25 years on from 9/11: Firefighters and volunteers took solace from 'little chapel that stood' among ruins

Firefighters, police officers and volunteers found food, rest, prayer and companionship at the Manhattan church beside Ground Zero

A worshiper kneels in St Paul's Chapel which served as a sanctuary for rescue workers after 9/11. Photo: Mario Tama/Getty

Fewer than 100 steps separates St Paul's Chapel from the Oculus, the shopping and transport hub which forms a striking entrance to the rebuilt World Trade Center.

But, shielded by the trees in the churchyard, the chapel, part of Trinity Church Wall Street, became one of the most important places of refuge and support in the aftermath of the attacks, suffering nearly no damage. Built between 1764 and 1766, it is Manhattan’s oldest surviving church structure and would become known as “The Little Chapel That Stood".