page_title: Mariamite Cathedral of Damascus
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Mariamite Cathedral of Damascus / History
caption_attribution_description: English: Sunday mass led by patriarch of Antioch John the Tenth
context_page_description: The Mariamite Cathedral of Damascus is one of the oldest Greek Orthodox churches in Damascus, Syria and holds the seat of the Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch. The church complex is located on the Street Called Straight.
context_section_description: A first church was built during the 4th century AD or probably earlier. After the Muslim conquest of Damascus the church was closed until 706 AD when al-Walid ordered to return it to the Christians as a compensation for the Church of John the Baptist which was turned into the Umayyad Mosque.
  The church was destroyed and rebuilt several times in later years. It was described by Ibn Jubayr as:
  Inside the town there is a church which is very important to the Romans. It is known as the Church of Mary.  Its importance comes after the Church of Jerusalem. It is a beautiful building includes miraculous pictures which appeal to mind and eyes.  It is in the hands of the Romans and nobody objects to them at it.
  In 1342, the Patriarchal See of Antioch was transferred from Antioch to Damascus and the church served as the seat of the Greek Orthodox Church in the East.
  The church was burned down by mobs, along with most of the Christian quarter, when the 1860 Druze-Christian conflict in Lebanon spilled into Damascus, and was rebuilt three years later. It was last renovated in 1953.
caption: Divine Liturgy led by patriarch John the tenth at  Mariamite Cathedral of Damascus
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