American Church raises a new cross on the temple destroyed on 9/11
A new cross on the roof of the Orthodox church of Saint Nicholas is going to be raised in the USA. A new building is being constructed near the previous church of the 19th century, which was destroyed on 11 September 2001 during the terrorist act, having swept away nearly 3000 lives, according to Christiantoday.
More than 15 years after the terror attacks of 9/11 the church is almost constructed with Orthodox Archbishop Demetrios having blessed the cross with holy water. The temple was the only religious building, destroyed when the two planes crashed into the Twin Towers in 2001 in New-York.
The St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church and National Shrine held a "topping out" ceremony on Monday, according to the Greek Orthodox Diocese of America.
The traditional ceremony marks the raising of the highest structural element during a project – in this case, a temporary cross that will be replaced with a permanent one when the building work to replace the church is complete.
Archbishop Demetrios of America blessed the cross using holy water in addition to water taken from the National September 11 Memorial & Museum pools and said, "We look around today we see the triumph of human spirit and human mind that can overcome any tragedy. Saint Nicholas will offer us the presence of God in our lives and in our city. Here, at this spot, we raise the Cross, which is a symbol of sacrifice and victory, and we offer prayers for the continued construction process."
Work began to rebuild the church in 2014, when Archbishop Demetrios recalled walking through the church after it was destroyed by rubble from the fallen towers. The new shrine was designed in a Byzantine style by famous architect Santiago Calatrava and is located now next to the National Memorial and Museum of 11 September, designed by Norwegian architectural company Snohetta.
