DOCSLIB.ORG

1. History Monasteries and Churches of the Qalamun

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
1. History Monasteries and Churches of the Qalamun ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ MONASTERIES AND CHURCHES OF THE QALAMUN (SYRIA): 1 ART AND PILGRIMAGE IN THE MIDDLE AGES MAT IMMERZEEL PAUL VAN MOORSEL CENTRE, LEIDEN UNIVERSITY he mountainous area to the north scape of the Qalamun through the ages. We of Damascus, known as the Qala- do, however, have to realise that this inten- mun (Djebel Qalamūn), has long tion is ambitious, as it requires a systematic been a Christian stronghold in the survey of the area and a detailed analysis of Tpredominantly Muslim Middle East (fig. 1; the ancient buildings combined with a study all figures are by the author, unless men- of relevant literary sources. With this limita- tioned otherwise).2 Traditionally, the major- tion in mind, our point of departure will be ity of the Qalamun’s Christians were adher- the situation in the decades before and dur- ents to the Byzantine Orthodox (Melkite) ing the Crusader era (1099-1291), focussing Church, living in places such as Saydnaya, in particular on two interrelated subjects that Macarat Saydnaya, Macalula, Yabrud, Qara in recent years have raised scholarly inter- and Deir Attiya. The Syrian Orthodox est: the flourishing of church art in the Qala- Church was well established in Nebk, Qary- mun, and the impact of pilgrimage, in par- atain and Sadad in the eastern part of the ticular to the Monastery of Our Lady in Qalamun, owned two monasteries here (Deir Saydnaya. Mar Musa and Deir Mar Elian), and had 1. HISTORY bishoprics in Damascus3 and Sadad.4 With the increasing importance of the Greek The Christians of the Qalamun lived in the Catholic Church in Damascus and its sur- shadow of the events that rocked the Levant roundings in the eighteenth century, the de- from time to time, yet they lived close nomination of several Melkite monasteries enough to Damascus and the Crusader states and churches changed from Greek Orthodox to experience the consequences of political to Greek Catholic.5 In the next century the and socio-economic changes, with their ad- two West Syrian monasteries were trans- vantages or disadvantages. From 970 on- ferred to the Syrian Catholic Church. wards, Damascus fell under the authority of This study aims at giving the initial im- the Fatamids in Cairo. The foundation of the petus to reconstructing the Christian land- Latin states around 1100 did not really pose ______________________________________________________________________________________________________ Journal of the Canadian Society for Syriac Studies 7 (2007) - Page 74 Monasteries and Churches of the Qalamun (Syria) _____________________________________________________________________________________________ a threat to the Emirate of Damascus. Nur ad- headed by General Kitbuqa entered Damas- Din succeeded where the Crusaders had cus in the presence of its allies, the Arme- failed; he took Damascus in 1158. Saladin’s nian king and the Latin Prince of Antioch.9 capture of Jerusalem and the rural areas of Many Mongols were adherents of the East the Kingdom of Jerusalem in 1187 resulted Syrian Church, which helps to explain why in a certain détente between the contesting the Christians of the cities that they con- parties. Under the Ayyubids (1174-1249) quered were occasionally spared. Feeling commerce and cultural life flourished. Da- strengthened by this changed state of affairs, mascus was a junction on the trade routes Damascene Christians went in public pro- connecting all quarters of the Islamic world cession through the streets on 31 August. and the Crusader states and apparently the Their joy was premature: three days later the indigenous Christians benefited from these Mamluks defeated the Mongol contingent at favourable conditions as well. Ain Jalud. The Muslims retaliated upon the In Damascus too, the Melkites formed Christians by demolishing the cathedral and the predominant Christian minority. By the Syrian Orthodox church.1 0 Soon after, contrast, for the Syrian Orthodox this city the cathedral was rebuilt, but it was de- was of minor importance. The Muslim au- stroyed again in 1400. Not a single post- thorities had imposed restrictions on the medieval source alludes to adorned churches number of churches within the city walls, inside Damascus. If there were any murals reducing it to a maximum of fifteen. This left, they must have disappeared