The “St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox and National Shrine” at Ground Zero: A Supposed Multifaith Place in a Sacred Space

This article analyzes the history and the dynamics generating by the rebuilding process of the St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church at Ground Zero in New York City, the only church destroyed during the collapse of the Twin Towers on September 11, 2001. The aim is to understand how and with what strategies the reconstruction was possible. The article demonstrates that one of the strategies used to get the reconstruction project agreed upon and eventually realized was the labeling of the new church as a “National Shrine” and the inclusion in the project of a multi-faith room for all religions. Although the church was consecrated on July 4, 2022, the destination of the multi-faith room is still shadowed because the Greek Orthodox Archbishop of New York has not yet decided on its final purpose.