Prime Minister and Mrs. Mitsotakis reviewing the iconography at Saint Nicholas National Shrine with Archbishop Elpidophoros and Fr. Loukas (Photo by D. Panagos)
The Holy Mountain/ Mount Athos monks Fr. Loukas and his assistant Fr. Pachimos, among the finest iconographers in the world, are in New York and are at St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church and National Shrine at the World Trade Center working on the icons around the Church’s four main arches.
They have finished the one on the East, just finished the one in the West and will be working on the South and North Arch over the next three weeks. After that they will pause their work for a wedding at St. Nicholas towards the later part of October.
After the wedding major high scaffolds will be erected to complete the Church’s iconography which will include the icon of Christ Pantocrator in the center of the Dome as well as the twenty Prophets around the Dome, among other iconography above the arches and their sides.
The iconography will be complete and the scaffolds down before the feast day of St. Nicholas services on December 6 at the St.Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church and National Shrine.
The Church of St. Nicholas a "spirit of place" is built in the heart of Ground Zero replacing the one destroyed, being completely buried by the collapse of the South Tower of the World Trade Center on 9/11, and the only religious institution destroyed on that day.
As such, the newly erected St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church is a Greek Orthodox Church of national and international importance as well as a National Shrine acting as a “cenotaph” for the approx. 3,000 people who died on 9/11.
The term “cenotaph “ from the Hellenic is an “empty tomb” or a monument erected in honour of a person or group of people whose remains are elsewhere. The word derives from the Greek: κενοτάφιον kenotaphion (κενός kenos, meaning "empty", and τάφος taphos, "tomb"—from θαπτω thapto, I bury.
The monks iconography will compliment the church’s magnificent original design, bringing in elements of Aghia Sofia in Constantinople and the Parthenon in Athens, by renowned architect, structural engineer, sculptor and painter Santiago Calatrava.
Santiago Calatrava is also in town for a few days and it was also great to see him again at the church. Highly admired are his conceptual aesthetic thought process as well as the monk’s unique artistic iconographic integrity and mysticism.
A fantastic “genius to genius” combination/collaboration in a structure that will be an instant landmark in New York’s skyline , and one of the most important structures in the Christian and Orthodox world.
Distinguished Greek-American entrepreneur Mr. Lou Katsos with Father Loukas in front of the Church
