St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church and National Shrine Reopens
By Marie
The St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, officially the St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church and National Shrine, a church and shrine in the World Trade Center in Manhattan, New York City, reopened its doors again recently.
Father Andreas Vithoulkas told reporters, “It means so much. It’s such a source of pride and joy for the Greek Orthodox being able to once again have this jewel box built here on Ground Zero in the middle of the World Trade Centre.”
The ceremony follows the 20th Anniversary remembrance of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, when the Shrine held its annual memorial service and was illuminated with its signature glow for the first time.
Rebuilt as a National Shrine, it was designed by the world-renowned architect Santiago Calatrava and sits atop Liberty Park overlooking the Memorial Pools and the 9/11 Museum.
Rev Alexander Karloutsos, a Protopresbyter in the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, told Fox News the shire symbolises “reconciliation, forgiveness…is about hope and is our aspiration for human dignity”.
“It glows amid the great, big skyscrapers, she looked like a beautiful bride and she is. And St Nicholas a shining light in the hill for all those people looking for hope and aspiration,” he added.
The architecture draws from Byzantine influences, namely the Church of the Saviour and the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, as well as from the Parthenon in Athens.
In addition to serving as a Greek Orthodox parish, St. Nicholas is officially planned as a “House of Prayer for all people” that will function as a national shrine and community centre, incorporating a secular bereavement space, social hall, and various educational and interfaith programs.
Greek immigrants founded the congregation of St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church in 1916. Parishioners initially worshipped in the dining room of a hotel on Morris Street owned by Stamatis Kalamarides.