Remembering the Tragic 9/11 Terrorist Attack

On this day, 9/11 in 2001, two planes flew into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, tragically killing 2,977 innocent people, including 37 Greek Americans.

Saint Nicholas Church, which commenced services in 1922, was named after Agios Nikolaos, Patron Saint of Sailors. It was the first stopping point for many Greek migrants after they left Ellis Island, the United States’ busiest migrant inspection station. For 85 years, the Saint Nicholas Church stood at 155 Cedar St, New York City, until the shocking terrorist attack occurred.

The only remains were the damaged icon of Agios Dionysios of Zakynthos, the icon of Panagia, the Mother of God of the Life-giving Spring, and a small handful of other religious items. The Church’s most valuable religious items, including the relics of Agios Nikolaos, Agia Ekaterini, and Agios Savvas, were never recovered after the attack.

The nearby Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church and National Shrine at the World Trade Center was the only house of worship destroyed when the South Tower collapsed. However, this church was rebuilt over the course of just over two decades and reopened in December 2022. 

The church’s rebirth would be a two-decade-long process with multiple delays, discussions, and setbacks. It involved talks, mediated by then-New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo, between the church’s officials and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which owns and operates the World Trade Center campus. When the groundbreaking for the new church finally happened in 2014, construction was stopped three years later due to funding issues.

In December 2019, the Friends of Saint Nicholas was founded to help raise and distribute funding for the construction, and the building project was restarted in 2020. Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava was appointed to design the new church. Calatrava is also responsible for creating The Oculus, a major transportation hub and shopping mall alongside the World Trade Center.

Calatrava was reported to have been influenced by Byzantine architecture in his design plans for the new church, drawing upon marvels such as the Hagia Sofia and the Chora Church—or Kariye Mosque—in Istanbul. 

In June 2023, the Society of American Registered Architects honoured Calatrava and his firm with a Special Award for Innovation in Institutional Design at their awards gala.

The bright white building contains a large amount of Pentelic marble, which the Greek government donated. (This is the same material used in constructing the Acropolis.) 

The church’s dome is made up of 40 ribs, in homage to the ribs of Saint Nicholas—the patron saint of Greece and of this church’s shrine and a major figure within the Greek Orthodox Christian faith—and 40 windows. The dome is also reportedly made with thin stone and glass laminated panels that, at night, illuminate the church’s façade. 

The church’s interior is adorned with Greek Orthodox Christian iconography, with murals painted by an iconographer and monk named Father Loukas from the Xenophontos Monastery in Mount Athos, Greece.

A few of these religious symbols and scenes include:

• The Birth of Christ
• The Baptism of Christ
• The communion of the apostles
• The Ascension 
• Pentecost
• Saint Nicholas himself

Some of the church’s murals reflect on 9/11. For example, an icon of the Virgin Mary embraces a panoramic image of New York City. Another portrays St. Nicholas—who is also viewed within the Greek Orthodox Christian faith as the protector of sailors and fishermen—as a seafarer, pulling a drowning man out of the water. Underneath a painted boat carrying passengers is a depiction of the Lower Manhattan skyline.

Across from the shrine, you’ll find a small gift shop worth browsing after your self-guided church tour. Staff is also on hand to answer questions. 

The Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church and National Shrine is located on Liberty Street in an elevated section of Liberty Park. It overlooks the area’s World Trade Center memorial pools, close to the church’s original location. Visitors heading to the 9/11 Memorial & Museum can also stop at the church, which is just a short walk away. Their address is 130 Liberty Street. 

The general public can visit the Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church and National Shrine at the World Trade Center Monday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. It’s closed on Tuesdays. 

Yes, visitors can go inside the shrine on the ground floor and view the murals and altar. The church is an active house of worship, with services on Sundays and other days of the week. Visit the church’s website to confirm scheduling. 

There is no admission charge. 

Visiting the church via public transit? The nearest subway stops are the R and W lines, which stop at the Cortland St. station, and the 4 and 5 lines, which stop at the Fulton St. station.