St. Paul’s Chapel: the little chapel that survived 9/11 across the street from the World Trade Center
Nella Lower Manhattan di New York, St. Paul’s Chapel è la più antica chiesa ancora in piedi dell’isola, costruita tra il 1764 e il 1766, con la guglia aggiunta successivamente tra il 1794 e il 1796; il progetto è tradizionalmente attribuito all’architetto Thomas McBean, sebbene alcuni storici abbiano proposto in alternativa il nome di Peter Harrison, in stile georgiano ispirato in parte alla chiesa londinese di St Martin-in-the-Fields, costruita in scisto micaceo di Manhattan con angolari in arenaria bruna. Il 30 aprile 1789, giorno del suo insediamento come primo presidente degli Stati Uniti, George Washington si recò a piedi da Federal Hall fino a questa cappella, insieme a Martha Washington e ai membri del Congresso, per una funzione presieduta dal vescovo episcopale Samuel Provoost, e continuò a frequentarla fino al 1790, finché New York rimase capitale della nazione; un banco a baldacchino sul lato nord era riservato a lui, sebbene l’arredo originale sia stato rimosso durante lavori di restauro negli anni 2010, e il luogo sia oggi segnalato da un dipinto a olio settecentesco raffigurante il grande sigillo degli Stati Uniti. La cappella, situata proprio di fronte al sito del World Trade Center, non subì alcun danno strutturale, nemmeno un vetro rotto, durante gli attacchi dell’11 settembre 2001, a differenza della stessa Trinity Church, di cui è cappella satellite, che invece riportò alcuni danni; per nove mesi funzionò come stazione di soccorso attiva ventiquattr’ore su ventiquattro per i soccorritori impegnati nella zona, offrendo pasti, riposo, sostegno psicologico e assistenza di massaggiatori, chiropratici, podologi e musicisti. Un grande platano secolare, all’angolo nordovest del cimitero, cadde assorbendo i detriti dell’esplosione ed è accreditato, secondo fonti autorevoli, di aver protetto l’edificio dai danni maggiori; l’espressione “angelo custode” con cui viene talvolta descritto compare però solo in fonti divulgative secondarie, non in quelle ufficiali, e va considerata un soprannome popolare più che un termine documentato. Le radici dell’albero furono fuse in bronzo dallo scultore Steve Tobin ed esposte presso la cappella, che ospita oggi anche una mostra permanente sull’11 settembre e un calice per la comunione realizzato con l’acciaio delle Torri Gemelle. Nel cimitero riposa anche il generale rivoluzionario Richard Montgomery. La cappella resta oggi parte attiva della parrocchia di Trinity Church Wall Street, sede di funzioni religiose e concerti gratuiti, e accoglie oltre un milione di visitatori l’anno.
About St. Paul’s Chapel
In Lower Manhattan, New York, St. Paul’s Chapel is the oldest surviving church building on the island, built between 1764 and 1766, with its spire added later, between 1794 and 1796; the design is traditionally attributed to architect Thomas McBean, though some historians have proposed Peter Harrison as an alternative, in Georgian style partly inspired by London’s St Martin-in-the-Fields church, built of Manhattan mica-schist with brownstone quoins. On 30 April 1789, the day of his inauguration as the first President of the United States, George Washington walked from Federal Hall to this chapel, together with Martha Washington and members of Congress, for a service led by Episcopal Bishop Samuel Provoost, and continued attending until 1790, while New York remained the nation’s capital; a canopied pew on the north side was reserved for him, though the original furniture was removed during 2010s renovation work, and the site is now marked by an 18th-century oil painting of the Great Seal of the United States. The chapel, standing directly across from the World Trade Center site, suffered no structural damage, not even a broken window, during the 11 September 2001 attacks, unlike Trinity Church itself, of which it is a satellite chapel, which did sustain some damage; for nine months it served as a round-the-clock relief station for recovery workers in the area, offering meals, rest, counseling, and support from massage therapists, chiropractors, podiatrists and musicians. A large, roughly century-old sycamore tree at the northwest corner of the churchyard fell, absorbing debris from the blast, and is credited by reputable sources with shielding the building from greater damage; the phrase “sheltering angel,” sometimes used to describe it, appears only in secondary devotional sources rather than official ones, and should be regarded as a popular nickname rather than a documented term. The tree’s roots were cast in bronze by sculptor Steve Tobin and displayed at the chapel, which today also holds a permanent 9/11 exhibit and a communion chalice made from World Trade Center steel. Revolutionary War General Richard Montgomery is also buried in the churchyard. The chapel remains an active part of the Trinity Church Wall Street parish today, hosting services and free concerts, and drawing more than a million visitors a year.
Key facts
- 1764-1766: built as the oldest surviving church building in Manhattan
- 30 April 1789: George Washington worships here on his inauguration day
- 11 September 2001: stands undamaged directly across from the World Trade Center site
- Nine months as a 24-hour relief station for recovery workers after 9/11
- A fallen sycamore tree, its roots cast in bronze by Steve Tobin, credited with shielding the chapel
- Still active within the Trinity Church Wall Street parish, drawing over a million visitors a year
History
As the oldest surviving church in Manhattan, St. Paul’s Chapel already carried two centuries of civic and presidential history — from Washington’s inauguration-day service to countless generations of city life — before its greatest test in 2001, when it emerged undamaged from an attack that devastated the neighborhood around it. Its nine-month transformation into a round-the-clock relief station gave the 18th-century building a new, defining chapter in American memory, one now permanently commemorated inside its own walls.
What you see
A Georgian portico and boxy classical proportions, echoing London church models of the 1720s, front a mica-schist building whose 1794-96 spire remains its most visible later addition. Inside, the site of Washington’s reserved pew, marked by an 18th-century painting of the Great Seal, sits alongside a permanent exhibit and artifacts documenting the chapel’s role after 11 September 2001.
Practical information
- Opening hours: generally open daily; check current hours before visiting
- Address: 209 Broadway, New York, NY, United States
Getting there
St. Paul’s Chapel stands on Broadway between Fulton and Vesey Streets in Lower Manhattan, near the National September 11 Memorial, easily reached by subway. GPS: 40°42′43″N, 74°00′35″W.
Nearby
- National September 11 Memorial & Museum — directly across the street
- Trinity Church — the parish’s main church at the head of Wall Street
Sources
- Wikipedia — “St. Paul’s Chapel” (en.wikipedia.org)
- Trinity Church Wall Street — official site (trinitychurchnyc.org)
- National September 11 Memorial & Museum — “Remembering ‘The Little Chapel That Stood'” (911memorial.org)
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