New St. Nicholas church and national shrine dedicated at the World Trade Center
Nov 02, 2021
The original St. Nicholas Church at the World Trade Center in Manhattan was completely destroyed in the attacks of September 11, 2001. Now, more than 20 years later, a new St. Nicholas has been built near the same site to serve as both a church and a national shrine and community center open to all. Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I presided over the official dedication ceremony on November 2.
The new St. Nicholas, which will welcome the public in the months to come, was designed by renowned Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava. The structure, which includes a Greek Orthodox church and a dedicated bereavement space, will host remembrance programs for family members of those who lost their lives on 9/11 as well as cultural and interfaith education programs.
The Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) provided a major grant to support the project, as it has for other efforts to rebuild and memorialize at the World Trade Center site, namely the 9/11 Memorial & Museum and the Perelman Performing Arts Center.