Trinity Church, New York City, Guide du visiteur et quoi faire à proximité

Trinity Church is a Gothic Revival parish church at the head of Wall Street, at 89 Broadway in Lower Manhattan, New York City. Its congregation dates to a royal charter of 1697, and the building you see today opened in 1846. It is also the church of Alexander Hamilton, who is buried in its churchyard.

The story behind it

Trinity was founded under a charter from King William III, with an annual rent of a single peppercorn. In 1705 Queen Anne added land to the church's holdings, which laid the foundation for Trinity to become one of the wealthiest parishes in the country. The first church burned in the Great Fire of 1776 during the American Revolution. A second building followed, and the present church is the third on the site.

Hamilton and his family worshipped here in the early years of the republic. After his duel with Aaron Burr in 1804, he was taken across the river to Manhattan and received communion from a Trinity clergyman before he died. He and his wife Eliza are both buried in the churchyard. The old rent has a modern footnote too: when Queen Elizabeth II visited in 1976, the church symbolically paid her 279 peppercorns in back rent.

What to look for

• The tall Gothic spire and brownstone front, which look especially dramatic against the glass towers of the Financial District.
• The bronze entrance doors, with their carved relief panels, which are among the church's finest details.
• Hamilton's grave in the churchyard, marked by a stone monument that people still stop at to leave small tributes.
• The view straight down Wall Street from the church steps, where old and new New York meet.

Tips for your visit

• Allow 20 to 30 minutes for the exterior and the churchyard, and more if you go inside. Check current opening hours and any service or event schedules before you go.
• Morning is usually calmer, and the light on the facade is good before the lunchtime crowds fill Broadway.
• The churchyard is a quiet place to pause, so keep your voice low and stay on the paths.
• You are close to Wall Street, the Federal Hall National Memorial, the New York Stock Exchange and the 9/11 Memorial, so it works well as part of a longer downtown walk.

See it on a quest

Alexander Hamilton New York: Walk in His Footsteps brings you to Trinity Church on foot as one stop on a longer route through the area. The app tells you about the place as you arrive and sets a puzzle based on what is in front of you. Since Hamilton's story runs through this churchyard, it is a fitting way to see it. It is a paid quest, and one ticket covers the whole group.

The Ghost of Wall Street, Historic Downtown New York passes Trinity as part of a walk through the old streets of downtown. You reach the church on foot, hear about it from the app, and solve a puzzle on the spot rather than just taking a photo and moving on. It is a paid quest, and one ticket covers the whole group.