In the title compound, C(26)H(14)Cl(6)N(2), the phenanthroline ring system is essentially planar, with an r.m.s. deviation of 0.048 (6) Å, and makes dihedral angles of 64.8 (14) and 66.6 (6)° with the two terminal phenyl rings. One of the trichloro-methyl groups is disordered over two positions, with occupancies of 0.42 (2) and 0.58 (2).