during the amount the Christians had to share with the anti-Christian clashes in the summer of Jews, who had one synagogue. According 1860. Many Christians perished when their to Ibn cAsakir (shortly before 1169), most quarter in between Bab Tuma and Bab of the Damascene churches were either Sharqi was sacked and burned down.1 1 The ruined or turned into mosques.6 Two build- houses and churches were reconstructed or ings were still in use: the Melkite Cathedral replaced in the next years, and this was done of al-Mariamiya (St Mary’s), which the so thoroughly that next to nothing of the old Spanish Muslim Ibn Jubayr found deco- architecture survived. rated with ‘remarkable pictures that amaze Turning back to the Middle Ages, soon the mind and dazzle the gaze’ in 1184,7 after the defeat of the Mongols, the Mamluks and a Syrian Orthodox church near Bab started a series of campaigns against the Cru- Tuma. The restrictions did not apply to saders, ending with the fall of Tripoli in 1289 churches outside the city walls, like those and Acre in 1291. With the favourable atti- of St Paul and St George. The latter was tude of the Damascene Christian population mentioned as a property of the Monastery towards the Mongols in mind, the new rul- of St Catherine on Mount Sinai in a letter ers had good reasons to suspect the indige- of Pope Honorius III to Abbot Simeon of nous Christians of being the natural allies of this convent from 1217.8 their fellow believers from the West and In the mid-thirteenth century, the politi- East. The assault of Qara in 1266 illustrates cal and military balance in Syria changed the perceptibly deteriorating situation (see dramatically due to the Mongol invasions. below), and symbolises the end of the flour- On 17 February 1260, the Mongol army ishing Christian renaissance in West Syria. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________ Journal of the Canadian Society for Syriac Studies 7 (2007) - Page 75 Monasteries and Churches of the Qalamun (Syria) _______________________________________________________________________________________________________ 2. THE MONASTERY OF this church I saw a wooden panel measuring SAYDNAYA one el long and half an el wide, placed be- hind the altar in an embrasure in the wall of The most famous Christian monument of the sanctuary guarded by an iron grille. On the Qalamun is the Greek Orthodox Monas- this panel a likeness of the Blessed Virgin tery of Our Lady in Saydnaya, situated had once been painted, but now, wondrous about 30 km to the north of Damascus (figs to relate, the picture on wood has become 1, 2). The main reason for its celebrity was a incarnate and oil, smelling sweeter than bal- miraculous icon known as the Chaghoura, sam, unceasingly flows from it. By which Syriac for ‘The Illustrious’, ‘Celebrated’, or oil many Christians, Saracens and Jews are ‘Renowned’. The earliest sources on the often cured of ailments.... To this place on convent and the cult of the Chaghoura are the feast of the Assumption of the glorious from the final quarter of the twelfth century. Virgin and on that of her Nativity all the From this moment on the information is Saracens of that province flock to pray to- abundant, since visitors have left us their gether with the Christians, and the Saracens memories in travel reports, which today are perform their devotions there with great rev- essential for research on the history of the erence’.13 site and the tradition of the icon and its Burchard’s account of the inter-religious cult.12 Allegedly, the convent was founded veneration of the Virgin of Saydnaya during by the Emperor Justinian in A.D. 547. The the feasts of the Assumption (15 August) icon is also said to date from this period, but and Nativity (8 September) astonishes, but so far few efforts have been undertaken to finds support in ‘History of Churches and substantiate these apocryphal allegations on Monasteries’, a fourteenth-century compila- the basis of literary traditions and the sur- tion of Arabic texts attributed to the Coptic viving remains of ancient buildings. priest, Abū al-Makārim, and composed of material collected between 1171 and about 2.1. THE CULT OF THE 1210. The author discusses in detail the icon CHAGHOURA and its miraculous oil production, and quotes a priest from the monastery: ‘On this The absence of historical sources on the day gather to this place Christians, Muslims, monastery and the icon from before the later Nestorians, Melkites, Syrians, and others, twelfth century