Posted on 10/20/2015 11:25:13 AM PDT by Trumpinator
A Church Near Ground Zero Reimagined
St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church Designed by Santiago Calatrava
By Ralph Gardner Jr.
Oct. 15, 2014 8:54 p.m. ET
It took two hours of talking with architect Santiago Calatrava—we touched on rock climbing, the Swiss cheese dish raclette, Rembrandt’s self-portraits and New York City’s tradition of great civic architecture—before I realized how appropriate the placement is of St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, which will overlook the 9/11 Memorial.
And not just because it’s the rebirth of the church, a fixture in the neighborhood since the 19th century until it was destroyed by the collapse of the World Trade Center’s south tower on Sept. 11, 2001.
Mr. Calatrava designed the church and will attend its groundbreaking on Saturday. If everything goes according to schedule, the building should be finished in 2016 or early 2017.
While the 9/11 Memorial, with its twin reflecting pools and alleys of trees, masterfully creates an opportunity for quiet reflection, there’s also something to be said for a sanctuary with four walls—and perhaps for lighting a memorial candle, no matter what religion you practice, or even if you practice no religion at all.
(Excerpt) Read more at wsj.com ...
And there would have been a Mosque there if everyday Americans had not put up a sustained effort. The rare happy ending in this kind of thing!!!
Watch the video to get the full effect.
The blocks on the corners are reminiscent of the original twin towers. Inside, the Saints surrounding Christ are "in the air." While I have never seen such iconography in an Orthodox Church before, I think this is a reminder of how so many victims died that day - in the air.
I forget the names of the highrise at the ground zero area but one of them has a green dome (copper dome I think) that matches this round church design so it fits.
The Greek Orthodox diocese had to fight for years to get permission from NYC to rebuild. Thank God they are doing this right.
Save Thy people, O Lord,
and bless Thine inheritance.
Grant victory to Thy Church over her enemies,
and protect Thy people by Thy Holy Cross!
The new Temple should be open to all who want to pray, but should be Orthodox, NOT “ecumenical”!!!!
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