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Baghdad Baghdad (; ar, بَغْدَاد , ) is the capital of Iraq and the second-largest city in the Arab world after Cairo. It is located on the Tigris near the ruins of the ancient city of Babylon and the Sassanid Persian capital of Ctesiphon ...

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Syriac Catholic Church The Syriac Catholic Church ( syc, ܥܕܬܐ ܣܘܪܝܝܬܐ ܩܬܘܠܝܩܝܬܐ, ʿĪṯo Suryayṯo Qaṯolīqayṯo, ar, الكنيسة السريانية الكاثوليكية) is an Eastern Catholic Churches, Eastern Catholic Christianity ...

, previous denomination = , churchmanship = , membership = , attendance = , website = , former name = , bull date = , founded date = , founder = , dedication = , dedicated date = , consecrated date = , cult = , relics = , events = , past bishop = , people = , status = , functional status = , heritage designation = , designated date = , architect = , architectural type = , style = , years built = , groundbreaking = , completed date = 1968 , construction cost = , closed date = , demolished date = , capacity = , length = , width = , width nave = , height = , diameter = , other dimensions = , floor count = , floor area = , dome quantity = , dome height outer = , dome height inner = , dome dia outer = , dome dia inner = , spire quantity = , spire height = , materials = , bells = , bells hung = , bell weight = , parish = , deanery = , archdeaconry = , episcopalarea = , archdiocese = , metropolis = , diocese = , province = , presbytery = , synod = , circuit = , district = , division = , subdivision = , archbishop = , bishop = Yousif Abba , abbot = , prior = , subprior = , vicar = , exarch = , provost-rector = , provost = , viceprovost = , rector = , dean = , subdean = , archpriest = , precentor = , succentor = , chancellor = , canonchancellor = , canon = , canonpastor = , canonmissioner = , canontreasurer = , prebendary = , priestincharge = , priest = , asstpriest = , honpriest = , curate = , asstcurate = , minister = , assistant = , seniorpastor = , pastor = , chaplain = , archdeacon = , deacon = , reader = , student intern = , organistdom = , director = , organist = , organscholar = , chapterclerk = , laychapter = , warden = , verger = , businessmgr = , liturgycoord = , reledu = , rcia = , youthmin = , flowerguild = , musicgroup = , parishadmin = , serversguild = , embedded = The Sayidat al-Nejat Cathedral in Baghdad ( ar, كاتدرائية سيدة النجاة) is a

Cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denomination ...

of the Syriac or Antiochian Catholic Church located in

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...

. The current bishop is Archbishop Yousif Abba and the

cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denomination ...

is 380 meters from the Cathedral of Our Lady of Nareg. The church was subject of attack by ISIS in 2010 and in 2004.

History

Bcakground

The Syriac-Catholic presence in Baghdad started at the beginning of the 19th century but grew in the following century due to the Armenian Genocide and the later economic development of the city during the

Royal Era Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Royal, Iowa, a ci ...

. Due to this presence and the many Christian families moving into Baghdad's newer areas, including Karada where the Cathedral is located, a primitive but modest Church was built in 1952 before the current cathedral was erected while the primitive Church was turned into a place for condolences, used during mourning periods. The cathedral was designed by a Polish man named Kafka with the help of the Romaya engineering agency. The cathedral was opened on March 17, 1968, in the presence of various bishops of the Christian communities in Iraq. After the fall of former Iraqi president

Saddam Hussein Saddam Hussein ( ; ar, صدام حسين, Ṣaddām Ḥusayn; 28 April 1937 – 30 December 2006) was an Iraqi politician who served as the fifth president of Iraq from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003. A leading member of the revolution ...

in 2003, the cathedral was among the many churches that were bombed and was a part of the 2004 attacks on Iraqi churches.

2010 massacre

On October 31, 2010, a group of suicide bomber militants of a group called

Islamic State of Iraq The Islamic State of Iraq (ISI; ar, دولة العراق الإسلامية '), commonly referred to as al-Qaeda in Iraq ( ar, القاعدة في العراق '), is a militant Salafist jihadist group that aimed to establish an Islamic sta ...

took over and attacked the cathedral during Sunday evening

Mass Mass is an intrinsic property of a body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the quantity of matter in a physical body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physics. It was found that different atoms and different elementar ...