is all the more remarkable approximately four or five thousand peo- because the earliest writings reveal astonish- ple’.14 Obviously, the incarnation of the icon ing details of what appears to be a centuries- fascinated believers irrespective of their re- old and vibrant tradition of pilgrimage to ligion. The persisting attraction that Sayd- Saydnaya’s convent. The first reference oc- naya has held for Christians and Muslims curs in the account of Burchard of Strass- until our own times strengthens the credibil- bourg, Emperor Frederick Barbarossa’s am- ity of these accounts. bassador at the court of Saladin, who visited Evidently, these sources bear witness to Saydnaya around 1175: ‘In this church a tradition of uncertain age, which may at twelve virgin nuns and eight monks de- first have been local, but which seems to voutly serve God and the Blessed Virgin. In have expanded to an international level from ______________________________________________________________________________________________________ Journal of the Canadian Society for Syriac Studies 7 (2007) - Page 76 Monasteries and Churches of the Qalamun (Syria) _______________________________________________________________________________________________________ the late twelfth century onwards.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • The Potential for an Assad Statelet in Syria
    THE POTENTIAL FOR AN ASSAD STATELET IN SYRIA Nicholas A. Heras THE POTENTIAL FOR AN ASSAD STATELET IN SYRIA Nicholas A. Heras policy focus 132 | december 2013 the washington institute for near east policy www.washingtoninstitute.org The opinions expressed in this Policy Focus are those of the author and not necessar- ily those of The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, its Board of Trustees, or its Board of Advisors. MAPS Fig. 1 based on map designed by W.D. Langeraar of Michael Moran & Associates that incorporates data from National Geographic, Esri, DeLorme, NAVTEQ, UNEP- WCMC, USGS, NASA, ESA, METI, NRCAN, GEBCO, NOAA, and iPC. Figs. 2, 3, and 4: detail from The Tourist Atlas of Syria, Syria Ministry of Tourism, Directorate of Tourist Relations, Damascus. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this publica- tion may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. © 2013 by The Washington Institute for Near East Policy The Washington Institute for Near East Policy 1828 L Street NW, Suite 1050 Washington, DC 20036 Cover: Digitally rendered montage incorporating an interior photo of the tomb of Hafez al-Assad and a partial view of the wheel tapestry found in the Sheikh Daher Shrine—a 500-year-old Alawite place of worship situated in an ancient grove of wild oak; both are situated in al-Qurdaha, Syria. Photographs by Andrew Tabler/TWI; design and montage by 1000colors.
    [Show full text]
  • Monuments, Materiality, and Meaning in the Classical Archaeology of Anatolia
    MONUMENTS, MATERIALITY, AND MEANING IN THE CLASSICAL ARCHAEOLOGY OF ANATOLIA by Daniel David Shoup A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Classical Art and Archaeology) in The University of Michigan 2008 Doctoral Committee: Professor Elaine K. Gazda, Co-Chair Professor John F. Cherry, Co-Chair, Brown University Professor Fatma Müge Göçek Professor Christopher John Ratté Professor Norman Yoffee Acknowledgments Athena may have sprung from Zeus’ brow alone, but dissertations never have a solitary birth: especially this one, which is largely made up of the voices of others. I have been fortunate to have the support of many friends, colleagues, and mentors, whose ideas and suggestions have fundamentally shaped this work. I would also like to thank the dozens of people who agreed to be interviewed, whose ideas and voices animate this text and the sites where they work. I offer this dissertation in hope that it contributes, in some small way, to a bright future for archaeology in Turkey. My committee members have been unstinting in their support of what has proved to be an unconventional project. John Cherry’s able teaching and broad perspective on archaeology formed the matrix in which the ideas for this dissertation grew; Elaine Gazda’s support, guidance, and advocacy of the project was indispensible to its completion. Norman Yoffee provided ideas and support from the first draft of a very different prospectus – including very necessary encouragement to go out on a limb. Chris Ratté has been a generous host at the site of Aphrodisias and helpful commentator during the writing process.
