A Greek Orthodox church in the shadow of the Twin Towers that was destroyed during the 9/11 attacks will be revived as national shrine at a new location near One World Trade Center ahead of the 20th anniversary of the attacks.
The St. Nicholas National Shrine at the World Trade Center will be lit from within for the first time on Friday night at 8pm and will continue to shine every night going forward.
The original 155 Cedar Street location of St. Nicholas Church was steps away from the Twin Towers and completely devastated on September 11, 2001. It was the only house of worship destroyed on that tragic day.
The 80-year-old location was first purchased by Greek immigrants in 1892 as a community home and converted to a church in 1916. It became a staple of the community and was often among one of the first stops immigrants made when they came to the country.
The St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church will be lit up from within for the first time on Friday night at 8pm and will continue to shine every night going forward to honor the lives lost during the 9/11 attacks (Pictured: the interior of the St. Nicholas Church and National Shrine is still under construction seen on September 10)
The St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church was the only house of worship destroyed during the 9/11 attacks (Pictured: The St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church and National Shrine nearing completion of the exterior on September 10 ahead of the reopening)
The humble building was first purchased by Greek immigrants in 1892 as a community home and converted to a church in 1916 (Pictured: the original St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church in 1981)
Very few relics of the historic site survived the devastation.
Vicar General Father Alexander Karloutsos said in an interview with CBS that he hopes this new building will become another pillar of the community. He wants the church to offer reflection and meditation to those of all faiths.
'The darkness of that day meant that they extinguished 3,000 lives that no longer shine. That no longer bring love and warmth to those around them and so we believe that this shrine will be their light. Will be able to carry their lives forward.
'We are honoring them on sacred ground because 9/11, for those of us who are Americans, for those of us who believe in freedom and democracy, they are heros. They're victims of the hard way of life. The American way of life. New York Strong.'
The St. Nicholas National Shrine at the World Trade Center will reopen Friday ahead of the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks (Pictured: the view of where St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church stood at before it was demolished during the 9/11 attacks seen on September 10)
The St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church has moved down the block from it's original location at 155 Cedar Street to 130 Liberty Street (Pictured: The construction of the Church and National Shrine is now proceeding briskly after years of delays seen on September 10)
The St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church will continue to serve as a parish but will now also host events and exhibitions to commensurate the tragedy of the lives lost on September 1, 2001 (Pictured: view of the dome at the top of the new building from inside the church seen on September 10)
The rebuilding is funded through 'The Friends of St. Nicholas,' an independent non-profit that has raised $95 million (Pictured: a worker guides a marble roof panel into place at the top of the dome on September 8)
The new location at 130 Liberty street is directly across the street from the 9/11 Memorial South Pool and the 9/11 Memorial and Museum at Ground Zero (Pictured: a crane lifts sections of marble onto the dome of the new St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church and National Shrine on August 27)
The new St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church and National Shrine will honor the 2,977 people that were killed on September 11, 2001 (Pictured: construction
