Jdeideh Quarter, Aleppo, Syria
Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption
The Melkite Greek Catholic cathedral in Aleppo, Syria, a church that has served one of the oldest Christian communities in the world through Ottoman rule, modern upheaval, and the Syrian Civil War.
Aleppo's Melkite cathedral sits in the old Christian quarter of Jdeideh, a district that Christians have inhabited for centuries. The present building dates to the 19th century, with a stone facade and a bell tower that once rose above the rooftops of the quarter. During the Syrian Civil War, the cathedral and surrounding neighborhood suffered severe damage from shelling and fighting between 2012 and 2016. Restoration work has been ongoing since the area was stabilized. The Melkite Greek Catholics are an Eastern Catholic church in full communion with Rome, using the Byzantine liturgy in Arabic. Aleppo's Christian population, which once numbered in the hundreds of thousands, has been drastically reduced by the war, but those who remain are determined to keep their community alive.
Diocese: Melkite Archeparchy of Aleppo
Style: Ottoman-era Levantine
What to See
The cathedral is being restored, and what you see will depend on the state of reconstruction. The Jdeideh quarter itself, with its stone alleyways and remaining churches, tells the story of Syrian Christianity more powerfully than any single building. The iconography inside follows Byzantine tradition rendered in an Arab visual idiom.
Pilgrim Notes
Travel to Aleppo depends entirely on current security conditions. If accessible, Mass is offered in Arabic following the Byzantine rite. The Christian community welcomes visitors and is eager to show that the Church in Syria has not disappeared.