Conversion Pauli Church

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Tent-shaped church building

The Conversion Pauli Church ( Arabic كنيسة القديس بولس الرسول, DMG Kanīsat al-Qiddīs Baulus ar-Rasūl ) is a Roman Catholic church in Tabbaleh, a suburb of Damascus , administered by the Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land .

The Tabbaleh district, southeast of the old city of Damascus , which is inhabited by many Christians , was formerly outside Damascus; here the biblical tradition of the conversion of Paul ( Acts 9 : 1-9  EU ) was traditionally localized and connected to a grotto below today's street level. In 1925 a small chapel was built. When Pope Paul VI. traveled the Holy Land, he suggested a new church, which was consecrated in 1971. The Pauline year 2009 was the occasion for a renovation of the church.

The modern church is in the shape of a tent and is intended as a reminder that Paul was a tent maker by profession. The window behind the altar depicts the Gospel proclaimed by Paul. Paul's vision of Christ, his baptism and his escape from the city is the theme of the three glass windows in the nave.

Connected to the church is an education and meeting center. B. is used by the Roman Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Middle East. The pilgrim house Casa Nova , like the church building, was initiated by Pope Paul VI. back. Since the beginning of the civil war, this guest house has been used to host refugees, especially families who need medical attention.

The older tradition of Paul's conversion locates this event in the town of Kaukab, about 15 km southwest of Damascus. A Byzantine church was located here. A modern Greek Orthodox church at this point has been prepared as a pilgrimage site.

literature

  • Peter's pupil: Syria - past and present . In: In the land of the Lord. Franciscan magazine for the Holy Land , vol. 73, 2/2019, pp. 54–75, here pp. 66–69 ( The memorial of Pauli Conversion ). ( PDF )

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Petrus Schüler: Syria - Past and Present , 2019, p. 67.
  2. ^ Andreas Feldtkeller : Syria . EVA, Leipzig 2011, p. 73.

Coordinates: 33 ° 30 ′ 8.7 ″  N , 36 ° 19 ′ 12.7 ″  E