St. Mary's Church of the Holy Belt
The Church of Saint Mary of the Holy Belt ( Arabic كنيسة أم الزنار, DMG Kanīsat Umm az-Zinnār ) is a historic Syrian Orthodox church building in Homs , Republic of Syria . It is the cathedral of the Syrian Orthodox Archdiocese of Homs and Hama.
Location
The Saint Mary's Church of the Holy Belt is in the old town of Homs in the middle section of the street al-Warscha (Werkstattstraße, شارع الورشة, DMG Šāriʿ al-Warša ) on its southern side about 120 m east of the Escada road (اسكادا, DMG Askādā ) about 50 m northwest of the one on al-Ghassani Street (شارع الغساني) Located Fada'il - Mosque (جامع الفضائل, DMG Ǧāmiʿ al-Faḍāʾil ). The Greek Orthodox Forty Martyrs Cathedral of Homs is 100 m south - east and the St. Elian Church, which is also Greek Orthodox, is 400 m east .
history
The church was built over an underground church that dates back to 50 AD. Today it is the seat of the Syrian Orthodox Archbishop . The church contains a venerated relic , a belt that is believed to be the belt of Mary, mother of Jesus . This is the equivalent of the Syrian Church to the tincture of the Theotokos of the Orthodox Church , today in the Vatopedi monastery on Mount Athos , as well as the Catholic belt of Thomas in the Prato Cathedral in Italy . All refer to the same legend about the Virgin Mary, who is said to have given her belt to the Apostle Thomas as proof of her acceptance into heaven .
The church was misused as a shield by armed opposition groups against the Ba'ath government of Bashar al-Assad during the Syrian Civil War and badly damaged during the confrontation with the armed forces. Later clashes resulted in severe and irreparable damage to the exterior of the historically valuable St. Mary's Church of the Holy Belt. After repair work and the return of relics, including the belt of Mary , brought to safety during the war , the church reopened in 2014.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Biography de Sainta Marie ( Memento of 14 March 2012 at the Internet Archive ). Syriac Orthodox Archbishopric of Homs and Hama (French).
- ↑ Tom Gallagher: Christians in Syria struggle amid violent clashes. In: National Catholic Reporter . March 29, 2012, Retrieved April 7, 2012 .
- ↑ كاتدرائية "أم الزنار" في حمص تتعرض لدمار جزئي. Linga.org, June 5, 2012, accessed June 10, 2012 .
- ^ Saint Mary Church of the Holy Belt and the Underground Church. Wondermondo, May 25, 2019.