. The sanctuary’s cream colored brick walls include Norman arches supported by limestone columns, allowing for 800 parishioners to be seated in the church’s oak pews at one time. Both natural light and Swedish designed chandeliers in the form of clustered leaves illuminate the nave of the sanctuary. While the flooring of the nave is made of slate from the Green Mountains of Vermont, the ceiling has 128 marvelously painted oak panels depicting both the Old and New Testament by artist Arthur Covey. With the architectural remnants from the congregation’s earlier houses of worship within the chancel of the sanctuary, it is only fitting that a plaque mounted on the church’s wall reads, “This church was erected to the Glory of God and in memory of those pioneers of the nineteenth century who here, sought a new home, bringing with them little, save their faith in God and their trust in America.”