NEW YORK -- St. Paul's Chapel, which for eight months served as a refuge to workers at Ground Zero, will reopen to the public on the one-year anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

The 235-year-old church, located across the street from the World Trade Center, escaped major damage during the attacks. Overnight the building was turned into an oasis for thousands of workers and volunteers who sought rest, food and spiritual solace there, according to The Associated Press.

An exhibit, titled "Out of the Dust," tells the story of those eight months when the church, built in 1766 and now the oldest continuously used public building in Manhattan, acquired a new page in the history books.

The exhibit depicts the services St. Paul's provided. More than 3,000 meals were served every day for eight months, according to the AP. George Washington's private pew, where he came to pray just minutes after he was sworn in as the nation's first president in 1789, became the podiatry station where volunteers could get treatment for injured feet.

"The podiatrists were very popular with the workers," said Lynn Brewster, who produced the exhibit. "In the early days, their boots melted in the heat of Ground Zero, and later they rotted off from being soaked in water."

The last four months were spent cleaning and refurbishing the church in preparation for its reopening. The wooden pews were left scuffed and scratched by the belts and boots of workers catching some sleep, according to the AP.