Deir Mar Musa (دير مار موسى), a monastery located in the desert mountains east of the town of al-Nabk (النبك), is one of the most spectacular sites in Syria. Originally built in the middle of the 6th century, the monastery was mostly in ruin until the 1980s when a major restoration project was undertaken. This eventually led to the establishment of a new monastic community in …
Deir Mar Yaqoub (دير مار يعقوب), a monastery dedicated to Saint Jacob, was in nearly complete ruin until the mid-90s when a restoration project began under the leadership of Lebanese and Syrian Roman Catholic nuns. Today, it is almost completely rebuilt and houses a convent. The monastery dates back to the fifth century, when the Byzantine empire controlled Syria, and it was built on the …
Deir Mar Touma (دير مار توما), or the Monastery of Saint Thomas, is located a short distance uphill from Seidnaya (صيدنايا), north of Damascus. The modern monastery is built neighboring an ancient chapel which was originally a Roman temple. The Roman foundations of this chapel are more clearly apparent than the church at Deir al-Shirubeim (دير الشيروبيم), further up the mountain, which is also of Roman …
Deir al-Shirubeim (دير الشيروبيم) is a large monastery complex overlooking Seidnaya (صيدنايا) and the surrounding valley from an altitude of 1,910 meters, at the top of Mount Qalamoun. The small church at the site was originally a Roman temple built in the 3rd century. Although the Roman architecture is not as well preserved as the chapel of Deir Mar Touma (دير مار توما), the church is clearly …
Deir Mar Elias (دير مار الياس) is a mountainside church built over a much more ancient cave to the north of Damascus (دمشق). The cave contains decently preserved frescoes, dated on stylistic grounds to the 11th or 12th century. The site offers beautiful views of the countryside, overlooking the valley that connects Damascus (دمشق) to the north of the country. It is associated by local tradition …
