A Monument to the Human and Divine

September 11, 2013

The St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church is to be rebuilt
in the same block of the former Church that was destroyed
during the September 11th Attacks. That Church had sat
in the shadows of the World Trade Center on a site it had
occupied since 1916.
A former small tavern, the Church was always an interesting
counterpoint to the skyscrapers that grew up around it.
Despite many substantial offers to sell the property, the
Greek community elected to maintain the Church on the
site. It was a tiny spiritual refuge set among towering and
wealthy neighbors, a restful walk among the mountains.

It was no surprise that despite the horrific events of 9/11,

the Greek Orthodox Church felt a duty and a strong
emotional obligation to rebuild a church on the site. Like
its forebear, the new Church is to be a tiny jewel in Lower
Manhattan. A human-scaled presence in an ensemble
of giants.
A classic problem of downtown Manhattan is simply one
of size. To perceive the archetypal New York skyline, one is
forced to leave the island and view it from afar. New York
City does not have the plethora of smaller scale buildings
that define other great cities like London or Florence,
which are dominated by Church spires. In Manhattan
the opposite exists. One must be small to stand out, and
the new St. Nicholas Church achieves this humanizing of
Lower Manhattan.

With warmest regards,

Santiago Calatrava

The new Church is principally based around a central

Cupola. This is purposefully different from the rectilinear
lines of the former Church. Indeed, it hearkens back to
both the Greek classical Architecture of the Acropolis
and to the Byzantine Architecture of the Hagia Sophia.
The new Saint Nicholas will stand as both a Parthenon
and Hagia Sophia for the Greek Orthodox Community.
It will be a symbol of the resilience of New York City
and the American spirit. Truly, Saint Nicholas will be a
monument of the human spirit, pointing to the divine
within us all.