. The militants massacred 47 people including men, women and children including two priests, Thaier Abdullah and Wassim Sabieh, and causing tens to be injured. The dead corpses of the victims covered the floors of the cathedral and the walls were full of bullet holes. The gunmen demanded the release of various al-Qaeda prisoners. The situation ended only when security forces stormed the cathedral in an hours-long stand-off. About 60 people were injured in this stand-off. Huthaifa al-Batawi, a senior al-Qaeda chief, was suspected in this attack but ISI quickly took credit for the attack. Al-Batawi, along with 11 others, were accused of masterminding the attacks and was imprisoned. The final death toll after the stand-off was 67 dead people who were killed during the process. After the stand-off, Mgr Pios Cacha, a member of the cathedral, entered the building and took pictures of every single dead victim, one by one. The attack was the first of the many attacks on Iraqi Christians after 2003 that gained awareness globally of the situation. The attack caught the attention of

Pope Benedict XVI Pope Benedict XVI ( la, Benedictus XVI; it, Benedetto XVI; german: link=no, Benedikt XVI.; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, , on 16 April 1927) is a retired prelate of the Catholic church who served as the head of the Church and the sovereign ...

who condemned the attack and called for cooperation for peace in the region. The attack was expected by Father Thaier Abdullah due to the Dove World Outreach Center Quran burnings by Reverend Terry Jones on September 11, 2010, which caused massive outrage and anti-Christian hatred. Due to the cathedral being a well-known landmark, Father Thaier and the people of the cathedral were reported to be preparing for the worst but tried to remain calm. A police car sat outside the cathedral right across the road and concrete bollards, razor wire, and oil drums filled with cement barricaded the entrance. Much of this preparation came from the legacy of the 2004 attack on the cathedral. Father Thaier also said in an interview:

I would like to send a message to the pastor who is in America; he lives in a society that protects humans and religious beliefs. Why would he want to harm Christians in Iraq? This is dangerous. He should realize that we live in cultures of various denominations, especially in Iraq.

Later events

In 2011, works on the complete renovation and restoration of the cathedral began as decided by Mgr Matti Shaba Matoka, archbishop of Baghdad. On December 14, 2012, the cathedral was inaugurated in the presence of nearly all Eastern Christian patriarchs at the time. A memorial has been erected in an adjacent room, where pictures of the victims and sullied sacred objects can be seen, as well as memorial personal belongings of Fathers Thaier Abdullah and Wassim Sabieh. Today, the Cathedral remains one of the three active Syriac-Catholic Churches in Baghdad. On February 10, 2018, the Syriac Catholics of Baghdad celebrated the

World Day of the Sick The World Day of the Sick is an awareness day, or observance, in the Catholic Church intended for "prayer and sharing, of offering one's suffering for the good of the Church and of reminding everyone to see in his sick brother or sister the face of ...

. Mass was carried out by Mgr Yousif Abba, the Syriac-Catholic archbishop of Baghdad. The people at the celebration were blessed with the

Holy Chrism In Christian denominations that practice infant baptism, confirmation is seen as the sealing of the covenant created in baptism. Those being confirmed are known as confirmands. For adults, it is an affirmation of belief. It involves laying on ...

including the people who were sick that day. At the end of the mass, a “queen of patience” of the cathedral was chosen to be a heavily physically and mentally disabled person named "Nour." On March 5, 2021,

Pope Francis Pope Francis ( la, Franciscus; it, Francesco; es, link=, Francisco; born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 17 December 1936) is the head of the Catholic Church. He has been the bishop of Rome and sovereign of the Vatican City State since 13 March 2013. ...

visited the cathedral during his visit to Iraq and was given a bouquet of flowers upon his arrival . Despite this, the legacy of the 2010 massacre is still remembered by some. According to church statics, Christian presence in Iraq declined to its lowest level after the attack to less than 500,000. Some Christians, monasteries and churches also became targets during the external political conflicts the country saw in later years.

Architecture and description

The Polish architect and designer Kafka intentionally designed the cathedral in the shape of a boat, with its large cross raised as a mast, supporting an arch-shaped sail. The obvious evangelical symbol is suppose to represent a boat carrying worshippers on board, just like

Jesus Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...

on the boat with his disciples. Mgr Pios Cacha quoted “Our church is a boat sailing in the world’s sea." In the interior, wood paneling covers all the inside pillars and walls with a wooden band above the nave that includes the names of the victims carved on said wood. Above the altar are multicolored windows give the cathedral a natural lighting. On the arch above the altar in the church’s choir, hangs a painting of the

Virgin Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother o ...

with a baby Jesus, carrying her son on her heart; the painting was drawn by Chaldean priest Mikhael Oufi in Roma in 1904. The painting suffered no deterioration during the 2011 massacre. In the

cupola In architecture, a cupola () is a relatively small, most often dome-like, tall structure on top of a building. Often used to provide a lookout or to admit light and air, it usually crowns a larger roof or dome. The word derives, via Italian, from ...

, above the choir, is a mosaic picture made of earthenware tiles features the coronation of Mary. The mosaic work was made by an unnamed Muslim artist in 1994. Next to the cathedral is a graveyard that contains tombs of the cathedral's servants and clerics. As well as the tombs of Fathers Thaier Abdullah and Wassim Sabieh with their names embedded on a wall.

Sources and references