TRINITY CHURCH’S SECRET DOOR

BY NATALIA PARUZ
Forgotten New York guest post

HIDDEN in plain sight, just steps from the bustling main doors of Trinity Church at Broadway and Wall Street, lies a piece of history—though most people completely miss it when entering the church. What appears to be a solid, immovable section of the interior wood paneled wall is actually a “secret” door. It is very heavy, forged from the very wall of the church, and serves as the exclusive threshold for a select few: the Sunday Service livestream operators and the dedicated band of bell ringers. The journey to this hidden portal is as atmospheric as the destination. Before reaching the door, you must first navigate the quiet paths of the churchyard, passing weathered gravestones that date back to the 1600s. Once through the heavy secret door, the modern world vanishes, replaced by a an ascent of 99 winding stairs and a final vertical ladder. It is a climb that strips away the noise of lower Manhattan, preparing you for the rhythmic tradition awaiting at the top.

Emerging into the bell ringing chamber, you find yourself in a space where time seems to have folded in on itself. Twelve thick ropes hang from the ceiling in a perfect circle, each connected to a massive bell high above. This is the inner sanctum for “change ringing,” a complex, mathematical art form that has remained largely unchanged since the 17th century. Surrounded by the old stones of the tower, the setting provides the perfect gravity for a hobby that is as much about mental calculations and physical endurance as it is about communal harmony. Here is a sample of the ringing in the tower.

Natalia Paruz, known as “The Saw Lady,” is a professional sawist and bell ringer. She was the founder and director of the annual Musical Saw Festival in New York City, organized a musical saw festival in Israel, a columnist with the Saw Player News and a judge at international musical saw competitions. She was also a judge for Music Under New York and for Little Island at Pier 55. She has performed with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Maestro Zubin Mehta, with the Westchester Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by maestro Paul Dunkel, the Royal Air Moroccan Symphony Orchestra, at Lincoln Center’s Avery Fisher Hall with both PDQ Bach composer Peter Schickele, and with the Little Orchestra Society conducted by maestro Dino Anagnost, and at festivals such as the Lincoln Center Out of Doors Festival, the Utah Arts Festival, the World Trade Center’s Buskers Fair, Queens Farm Museum Agricultural Fair, Ecofest NY, and Harmony Day.

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5/7/26