The original St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church cast a reverent and faithful shadow on the World Trade Center. Greeks purchased the row house in 1892 as a community home, and it became the Saint Nicholas Church in 1916. For many Greeks immigrants, it would have been their first stop after seeing the Statue of Liberty and disembarking from Ellis Island. The little church was a spiritual jewel, open to all. Generations of New Yorkers stopped in to light a candle, say a prayer, or just sit quietly.

Everything changed on 9/11. Saint Nicholas was completely destroyed in the collapse of World Trade Center Tower Two during the terrorist attacks. It was the only house of worship destroyed on that horrible day in 2001.
However, the rebuilding of the church took many years with many twists and turns both political and financial. December of 2022 saw the dream of a new church turn into a reality. The rebuilt church was designed by Santiago Calatrava. Mr. Calatrava is a world-renowned Spanish architect whose innovative sculptural forms have earned him unprecedented recognition and accolades all around the globe. He developed his plan from a wealth of Byzantine precedents, including the famous Church in Chora and the Hagia Sophia itself. His artistic inspiration for the design emerged from the mosaics of Hagia Sophia. His renderings not only showed its appearance, but its relationship to its environment. Calatrava and his firm also designed and built the WTC's Oculus transportation hub, which opened in 2016.

A monk, Father Loukas of Xenophontos, painted the stunning icons inside the newly reopened church. One portrays Saint Nicholas as a seafarer, pulling a drowning man from raging waters. This image is a metaphor, showing how the church can be a place of solace to contemplate the terrorist attacks.

But Father Loukas also addresses 9/11 more directly: In one scene, Jesus greets first responders and firefighters who died. In another, boats on the river rescue people fleeing the burning towers. Also prominently displayed is an image of Mary watching over a panoramic depiction of Manhattan; the newly built One World Trade Center is clearly recognizable, rising up on the left.

"I personally want this church, through the iconography, to open up a new horizon for people, that they come away with hope" Father Loukas told CBS News, Scott Pelley in 2020. "If this happens, the icons will have fulfilled their purpose."

His Eminence, Archbishop Elpidophoros of America, said "This Shrine will be a place for everyone who comes to the Sacred Ground at the World Trade Center, a place for them to imagine and envision a world where mercy is inevitable, reconciliation is desirable, and forgiveness is possible. The National Shrine will stand as witness not only to the vitality of Holy Orthodoxy, but for America's commitment to religious freedom. The Shrine will be a defiant symbol of opposition to the forces or intolerance around the globe."

"Rebuild My Church". These words of our Lord Jesus Christ have all along, through these years, been the inspiration for the rebuilding of Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church. It has been rebuilt as more than the original humble Greek Orthodox Church of lower Manhattan. It is rebuilt as a National Shrine and place of pilgrimage for our Nation. And in accordance with the word of the Lord, it will be a House of Prayer for all people (Mark 11:17).

To learn more about the church and to get a taste of its artistic splendor, visit the church's website https://church.stnicholaswtc.org/