    [Show full text]
  • Gateway to the Syriac Saints: a Database Project Jeanne-Nicole Mellon Saint-Laurent Marquette University, [email protected]
    Marquette University e-Publications@Marquette Theology Faculty Research and Publications Theology, Department of 1-1-2016 Gateway to the Syriac Saints: A Database Project Jeanne-Nicole Mellon Saint-Laurent Marquette University, [email protected] Published version. Journal of Religion, Media and Digital Culture, Vol. 5, No. 1 (2016): 183-204. Permalink. © 2016 St. John's College. Used with permission. 183 http://jrmdc.com Gateway to the Syriac Saints: A Database Project Jeanne-Nicole Mellon Saint-Laurent Marquette University, USA Contact: [email protected] Keywords: Syriac; hagiography; late antiquity; saints; manuscripts; digital humanities; theology; religious studies; history Abstract: This article describes The Gateway to the Syriac Saints, a database project developed by the Syriac Reference Portal (www.syriaca.org). It is a research tool for the study of Syriac saints and hagiographic texts. The Gateway to the Syriac Saints is a two-volume database: 1) Qadishe and 2) Bibliotheca Hagiographica Syriaca Electronica (BHSE). Hagiography, the lives of the saints, is a multiform genre. It contains elements of myth, history, biblical exegesis, romance, and theology. The production of saints’ lives blossomed in late antiquity alongside the growth of the cult of the saints. Scholars have attended to hagiographic traditions in Greek and Latin, but many scholars have yet to Journal of Religion, Media and Digital Culture Volume 5, Issue 1 (2016) https://jrmdc.com 184 discover the richness of Syriac hagiographic literature: the stories, homilies, and hymns on the saints that Christians of the Middle East told and preserved. It is our hope that our database will give scholars and students increased access to these traditions to generate new scholarship.
    [Show full text]
  • Syrian Armed Opposition Powerbrokers
    March 2016 Jennifer Cafarella and Genevieve Casagrande MIDDLE EAST SECURITY REPORT 29 SYRIAN ARMED OPPOSITION POWERBROKERS Cover: A rebel fighter of the Southern Front of the Free Syrian Army gestures while standing with his fellow fighter near their weapons at the front line in the north-west countryside of Deraa March 3, 2015. Syrian government forces have taken control of villages in southern Syria, state media said on Saturday, part of a campaign they started this month against insurgents posing one of the biggest remaining threats to Damascus. Picture taken March 3, 2015. REUTERS/Stringer All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. ©2016 by the Institute for the Study of War. Published in 2016 in the United States of America by the Institute for the Study of War. 1400 16th Street NW, Suite 515 | Washington, DC 20036 www.understandingwar.org Jennifer Cafarella and Genevieve Casagrande MIDDLE EAST SECURITY REPORT 29 SYRIAN ARMED OPPOSITION POWERBROKERS ABOUT THE AUTHORS Jennifer Cafarella is the Evans Hanson Fellow at the Institute for the Study of War where she focuses on the Syrian Civil War and opposition groups. Her research focuses particularly on the al Qaeda affiliate Jabhat al Nusra and their military capabilities, modes of governance, and long-term strategic vision. She is the author of Likely Courses of Action in the Syrian Civil War: June-December 2015, and Jabhat al-Nusra in Syria: An Islamic Emirate for al-Qaeda.
    [Show full text]
  • The Syrian Orthodox Church and Its Ancient Aramaic Heritage, I-Iii (Rome, 2001)
    Hugoye: Journal of Syriac Studies 5:1, 63-112 © 2002 by Beth Mardutho: The Syriac Institute SOME BASIC ANNOTATION TO THE HIDDEN PEARL: THE SYRIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH AND ITS ANCIENT ARAMAIC HERITAGE, I-III (ROME, 2001) SEBASTIAN P. BROCK UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD [1] The three volumes, entitled The Hidden Pearl. The Syrian Orthodox Church and its Ancient Aramaic Heritage, published by TransWorld Film Italia in 2001, were commisioned to accompany three documentaries. The connecting thread throughout the three millennia that are covered is the Aramaic language with its various dialects, though the emphasis is always on the users of the language, rather than the language itself. Since the documentaries were commissioned by the Syrian Orthodox community, part of the third volume focuses on developments specific to them, but elsewhere the aim has been to be inclusive, not only of the other Syriac Churches, but also of other communities using Aramaic, both in the past and, to some extent at least, in the present. [2] The volumes were written with a non-specialist audience in mind and so there are no footnotes; since, however, some of the inscriptions and manuscripts etc. which are referred to may not always be readily identifiable to scholars, the opportunity has been taken to benefit from the hospitality of Hugoye in order to provide some basic annotation, in addition to the section “For Further Reading” at the end of each volume. Needless to say, in providing this annotation no attempt has been made to provide a proper 63 64 Sebastian P. Brock bibliography to all the different topics covered; rather, the aim is simply to provide specific references for some of the more obscure items.
