George's Cathedral (as-Suwaida)

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Orthodox Easter in as-Suwaida, 2019

The Cathedral of St. George or George's Cathedral ( Arabic كاتدرائية مار جرجس or كنيسة القديس جورجيوس للروم الأرثوذكس) is the cathedral of the Archdiocese of Bosra, Hauran and Jabal al-Arab of the Greek Orthodox Church in as-Suwaida in Syria .

history

The Christianity is in as-Suwayda, a predominantly from since the 19th century Druze marked place around for much. The Christians living in the area of ​​the old diocese of Bosra are traced back to the mission of Saint Timon , one of the seventy disciples of Jesus ( Lk 10.1  EU ) and at the same time one of the seven deacons chosen by the twelve apostles ( Acts 6.5  EU ), who, according to tradition, preached the Gospel as a preacher and first bishop in the provincial capital Nova Trajana Bostra (today Bosra ).

At the beginning of the 18th century, the Orthodox Church of the Antiochene Greeks, also known as Melkites ("loyal to the king"), split into parts that continued to orient themselves towards Constantinople - Greek Orthodox - and those who were tied to Rome - the Greek Catholics , who continued to be called Melkites, in contrast to the Orthodox. The church of the Antiochene Greeks of the old diocese based in Bosra were also split. While the Greek Catholic Melkites established their bishopric in the Assumption Cathedral in Chabab , the cathedral in Suwaida was the seat of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Bosra, Hauran and Jabal al-Arab .

Were the beginning of the 20th century within the geographical territory of the Archdiocese of Bosra, Hauran and Jabal al-Arab, according to the archbishop Esber about 55% of the population Christians, which the Archdiocese on the number of believers is the largest within the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch was . Economic misery and political conflicts led to a very high level of emigration. Many Greek Orthodox found a new home in Damascus, especially in the districts of Ad-Duwaila ' and Tabbala (the district where Paul's conversion is said to have taken place). In 2010 the proportion of Christians in the area of ​​the archdiocese was around 2 to 3%. Many of those living in Damascus return to Suwaida and the surrounding area in the summer months, partly to cultivate their fields, partly to relax.

architecture

The "tiny" St. George's Cathedral is made of black basalt stones. You enter the building through a rectangular entrance door with a rectangular window on both sides of the front of the church. On the white painted gable above, Georg the dragon slayer is depicted on a round panel . On the left is a large tower with a square cross-section, while on the church building to the right of the entrance there is a small, open bell tower.

Diocese and bishop

The seat of the Archbishopric of Bosra, Hauran and Jabal al-Arab is in the city center of Suwaida on Qanawāt Street (شارع قنوات, Street of the Canals). The current archbishop is Saba (Isber), born in Latakia in 1959 (سابا (إسبر)), who received episcopal ordination in 1998 and became metropolitan in 1999.

There are seven Christian villages in the vicinity of as-Suwaida, and several churches were under construction or recently completed in Charraba and 'Anz in the late 1980s.

In 2010 the Archdiocese had around 20,000 believers (2 to 3%) in 32 parishes among those permanently residing in the area. Many of the 130,000 Greek Orthodox living in Damascus that year originally came from the archbishopric in southern Syria.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Basil (Antiochian Greek Orthodox Bishop of North America): Brief History of the Archdiocese of Bosra-Hauran. Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America, accessed June 8, 2020.
  2. ^ Charles A. Frazee: Catholics and Sultans: The Church and the Ottoman Empire 1453-1923 , pp. 199-209.
  3. ↑ a b Faten Assaf (فاتن عساف): أبرشية حوران .. أبرشية الرسل والقديسين [Diocese of Hauran, Diocese of the Apostles and Saints]. ESyria, January 5, 2010.
  4. ^ A b Robert Brenton Betts: The Druze Yale University Press, New Haven / London 1988, p. 60.
  5. ↑ Bosra, Hauran and Jabal al-Arab - His Eminence, the Most Reverend Metropolitan Saba (Isber) or بصرى وحوران وجبل العرب - المطران: صاحب السيادة المااالسيادة البااروبوت ليت ليباتروبوت ليت ليبااوبوت ليت . Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East, accessed June 8, 2020.

Coordinates: 32 ° 42 ′ 43.9 "  N , 36 ° 34 ′ 23.6"  E