Mariamite Cathedral of Damascus
Encyclopedia
Mariamite Cathedral of Damascus is one of the oldest Greek Orthodox churches in Damascus
, Syria
and holds the seat of the Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch. The church complex is located on the Street Called Straight
.
ordered to return it to the Christians as a compensation for the Church of John the Baptist which was turned into the Umayyad Mosque
.
The church was destroyed and rebuilt several times in later years. It was described by Ibn Jubayr
as:
In 1342, the Patriarchal See of Antioch was transferred from Antioch
to Damascus
and the church served as the seat of the Greek Orthodox Church in the East.
The church was burned down by mobs, along with most of the Christian quarter, when the 1860 Druze-Christian conflict
in Lebanon
spilled into Damascus, and was rebuilt three years later. It was last renovated in 1953.
Damascus
Damascus , commonly known in Syria as Al Sham , and as the City of Jasmine , is the capital and the second largest city of Syria after Aleppo, both are part of the country's 14 governorates. In addition to being one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, Damascus is a major...
, Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
and holds the seat of the Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch. The church complex is located on the Street Called Straight
Street Called Straight
The Damascus Straight Street is the Roman street that runs from east to west in the old city of Damascus, Syria. It was visited by St. Paul as recorded in the book of Acts and contains several interesting sights from the Roman, Christian and Islamic periods.Under the Greeks, the old city of...
.
History
The church was built during the 2nd century AD. After the Muslim conquest of Damascus the church was closed until 706 AD when Al-WalidAl-Walid
al-Walid may refer to:* Khalid ibn al-Walid , one of the two famous Arab generals of the Rashidun army during the Muslim conquests of the 7th Century* Al-Walid I , an Umayyad caliph who ruled from 705 - 715....
ordered to return it to the Christians as a compensation for the Church of John the Baptist which was turned into the Umayyad Mosque
Umayyad Mosque
The Umayyad Mosque, also known as the Great Mosque of Damascus or formerly the Basilica of Saint John the Baptist , is located in the old city of Damascus, is one of the largest and oldest mosques in the world...
.
The church was destroyed and rebuilt several times in later years. It was described by Ibn Jubayr
Ibn Jubayr
Ibn Jubayr was a geographer, traveler and poet from al-Andalus.-Early life:Born in Valencia in Spain, then the seat of an independent emirate. Ibn Jubayr was descendant of a tribe of Andalusian origins, Jubayr was the son of a civil servant...
as:
In 1342, the Patriarchal See of Antioch was transferred from Antioch
Antioch
Antioch on the Orontes was an ancient city on the eastern side of the Orontes River. It is near the modern city of Antakya, Turkey.Founded near the end of the 4th century BC by Seleucus I Nicator, one of Alexander the Great's generals, Antioch eventually rivaled Alexandria as the chief city of the...
to Damascus
Damascus
Damascus , commonly known in Syria as Al Sham , and as the City of Jasmine , is the capital and the second largest city of Syria after Aleppo, both are part of the country's 14 governorates. In addition to being one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, Damascus is a major...
and the church served as the seat of the Greek Orthodox Church in the East.
The church was burned down by mobs, along with most of the Christian quarter, when the 1860 Druze-Christian conflict
1860 Lebanon conflict
The 1860 Lebanon conflict was the culmination of a peasant uprising which began in the north of Lebanon as a rebellion of Maronite peasants against their Druze overlords. It soon spread to the south of the country where the rebellion changed its character, with Druze turning against the Maronite...
in Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
spilled into Damascus, and was rebuilt three years later. It was last renovated in 1953.