The complete reopening of the temple is scheduled for April 2022
The ceremony for the opening of the doors at the Holy Church of Saint Nicholas at "Ground Zero" in New York, was held today, patron of the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew.
The complete reopening of the temple is scheduled for April 2022.
It is recalled that on 11 September the archbishop of America Elpidophoros had celebrated the Divine Liturgy, on the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center.
The temple was completely buried after the collapse of the southern part of the Twin Towers. The New York authorities were committed to rebuilding it, however there were long delays and postponements. Finally, the Archdiocese authorized the non-profit organization "Friends of Saint Nicholas" to take over the fundraising, the reconstruction and completion of the project.
The new building is three times larger than the previous one and has a special center, where believers of other religions and denominations will have the opportunity to pray and honor the memory of those who lost their lives in the terrorist attacks. The vice-president of the "Friends of Saint Nicholas" Michael Psarros estimates that the church of Saint Nicholas will be the Orthodox church that will gather the most visitors in the USA.
According to K. Fish, planning foresees that the interior of the temple will be ready by Holy Week 2022. The opening will take place on 4 July 2022 to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America.