    [Show full text]
  • Investigation of Earthquake Behavior of the Church of St. Sergius and Bacchus in Istanbul/Turkey KOÇAK A1 and KÖKSAL T1 1Davutpaşa Mah
    Advanced Materials Research Vols. 133-134 (2010) pp 821-829 © (2010) Trans Tech Publications, Switzerland doi:10.4028/www.scientific.net/AMR.133-134.821 Investigation of Earthquake Behavior of the Church of St. Sergius and Bacchus in Istanbul/Turkey KOÇAK A1 and KÖKSAL T1 1Davutpaşa Mah. - İstanbul, Turkey [email protected] Abstract : In this study The Church of St. Sergius and Bacchus was modeled by Finite Element Me- thod and was put through various tests to determine its structural system, earthquake behavior and structural performance. The geometry of the structure, its material resistance and ground conditions isn’t enough to model a historical structure. Additionally, you need to calculate the dynamic charac- teristics of the structure with an experimental approach to come up with a more realistic and reliable model of the structure. Therefore, a measured drawing of the structure was acquired after detailed studies, material test- ing were made both at summer and winter to examine the seasonal changes and soil conditions were determined by bore holes and exploratory wells dug around the structure. On the other hand, vibra- tion tests were made at The Church of St. Sergius and Bacchus to analyze the structural characteris- tics and earthquake behavior of the building. Structural modeling of the building, modeled by the Finite Element Method, was outlined by determining its free vibration analysis in compliance with experimental periods. Vertical and earthquake loads of the structure were determined by this model. Keywords: Finite element method, earthquake behavior, church Introduction In this study, The Church of St. Sergius and Bacchus, which was built during 527-536 AD in times of Justinian Regina, is examined.
    [Show full text]
  • And Ninth-Century Rome: the Patrocinia of Diaconiae, Xenodochia, and Greek Monasteries*
    FOREIGN SAINTS AT HOME IN EIGHTH- AND NINTH-CENTURY ROME: THE PATROCINIA OF DIACONIAE, XENODOCHIA, AND GREEK MONASTERIES* Maya Maskarinec Rome, by the 9th century, housed well over a hundred churches, oratories, monasteries and other religious establishments.1 A substantial number of these intramural foundations were dedicated to “foreign” saints, that is, saints who were associated, by their liturgical commemoration, with locations outside Rome.2 Many of these foundations were linked to, or promoted by Rome’s immigrant population or travelers. Early medieval Rome continued to be well connected with the wider Mediterranean world; in particular, it boasted a lively Greek-speaking population.3 This paper investigates the correlation between “foreign” institutions and “foreign” cults in early medieval Rome, arguing that the cults of foreign saints served to differentiate these communities, marking them out as distinct units in Rome, while at the same time helping integrate them into Rome’s sacred topography.4 To do so, the paper first presents a brief overview of Rome’s religious institutions associated with eastern influence and foreigners. It * This article is based on research conducted for my doctoral dissertation (in progress) entitled “Building Rome Saint by Saint: Sanctity from Abroad at Home in the City (6th-9th century).” 1 An overview of the existing religious foundations in Rome is provided by the so-called “Catalogue of 807,” which I discuss below. For a recent overview, see Roberto Meneghini, Riccardo Santangeli Valenzani, and Elisabetta Bianchi, Roma nell'altomedioevo: topografia e urbanistica della città dal V al X secolo (Rome: Istituto poligrafico e zecca dello stato, 2004) (hereafter Meneghini, Santangeli Valenzani, and Bianchi, Roma nell'altomedioevo).
