New York, New York, USA

 “Architecture, beyond being linked to human uses from a practical point of view, can have an intrinsic symbolic value, which is not written or expressed in a specific way but in an abstract and synthetic manner, sending a symbolic message, which will reach posterity. It is in this way that the message of works such as Hagia Sophia has reached our days,” states Santiago Calatrava

Designed by European Prize for Architecture laureate Santiago Calatrava, St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church has been illuminated in New York as construction nears completion.

Still, under construction in Manhattan, the church is being built as part of the redevelopment of the World Trade Center site following the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

The building replaces a 19th-century church of the same name that stood at 155 Cedar Street and was destroyed on 11 September 2001.

St. Nicholas was illuminated during a service that recently took place outside the church to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the attacks, which resulted in the collapse of the 110-story World Trade Center towers.

The church is built on top of the World Trade Center Vehicle Security Center alongside the 9/11 memorial that stands on the site of the form

Calatrava’s shape for the church was informed by Byzantine architecture, in particular the Hagia Sofia and the medieval Greek Orthodox Chora Church – both in Istanbul.

Set around 25 feet (seven meters) above street level, the church’s central feature is a drum-shaped structure made from steel and concrete and topped by a dome.

This part of the church is clad in thin sheets of Pentelic marble—same as the Parthenon—so that it can be illuminated to appear like a beacon at night.

The building is expected to open in mid-2022.

Project: St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church
Architects: Santiago Calatrava
Client: St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church