Consecrated on Thanksgiving Day, November 25, 1886, The American Cathedral in Paris (formally known as the Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity) is the gathering church for the Convocation of Episcopal Churches in Europe. The American Cathedral is part of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church is located in central Paris between the Champs-Elysées and the River Seine on avenue George V in the 8th arrondissement.
The American Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, America's Episcopal/Anglican church in Paris, has served the American community since the 1830s when services were organized in the garden pavilion of the Hôtel Matignon, the home of Colonel Herman Thorn, (now the official residence of the French Prime Minister). A parish was formally established in 1859 and the first church building consecrated in 1864 on Rue Bayard.
The cathedral appears in the painting Après l'Office à l'Église de la Sainte-Trinité, Noël 1890 ("After the Service at Holy Trinity Church, Christmas 1890") by Jean Béraud. The original painting is on loan to the Musée Carnavalet in the 3d arrondissement of Paris.
During the German occupation of France during World War II (1940-44), the cathedral was taken over by the German military chaplaincy.
The American Cathedral is a large urban parish with an active, committed and diverse congregation.
The ministries of the church include Parish Life, Christian Education, Development, Finance, Mission & Outreach, Community Outreach, Stewardship, 20s and 30s group and Music. The building hosts a bilingual Montessori school, recovery groups such as AA, weekly free concert series at noon sponsored by Les Arts George V, and many more community-based services.