The St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, officially the St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church and National Shrine,St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church and National Shrine . Retrieved February 3, 2018. is a church and shrine in the World Trade Center in Lower Manhattan, New York City. It is administered by the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America and has been developed by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, based upon a design by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava. The church was consecrated on July 4, 2022.

St. Nicholas replaced the original church of the same name that was destroyed during the September 11 attacks in 2001—the only house of worship, and only building outside the original World Trade Center complex, to be completely destroyed.The adjacent Deutsche Bank Building and nearby Fiterman Hall were later demolished due to severe damage and contamination The new church is located in Liberty Park, overlooking the National September 11 Memorial & Museum. Its architecture draws from Byzantine influences, namely the Church of the Savior 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 acts as a "House of Prayer for all people" that functions as a national shrine and community center, incorporating a secular bereavement space, social hall, and various educational and interfaith programs.

Initially scheduled to open in 2016, St. Nicholas' rebuilding effort was beset by delays, cost overruns, and claims of financial impropriety. In 2019, the nonprofit Friends of St. Nicholas was founded to help complete the project, which continued under the auspices of the newly elected Archbishop Elpidophoros. The church was partially opened for a memorial service commemorating the 20th anniversary of the September 11 attacks. The church fully opened on December 6, 2022, the Feast of Saint Nicholas.

History

Greek immigrants who had passed through Ellis Island founded the congregation of St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church in 1916, naming it for Saint Nicholas, the patron saint of sailors and travelers. Parishioners initially worshiped in the dining room of a hotel on Morris Street owned by Stamatis Kalamarides. In 1919, five families raised $25,000 to purchase a new location for the church, a three-story tavern at 155 Cedar Street that was originally built in the 1830s as a private home. The modest structure was converted into a church and given a fourth story, holding worship services by 1922.

St. Nicholas was only wide, long, and tall. It was originally an old calendar church, but in 1993 began holding Wednesday services according to the Gregorian calendar. It was notable for its small size and its unusual location, where it was juxtaposed with the large modern skyscrapers in the area. All of the other adjacent buildings had been demolished, leaving the church surrounded on three sides by a parking lot.

Before the September 11 attacks, the church had a dedicated congregation of about 70 families led by Father John Romas. On Wednesdays, the building was open to the public, often receiving visitors who were not Greek Orthodox. In addition to local residents and Greek immigrants, St. Nicholas attracted Greek shipping magnates passing through New York City.Zirogiannis, Marc. GREEK ORTHODOX PARISHES OF NEW YORK STATE- A PHOTO TOUR Vol. 1, Volume 1. Lulu.com, 2010. Page 18. Retrieved February 3, 2018.

September 11, 2001

The building was completely destroyed when the South Tower of the original World Trade Center collapsed, after being struck by United Airlines Flight 175 during the September 11 attacks. No one was inside when the church was destroyed; the church sexton and an electrician were able to escape only minutes before.

A 50-year-old parishioner named Bill Tarazonas, who was in the church that morning shortly before the South Tower collapsed, later said:

Very little of the church's contents were recovered. Among the most valuable physical possessions lost were some relics of St Nicholas, St Catherine, and St Sava, which had been donated to the church by Nicholas II, the last tsar of Russia; they were removed from their safe on holy days for veneration. Archbishop Demetrios expressed that having the saints' relics intermingled with the remains of the attack's victims served to sanctify the site further.. New York Architecture. Retrieved February 3, 2018. Among the items eventually found were the damaged icons of St. Dionysios of Zakynthos, the Life-giving Spring (), and a handful of miscellaneous religious items. These are to be displayed in an exhibit in the new church dedicated to its predecessor.

Rebuilding

Congregation members and Father Romas temporarily relocated to Sts. Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Brooklyn.

On December 6, 2001, the Feast Day of St. Nicholas, Archbishop Demetrios of America, joined by Archbishop Iakovos and area clergy, celebrated a somber vespers and memorial service near the location where the church once stood.St. Nicholas: On this rock I will rebuild my Church. St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church and National Shrine. Retrieved February 3, 2018.

Following its collapse, donations of almost $2 million were received, as well as additional pledges of construction materials and appointments for the complete rebuilding of the church. The city of Bari, Italy, where the relics of Saint Nicholas were originally bestowed, donated $500,000.Italian City of Bari Donates $500,000 for Reconstruction of St. Nicholas Church. Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. September 28, 2001. Retrieved October 12, 2013. The Government of Greece contributed $750,000 to these efforts, and the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople gave $50,000.Ecumenical Patriarchate Pledges $50,000 for Rebuilding of St. Nicholas Church. Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. September 27, 2001. Retrieved February 3, 2018.

