George's Cathedral (Baghdad)
The Greek Orthodox Cathedral of Saint George ( Arabic كاتدرائية القديس جاورجيوس للروم الأرثوذكس في بغداد), also St. George's Cathedral (كاتدرائية القديس جاورجيوس), is a church in the Iraqi capital Baghdad that was consecrated in 1964. It is the cathedral of the Archdiocese of Baghdad of the Greek Orthodox Church .
Location
The Greek Orthodox St. George's Cathedral is located in the ar-Riyad district of Baghdad on the east bank of the Tigris at 39 m a.s.l. on the southwest side of Tāriq-ibn-Ziyād Street (شارع طارق بن زياد) about 250 m southeast of Tahariyat Square (ساحة تحريات).
history
The Greek Orthodox Church was hardly present in Mesopotamia until the 20th century, and most of the members living here or their ancestors came to Iraq during the 20th century. The Greek Orthodox St. George's Cathedral in Baghdad was built in 1976 according to plans by the architect Fahram Strak and inaugurated the same year. After the invasion of Iraq by US troops in 2003, life for the Greek Orthodox and other Christians became almost unbearable because of the persecution of Christians by Islamist insurgents. The Greek Orthodox St. George's Cathedral remained intact, but the size of the Greek Orthodox community in Baghdad decreased from 600 families in 1991 to 30 families in 2014. The Greek Orthodox communities in Mosul and Basra have died out.
architecture
As seen from the entrance to the archbishopric, there is a courtyard with administrative buildings on the right and the cathedral on the left. The George's Cathedral is built of reinforced concrete and brick blinded . The geostete church with a gable roof covered. The apse at the eastern end facing Tāriq-ibn-Ziyād Street is raised like a tower and has a large cross at the top. A small bell tower with a square cross-section rises from the center of the roof. Similar to a basilica, the interior view of the church reveals three naves, separated from each other by columns with a square cross-section. There is a gallery above the entrance at the western end, and the sanctuary to the east is separated by an iconostasis with three passageways with curtains. The church is adorned with numerous icons in the Byzantine style .
Facilities of the Greek Orthodox Church in Baghdad
The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch operates a school, an old people's home, an orphanage and facilities for sporting, cultural and educational activities in addition to the St. George's Cathedral.
Diocese and bishop
The Greek Orthodox St. George's Cathedral in Baghdad is the cathedral of the Archdiocese of Baghdad and Kuwait of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch , which has another church in Baghdad in addition to St. George's Cathedral. Patriarch of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and the whole East is John X of Antioch, who resides in the Mariamite Cathedral in the Syrian capital Damascus , who was elected as successor to Patriarch Ignatius IV Hazim on December 17, 2012 and on February 10 It was consecrated in 2013. The Archbishop of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Baghdad and Kuwait has been Ghattas Hazim , born in Hama (Syria) and a nephew of the former Patriarch Ignatius IV Hazim , since 2015 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e Pascal Meguesyan: The Greek Orthodox Mar Gorgis cathedral in Baghdad. Mesopotamia Heritage, March 2018.
Coordinates: 33 ° 18 ′ 2.1 ″ N , 44 ° 26 ′ 47.2 ″ E