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Tradition holds that the monastery was built by the Damage to the soul: Syria's cultural heritage in conflict
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Our Lady of Saydnaya Patriarchal Monastery
(''antiochpatriarchate.org'') Christian monasteries in Syria Eastern Orthodox pilgrimage sites Eastern Orthodox church buildings dedicated to Theotokos Greek Orthodox monasteries Greek Orthodoxy in Syria Shrines to the Virgin Mary 540s establishments in the Byzantine Empire Christian monasteries established in the 6th century 547 establishments
Mary, mother of Jesus
Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jews, Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Jose ...
, image = Syria283.jpg
, location = Saidnaya, al-Tall District
al-Tall District ( ar-at, منطقة التل, manṭiqat al-Tall) is a district of the Rif Dimashq Governorate in southern Syria. The administrative centre
An administrative center is a seat of regional administration or local government, ...
, Rif Dimashq Governorate
Rif Dimashq Governorate ( ar, محافظة ريف دمشق, ', literally, the "Governorate of the Countryside of Damascus", Damascus Suburb) is one of the fourteen governorates (provinces) of Syria. It is situated in the southwestern part of the ...
, Syria
Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...
, coordinates =
, order = Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch
The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch ( el, Ελληνορθόδοξο Πατριαρχείο Αντιοχείας), also known as the Antiochian Orthodox Church and legally as the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East ( ar ...
, founder = Justinian I
Justinian I (; la, Iustinianus, ; grc-gre, Ἰουστινιανός ; 48214 November 565), also known as Justinian the Great, was the Byzantine emperor from 527 to 565.
His reign is marked by the ambitious but only partly realized '' renov ...
, established = 547 AD
Our Lady of Saidnaya Patriarchal Monastery ( ar, دير سيدة صيدنايا البطريركي) is a monastery of the Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch
The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch ( el, Ελληνορθόδοξο Πατριαρχείο Αντιοχείας), also known as the Antiochian Orthodox Church and legally as the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East ( ar ...
located in Saidnaya, Syria
Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...
. It is one of the most ancient monasteries in the world and in the region of the Middle East and North Africa, traditionally held to have been founded by Byzantine
The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...
emperor Justinian I
Justinian I (; la, Iustinianus, ; grc-gre, Ἰουστινιανός ; 48214 November 565), also known as Justinian the Great, was the Byzantine emperor from 527 to 565.
His reign is marked by the ambitious but only partly realized '' renov ...
in 547 AD. It is run by a religious order of nuns. It is an important pilgrimage site for Christians, who visit an icon of Saint 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 of ...
which is attributed to Saint Luke.
Description
The main chapel has numerous icons and a woodeniconostasis
In Eastern Christianity, an iconostasis ( gr, εἰκονοστάσιον) is a wall of icons and religious paintings, separating the nave from the sanctuary in a church. ''Iconostasis'' also refers to a portable icon stand that can be placed a ...
in front of the altar. The pilgrimage shrine, separate from the main chapel, contains the aforementioned icon of Mary, called ''Shaghoura'' ("the Illustrious"). The icon is kept hidden behind an ornate, silver-doored niche, while on either side of this shrine are a number of later icons. Numerous beaten silver crosses and other religious symbols, left as ''ex voto
An ex-voto is a votive offering to a saint or to a divinity; the term is usually restricted to Christian examples. It is given in fulfillment of a vow (hence the Latin term, short for ''ex voto suscepto'', "from the vow made") or in gratitude o ...
s'' by pilgrims, are displayed on the walls.
History
Tradition holds that the monastery was built by the Byzantine emperor
This is a list of the Byzantine emperors from the foundation of Constantinople in 330 AD, which marks the conventional start of the Eastern Roman Empire, to its fall to the Ottoman Empire in 1453 AD. Only the emperors who were recognized as ...
Justinian I
Justinian I (; la, Iustinianus, ; grc-gre, Ἰουστινιανός ; 48214 November 565), also known as Justinian the Great, was the Byzantine emperor from 527 to 565.
His reign is marked by the ambitious but only partly realized '' renov ...
in 547 AD, following two visions of Mary. One indicated the intended site of the church, while the other outlined its design. Justinian dedicated the finished project on the Feast of Mary's Nativity, and annually thereafter on September 8 Christian pilgrims arrive at the monastery to honour Our Lady of Saidnaya.
The monastery was damaged during the Syrian civil war.()
See also
* List of heritage sites damaged during Syrian civil war *Mary in Islam
Maryam bint Imran () is revered in Islam as the only woman named in the Quran, which refers to her seventy times and explicitly identifies her as the greatest woman to have ever lived. In the Quran, her story is related in three Meccan surahs ...
*Shrines to the Virgin Mary
A shrine to the Virgin Mary (or Marian shrine) is a shrine marking an apparition or other miracle ascribed to the Blessed Virgin Mary, or a site on which is centered a historically strong Marian devotion. Such locales are often the destinatio ...
References
{{reflistExternal links
Our Lady of Saydnaya Patriarchal Monastery
(''antiochpatriarchate.org'') Christian monasteries in Syria Eastern Orthodox pilgrimage sites Eastern Orthodox church buildings dedicated to Theotokos Greek Orthodox monasteries Greek Orthodoxy in Syria Shrines to the Virgin Mary 540s establishments in the Byzantine Empire Christian monasteries established in the 6th century 547 establishments