Meanwhile, the plans for rebuilding the World Trade Center complex included building a new St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church quite close to the original location, on the elevated Liberty Park, diagonally from One World Trade Center.

2008–2011: plans and deal breakdown

On July 23, 2008, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey reached a deal with the leaders of the church for the Port Authority to acquire the lot that the church had occupied for $20 million; $10 million came from the Port Authority and $10 million from JPMorgan Chase & Co. Under the terms of the deal, the Port Authority would grant land and up to $20 million to help rebuild the church in a new location – in addition, the authority was willing to pay up to $40 million to construct a bomb-proof platform underneath it.

In March 2009, the Port Authority stated that it had stopped talking with the church and had canceled building St. Nicholas altogether. The Port Authority said that the church was asking for too much, and that they might delay the whole World Trade Center project. The Archdiocese, however, said that they just wanted the church back, and a third of the building would be a memorial for 9/11, a place where people of all faiths could pray and remember those who died in the attacks.

In July 2010, George Demos, a former SEC attorney and Republican Congressional candidate, first brought the failure to rebuild St. Nicholas Church into the national debate. Demos said that the executive director of the Port Authority, Chris Ward, had not made rebuilding St. Nicholas church a top priority. On August 16, 2010, Demos launched a petition on his website calling on the Port Authority to rebuild the church, calling the Port Authority "disingenuous and disrespectful". On August 23, 2010, former New York Governor George Pataki joined George Demos at a press conference to call on the Port Authority to reopen talk with officials from the Church.

During the vespers service held on December 5, 2010, Archbishop Demetrios said the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese would do anything to rebuild the church.

On February 14, 2011, the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America filed a $20 million lawsuit against the Port Authority pursuant to Section 1983 of the Civil Rights Act (42 U.S.C. § 1983),Justia Federal District Court Filings & Dockets: Civil Rights Cases filed in the New York Southern District Court. The Hellenic Eastern Orthodox Church Of Saint Nicholas Of The Downtown Part Of The City Of New York et al v. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey et al.. Filed: February 14, 2011. Case Number: 1:2011cv00985. Retrieved February 3, 2018. requesting a grand jury trial for not rebuilding the church.Shifrel, Scott. Church sues PA for $20M. Daily News (New York). February 15, 2011. Retrieved February 3, 2018.

2011: agreement to rebuild

As a result of settlement discussions mediated by the Governor of New York's office, the Port Authority and Archdiocese agreed to an independent engineering study to determine the feasibility of siting the Church at various locations in Liberty Park. The four-month study was led by construction expert Peter Lehrer, who worked on the project on a pro bono basis with Director of World Trade Center Construction Steven Plate and independent engineers Gorton & Partners and McNamara/Salvia, Inc.PORT AUTHORITY AND GREEK ORTHODOX ARCHDIOCESE ANNOUNCE AGREEMENT ON REBUILDING OF ST. NICHOLAS GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH. The Port Authority of New York & New Jersey. Press Release Number: 122. October 14, 2011. Retrieved February 3, 2018. The study concluded that structural issues could be resolved to site the Church at 130 Liberty Street at significantly lower cost than originally agreed, and with no delay to construction at the World Trade Center site.

On October 14, 2011, ten years after the church was destroyed, an agreement for the reconstruction of the church was signed that ended all legal action. Governor Andrew Cuomo, Archbishop Demetrios, and Christopher O. Ward, the executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, announced that the new church would be constructed at the intersection of Liberty and Greenwich Streets in Liberty Park, exactly where it had been envisioned three years before. However, the church would be located on a plot of 4,100 square feet, about two-thirds the size of the site in the earlier proposed plan of 2008. It would also include an adjacent nondenominational bereavement center.

The new site at 130 Liberty Street was less than 50 yards east of the church's original site at 155 Cedar Street, but more than three times larger. The new church would be rebuilt on Port Authority land,Lamb, Rich. Deal Struck To Rebuild St. Nicholas Greek Church Near WTC Site. CBS New York. October 14, 2011. Retrieved February 3, 2018. on a platform above the helical underground ramp of the Vehicular Security Center, which houses the loading and parking areas of the new World Trade Center. The Port Authority estimated that it would spend about $25 million to construct the platform on which St. Nicholas will sit and provide the necessary utility hookups, while the church would pay for anything built above ground.Greek Orthodox church will rebuild at Ground Zero. Church News Ireland (CNI) – Religion News Service (RNS). October 22, 2011. Retrieved February 3, 2018. Archbishop Demetrios stated that "our pledge is to be a witness for all New Yorkers, that freedom of conscience and the fundamental human right of free religious expression will always shine forth in the resurrected St. Nicholas Church."

2014–2017: construction and further fundraising