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Visitors Guide to
the
Located in the heart of Soulard
neigborhood of St. Louis, five minutes south of downtown hotels and one
block south of the famous Soulard Market, Trinity Lutheran Church houses the
oldest Lutheran congregation west of the Mississippi River. The congregation
was founded in 1839 by Saxon immigrants who had planned to settle in Perry
County, Missouri but ended up staying in St. Louis. The congregation first
held services in the basement of Christ Church Cathedra and then at their
first building on Lombard Street, which was consecrated in 1842. As the congregation
grew and many members had moved away to the southern edge of the St. Louis a
new church was needed. In 1864, the cornerstone was laid for a new church at
the present site that seated 900 on the ground floor and 150 in each of two
balconies. The Gothic-style pulpit with hand-carved statues of Matthew,
Mark, Luke and John is the original and was made in 1864. The church's
intricately carved baptismal font dates to 1864 and three of the church's
four bells were cast in 1866. The church's gleaming white and gold carved
altar against the pink backdrop of the vaulted sanctuary dates from 1896.
Two massive stained glass windows depict the Good Shepherd and the
Victorious Savior. Display cases in the church hold several Bibles from the
1600s and old photographs. Also displayed is memorabilia of C. F. W.
Walther, the congregation's second pastor and one of the founders of the
Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. When the congregation was originally established it was called "Dreieinigkeitskirche" which meant "Trinity Lutheran" but changed its name in 1917 due to anti-German sentiments in World War I. Services are still conducted in German once a month. The church's school is the oldest continuously operating elementary school in St. Louis and dates to the time the Saxons spent on the boat sailing from Europe. The historic building underwent a restoration in the 1980s. Visiting the
Historic Trinity Lutheran Church
Historic Trinity Lutheran Church - Official site of Historic Trinity Lutheran Church.
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