    [Show full text]
  • Practicing Love of God in Medieval Jerusalem, Gaul and Saxony
    he collection of essays presented in “Devotional Cross-Roads: Practicing Love of God in Medieval Gaul, Jerusalem, and Saxony” investigates test case witnesses of TChristian devotion and patronage from Late Antiquity to the Late Middle Ages, set in and between the Eastern and Western Mediterranean, as well as Gaul and the regions north of the Alps. Devotional practice and love of God refer to people – mostly from the lay and religious elite –, ideas, copies of texts, images, and material objects, such as relics and reliquaries. The wide geographic borders and time span are used here to illustrate a broad picture composed around questions of worship, identity, reli- gious affiliation and gender. Among the diversity of cases, the studies presented in this volume exemplify recurring themes, which occupied the Christian believer, such as the veneration of the Cross, translation of architecture, pilgrimage and patronage, emergence of iconography and devotional patterns. These essays are representing the research results of the project “Practicing Love of God: Comparing Women’s and Men’s Practice in Medieval Saxony” guided by the art historian Galit Noga-Banai, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and the histori- an Hedwig Röckelein, Georg-August-University Göttingen. This project was running from 2013 to 2018 within the Niedersachsen-Israeli Program and financed by the State of Lower Saxony. Devotional Cross-Roads Practicing Love of God in Medieval Jerusalem, Gaul and Saxony Edited by Hedwig Röckelein, Galit Noga-Banai, and Lotem Pinchover Röckelein/Noga-Banai/Pinchover Devotional Cross-Roads ISBN 978-3-86395-372-0 Universitätsverlag Göttingen Universitätsverlag Göttingen Hedwig Röckelein, Galit Noga-Banai, and Lotem Pinchover (Eds.) Devotional Cross-Roads This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
    [Show full text]
  • Pilgrimage in Syria 8 Days
    Pilgrimage in Syria 8 Days Day 1: Arrival Arrival to airport Meet and assist and transfer to Hotel Dinner and overnight Day 2: Saydnaya – Maaloula – Saint George – Krak Saydnaya: It was one of the episcopal cities of the ancient Patriarchate of Antioch. Associated with many Biblical and religious events, local tradition holds it as the site where Cain slew his brother Abel. Pilgrims seek Saidnaya for renewal of faith and for healing. Renowned for its faithfulness to Christianity, tradition holds that the Convent of Our Lady of Saidnaya was constructed by the Byzantine emperor Justinian I in 547 AD, after he had two visions of Mary. Also located in the convent of Saidnaya is an icon of the Holy Mother and Child known as the Shaghurah and reputed to have been painted by Luke the Evangelist which is believed to protect its owners from harm in times of danger. Maaloula: It is the only place where a dialect of the Western branch of the Aramaic language is still spoken. Scholars have determined that the Aramaic of Jesus belonged to this particular branch as well. Maaloula represents, therefore, an important source for anthropological linguistic studies regarding first century Aramaic. There are two important monasteries in Maaloula: Greek Catholic Mar Sarkis and Greek Orthodox Mar Thecla. Mar Sarkis is one of the oldest surviving monasteries in Syria. It was built on the site of a pagan temple, and has elements which go back to the fifth to sixth century Byzantine period. Mar Taqla monastery holds the remains of St. Taqla; daughter of one of Seleucid princes, and pupil of St.
