A church destroyed on 9/11 is slowly being rebuilt. Workers topped out the building by hoisting a cross to the top of it. NY1's Michael Scotto filed the following report.
With a prayer and a blessing, religious leaders from the Greek Orthodox Church led a ceremony to raise a cross high above the World Trade Center site.
The event marked the topping out of the St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church and National Shrine, which sits just steps from the 9/11 memorial.
"We offer the cross of Christ as a witness to the power of love over hate, light over darkness and of truth over falsehood," said Jerry Dimitriou of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America.
The original St. Nicholas Church was destroyed during the September 11th attacks. Its replacement, a $35 million structure designed by architect Santiago Calatrava, has been under construction since last fall. When finished, it will serve as a parish and a non-denominational bereavement space.
It took a while for the church to get to this point. Due to the complexities of the site, securing a location on which to build proved difficult.
While visiting Greece this month, President Barack Obama singled out the church's efforts to rebuild.
"If anyone seeks an example of our shared spirit, our resilience, they need to look no further than New York City, near Ground Zero, where the Greek Orthodox Church of St. Nicholas, once in ruins, is now rising again," Obama said.
The topping-out ceremony represents a milestone here. Once construction of the church is complete, the site will be almost entirely rebuilt.
The other main pieces, from the memorial to the oculus and One World Trade Center, are open.
"We see the triumph of human mind and human spirit and human, really, disposition of overcoming any tragedy," said Archbishop Demetrios of America of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America.
The church is expected to open in the spring of 2018.