The American Cathedral in Paris

The American Cathedral of the Holy Trinity features a limestone spire that stretches two hundred and eighty feet toward the sky, rising well above the slate roofs of the surrounding neighborhood. It serves as the cathedral for the Convocation of Episcopal Churches in Europe. When the cornerstone was laid in eighteen eighty-one, the congregation hoped to establish a permanent home for Americans living abroad. They held the first service on Thanksgiving Day in eighteen eighty-six, long before the construction actually reached completion.