$95M Raised for Restoration of NYC Church Destroyed During 9/11 Terror Attacks

A New York church that was destroyed during the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks is continuing to make progress in its efforts to rebuild. 

St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church and National Shrine, which is located in the heart of Manhattan, sustained heavy damage when World Trade Center Tower 2 collapsed. 

The church was founded in 1916 and has a rich history with the city. It would have been among the first stops for immigrants after seeing the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. 

In a Facebook post last month, the church announced that the building's new exterior was nearing completion.

"In just a few months, the exterior of the re-built St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church and National Shrine will be complete and shining brightly over the World Trade Center," the post reads.

The Friends of Saint Nicholas, a group that is helping rebuild the church, announced that $95 million has been raised to go toward its restoration, the Christian Post reports.

"There have been a series of significant donations that have occurred since Archbishop Elpidophoros assumed the leadership of the Greek Orthodox Church of America," the group explained. "The concerted efforts of The Friends of St. Nicholas, the nonprofit charged with raising the funding, managing the construction to completion, and to endow the Shrine, have led to these remarkable donations." 

Completion of the shrine's exterior is expected to be done by the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks. The work to finish the interior is projected to be completed for Easter 2022.

 

 

 

 

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The effort to rebuild St. Nicholas faced some financial challenges over the years until construction resumed in 2020.

During a ceremony last year, Gov. Andrew Cuomo highlighted the return to construction, saying that the church's rebuilding was "a powerful message to all New Yorkers and all Americans."

"This St. Nicholas is going to be more splendid and more inviting than the St. Nicholas that was here before. We have gone through difficult times together, but we rise from the ashes and we rise stronger than ever before," he said.