    [Show full text]
  • Structural and Earthquake Response Analysis of Little Hagia Sophia
    13th World Conference on Earthquake Engineering Vancouver, B.C., Canada August 1-6, 2004 Paper No. 2652 STRUCTURAL AND EARTHQUAKE RESPONSE ANALYSIS OF THE LITTLE HAGIA SOFHIA MOSQUE Kadir GÜLER 1, Ahmet SAĞLAMER2 , Zekai CELEP2 , Ferhat PAKDAMAR3 SUMMARY In this study, the structural and earthquake response of the Little Hagia Sophia Mosque (Kucuk Ayasofya Camii) of Istanbul is investigated. The building has lived several earthquakes, various parts of the building were damaged, plasters fell and cracks appeared in the walls and in the main dome. Recently, a large scale restoration has been started by the Great Municipality of Istanbul. Within this activity, the building is investigated in detail and soil testing is been carried out to identify the properties of the soil. This paper presents the primary results of the structural and earthquake response analysis of the historical building within the development of appropriate methods and techniques for repair and strengthening of the Little Hagia Sophia Mosque. A brief discussion is presented for possible strengthening of the foundation and the structure of the historical building. INTRODUCTION The Little Hagia Sophia Mosque (Kucuk Ayasofya Camii) is one of the oldest historical buildings in Istanbul. In fact the building is also known as Sergius and Bacchus Church which was converted to a Mosque following the Ottoman conquest of the city. It remains the oldest surviving Byzantine monument in Istanbul. Due to numerous internal and external alterations as well as natural disasters that have occurred since its construction, severe cracks, especially in its dome and vaults have developed. The building has been subjected to a number of earthquakes of different level of intensities.
    [Show full text]
  • The Decorated Syrian Orthodox Churches of Saddad (Syria)*
    ECA 8 (2011), p. 57-82; doi: 10.2143 / ECA.8.0.2961366 The Decorated Syrian Orthodox Churches of Saddad (Syria)* Mat IMMERZEEL INTRODUCTION to investigate the expressions of a communal iden- tity among oriental Christians up till present, so From time immemorial, the mountainous region to that Saddad’s eighteenth-century murals suddenly the north of Damascus known as the Qalamun has became more relevant to my study. Unfortunately, been a bulwark of Syrian Christianity. Whereas my plans to return to the Qalamun for additional most of the Qalamun’s Christian inhabitants were research in 2011 had to be cancelled due to the Melkites, a number of communities supported the persisting unrest in Syria. Rather than delaying the Miaphysite standpoints. The pre-eminent Syrian publication of my study until further notice, Orthodox stronghold in this region was the sparsely I decided to write the present article, which, as the populated region stretching from the north-eastern reader will understand, has a provisional status. Qalamun to Homs, where they had two monaster- ies: Deir Mar Musa al-Habashi in the mountains SOME REMARKS ON SADDAD’S HISTORY east of Nebk, and Deir Mar Elian as-Sharki near Qaryatain1. One of the villages with an enduring At first sight, Saddad seems to be a place in the Miaphysite tradition is Saddad, situated in a desert middle of nowhere. Nevertheless, for centuries it landscape some 60 km to the south of Homs and was an essential stopover for travellers on their way 100 km to the north of Damascus (Pl. 1). Here, to or from Palmyra (Tadmor).
    [Show full text]
  • Pilgrimage in Syria 5 Days
    Pilgrimage in Syria 5 Days Day 1: Arrival Arrival to airport Meet and assist and transfer to Hotel Dinner and overnight Day 2: Full day Damascus Damascus is mentioned in Genesis 14:15 as existing at the time of the War of the Kings Nicolaus of Damascus, in the fourth book of his History, says thus: "Abraham reigned at Damascus”. According to the New Testament, Saint Paul was on the road to Damascus when he received a vision of Jesus, and as a result accepted him as the Messiah. The Damascus Straight Street (referred to in the conversion of St. Paul in Acts 9:11), also known as the Via Recta, was the decumanus of Roman Damascus, and extended for over 1,500 meters (4,900 ft). Today, it consists of the street of Bab Sharqi and the Souk Medhat Pasha. The House of Saint Ananias (also called Chapel of Saint Ananias) is the ancient alleged house of Saint Ananias, in the old Christian quarter. It is said by some to be the house where Ananias baptized Saul. The Chapel of Saint Paul is a modern stone chapel in Damascus that incorporates materials from the Bab Kisan, the ancient city gate through which Paul was lowered to escape the jews After began the tireless Christian preaching that would characterize the rest of his life (Acts 9:20-25). Paul himself later says that it was through a window that he escaped from certain death (2 Cor 11:32-33). According to the Acts of the Apostles, Saint Thomas also lived in that neighborhood.
    [Show full text]