Press reports at the times of the opening and consecration of the building (1878) refer most frequently to "the American Episcopal Church".

[1] In 1876 The Emmanuel Chapel Company was formed for the construction of a church; MM Barbey, Bates, Delavin, Collins and Marcelin being the administrators.

The foundation stone of the building was laid on 27 July 1877 by former American President Ulysses S. Grant on land donated by Henry I. Barbey, on what was then the Rue des Voirons.

The first service took place in the church on Easter Sunday, 21 April 1878, in the presence of the American Consul and Vice-Consul.

[1] In 1976 the Parish House suffered damage from subsidence caused by the excavation for a new hotel nearby.

It is exceptional in that it depicts both Christ in Glory and Jesus as a baby; a window in Genoa is the only other known in Europe.

The diversity of religious backgrounds includes Episcopalian 24%, Roman Catholic 20%, with a mixture of Anglican and other Protestant traditions contributing 45%.

The size of the congregation, being composed mainly of expatriates, has varied greatly over the years with changes in the political and economic climate.

[12] The monthly ministry to those in need at "Jardin de Montbrillant", the local Soup kitchen, was suspended in March 2020, though financial contributions continued, and was resumed in the summer of 2022.

William Chauncy Langdon,[14] the first rector, had previously founded "Grace Church" in Rome (later renamed St. Paul's Within the Walls) in 1859,[15] and St James's in Florence, in about 1870.

Canon Nicolas T. Porter (Rector 2000-2005) and his wife Dorothy were the founders of Jerusalem Peacebuilders[16] Other window dedications: N1: Martha B. Wheaton, July 6th 1879 N3: Elizabeth Alvina Hyde, 1814-1886 N4: Margarita Alden Parks, 3rd January 1854 - 25th February 1888 S3: Mary Norwood Howell S4: Jane E. Vail, 1848-1934 S5: Charles M. Belden, Rector: 1902-1919 Visiting worshippers have included President Dwight D. Eisenhower, and the civil rights activist Andrew Young.