Calatrava’s new World Trade Center church opens in New York

Built as part of the redevelopment of the World Trade Center in New York – master-planned by Daniel Libeskind – the new St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, designed by Santiago Calatrava replaces the one that was destroyed on the 11 September attacks and it will no longer be a simple parish but a national shrine, a place of meditation for every faith.

Informed by Byzantine architecture, the building – built on top of the World Trade Center Vehicle Security Center – rises about 25 feet above street level. The church has a square shape, with a central plan, surmounted by a dome and surrounded by four towers. The thin slabs of Pentelic marble of the cladding allow the building to radiate the light of the night lighting. The entrance to the church, which faces a large square, leads directly to the liturgical spaces. The dome is surrounded by 40 translucent windows divided by 40 stone ridges, which recall Hagia Sofia, in Istanbul.

“To see the St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church and National Shrine finally open is emblematic of Lower Manhattan's storied future and defining past. I hope to see this structure serve its purpose as a sanctuary for worship but also as a place for reflection on what the city endured and how it is moving forward,” said Calatrava.