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Church of St. Nicholas in Lower Manhattan reopened for the first time since September 11.
The Greek Catholic Church situated in the World Trade Center was destroyed in the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
Based on the website of St. Nicholas, the collapse of the South Tower took the church with it.
After greater than twenty years, the latest Greek Orthodox Church and national shrine of St. Nicholas reopened its doors to the public this week.
The first liturgical service took place on December 6, 2022, on the feast of St. Nicholas, reports the Associated Press.
The church is now preparing to welcome visitors of all faiths who want to commemorate and honor the victims of 9/11.
“Today is a joyful day for America and Recent York,” Michael Psaros, chairman of the Friends of St. Nicholas.
“We invite all of America to go to the tomb that was created and built to commemorate the 3,000 individuals who were martyred and murdered on 9/11.”
Icons depicting 9/11 heroes and saints watched over the ceremony, which was largely conducted in Recent Testament Greek.
Vice-president of the parish council and third member of the community of St. Nicholas, Olga Pavlakos, called it “the resurrection of the church of St. Nicholas.”
The substitute church was built on a park elevation overlooking the World Trade Center memorial plaza.
But the road to rebuilding the little church was not so smooth.
After the ceremonial laying of the cornerstone in 2014, construction was halted in 2017 when the archdiocese was in arrears with payments.
The goal was to reopen the church before the twentieth anniversary of the 2021 attacks after construction resumed in 2020 – but that goal has not been achieved.
The unique church of St. Nicholas was founded in 1916 in a small terraced house that was used as a tavern, based on the church’s website.
This may turn out to be one of the first stops for many Greek immigrants after their removal from Ellis Island.
The historic church saw many years of development in Lower Manhattan’s financial district – and survived during the construction of the World Trade Center in the Nineteen Sixties.
Generations of Recent Yorkers remember stopping to wish, light a candle or enjoy a moment of silence, based on the church.
Based on reports, on the day of the attacks, some Greek Catholic Christians fled the burning towers, following the sound of St. Nicholas in the bell tower – the visual staple of the church.