The first public building erected in Back Bay in 1861, this graceful church features extraordinary Tiffany windows and 16 bells in its steeple. The church’s Unitarian Universalist ministry is purely progressive, as it has been since Rev William Ellery Channing preached in the building's predecessor in the early 19th century. (A statue in his honor stands across the street in the Public Garden.)


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

1. Krakow Witkin Gallery

0.04 MILES

After years of fruitful cooperation, Barbara Krakow and Andrew Witkin finally renamed their venerable gallery – previously the Barbara Krakow Gallery – to…

2. Statue of George Washington

0.13 MILES

At the main (Arlington St) entrance to the Public Garden, visitors are met by a statue of George Washington mounted nobly on his horse.

3. Gallery Naga

0.13 MILES

Inside the Gothic digs of the Church of the Covenant, Gallery Naga exhibits contemporary painters, featuring many highly regarded local and regional…

4. Ether Monument

0.2 MILES

On the northwest side of the lagoon in the Public Garden, the Ether Monument commemorates the first use of anesthesia (in Boston) for medical purposes.

5. Gibson House Museum

0.24 MILES

Catherine Hammond Gibson was considered quite the pioneer when she moved to this Italian Renaissance row house in 1860 (that she was a female homeowner in…

6. Public Garden

0.25 MILES

Adjoining Boston Common, the Public Garden is a 24-acre botanical oasis of Victorian flower beds, verdant grass and weeping willow trees shading a…

7. Make Way for Ducklings Statue

0.25 MILES

The most endearing of the Public Garden monuments is Make Way for Ducklings, always a favorite with kids. The sculpture depicts the characters in Robert…

8. Trinity Church

0.26 MILES

A masterpiece of American architecture, Trinity Church is the country's ultimate example of Richardsonian Romanesque. The granite exterior, with a massive…