About
Welcome to Our Community
As we continue to celebrate the centennial anniversary of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, we welcome you to Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church and National Shrine at the World Trade Center in New York City. We are a community of faith resurrected within the rebuilt World Trade Center, more than twenty years after the horrific day of 9/11. The rebuilt Saint Nicolas Church is much more than the original Parish that was on Cedar Street, just one block away. It is a Shrine for the Nation, a place of remembrance and reflection, and stands ready to receive you with open arms.
Over two decades of patient waiting, the Parish resumed its regular liturgical life on December 5, 2022, for the Vespers of the Feast of Saint Nicholas himself, followed by the Divine Liturgy on December 6, 2022.
Saint Nicholas is a fully functioning Orthodox Christian Parish of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, and Eparchy of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. Our doors are open. as we welcome you to come visit and worship with us.
Our Mission
Saint Nicholas National Shrine is dedicated to fostering unity, compassion, and spiritual enlightenment among individuals of diverse backgrounds. Rooted in the spirit of Saint Nicholas, the patron saint of compassion and goodwill, we are committed to promoting dialogue, respect, and cooperation among diverse communities. Through the preservation of our Greek Orthodox heritage, the promotion of interfaith dialogue, and the celebration of diversity, we strive to embody the spirit of Saint Nicholas as a symbol of hope, healing, and reconciliation for future generations. Additionally, we are dedicated to environmental stewardship, actively working to preserve and protect our natural surroundings as a reflection of our respect for God’s creation.
At Saint Nicholas National Shrine, our mission is to serve as a beacon of hope, unity, and healing, transcending boundaries of faith and fostering interfaith understanding. Through our outreach efforts and environmental initiatives, we strive to create a sanctuary where individuals from all walks of life can find solace, inspiration, and renewal.
Our Historical Reconstruction
“Rebuild My Church”….These words of our Lord Jesus Christ have been the inspiration for the rebuilt Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, the only house of worship destroyed on 9/11, since that fateful day in 2001. It has been rebuilt as more than the 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).
The new Church and Shrine, designed by world-renowned architect Santiago Calatrava, was inspired by the architectural elements of the Cathedral Church of Hagia Sophia and the Church of Our Savior in Chora. With this original rendering, you can see specific inspirational elements of the two Churches that were key to the architecture of the Saint Nicholas Church and National Shrine.
We thank Earthcam for memorializing the miracle of the construction for history.
This was made possible by The Friends of Saint Nicholas, which was established in December, 2019 in order to raise, invest and disburse funds for the construction and further improvement of Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church and National Shrine. Please visit The Friends of Saint Nicholas website for more information.
Our Patron Saint
Saint Nicholas was the 4th Century Bishop of Myra in Asia Minor, renowned for his generosity, and he has a special connection with New York City. Since the early history of New York, going back to the Dutch colony of New Amsterdam, Saint Nicholas, known as Sinterklaas, was the most popular of saints for the Dutch colonists. By 1810, Saint Nicholas was regarded as the patron Saint of the New York Historical Society.
Saint Nicholas was born in Patra, near Myra around A.D. 280. He is admired for his kindness and piety. Legend has it that he gave away his inherited wealth and traveled the countryside helping the sick and poor.
In 1822, Clement Moore, a New York resident and professor at General Theological Seminary in the city, composed the well-known Christmas poem, “’Twas the Night before Christmas.” And in 1881, the New York artist, Thomas Nast, created the familiar drawing of Santa Claus (corrupted form of Saint Nicholas) for the New York Harper’s Weekly. But within the centuries-long Byzantine/Orthodox Tradition, Saint Nicholas was, and is, regarded as one of the most popular saints, venerated for his great intercessory powers.