A Few Things the Church-Building Industry Tells Us About Contemporary Romania

Based on a central survey published by the SSRA in 2016, this article reflects on the construction of religious infrastructure in Romania after 1990. Two aspects are given special attention: the nationalist orientation of the Romanian Orthodox Church (ROC), which seems to replace spiritual and theological symbolism, and the relevant role of state authorities in providing favorable legal measures and generous public funding to religious groups. In this light, I look skeptically at the paradigm of religious revival and propose alternative avenues of research: the organizational revival of the ROC, the de‑secularization of property, and the privatization of faith among younger generations.