St. Elias Maronite Cathedral, Aleppo
St. Elias Maronite Cathedral, located in the Djeideh quarter on al-Farhat square in Aleppo, was built in 1873.
The church has two pointed towers and a high dome. Its marble altar with yellow columns is situated under the dome on the east side. This was added during the period of Archbishop Michael Akras who also inaugurated the chiming clock on the tower, which plays Ave Maria every fifteen minutes.
Al-Farhat Square is named for Archbishop Jermanos Farhat (1670-1732) who founded the Maronite library. A statue of the Archbishop was placed in the square for his 200th anniversary in 1934.
The Maronite Church is an Eastern Catholic church in full communion with the Pope, with a liturgy in Syriac. The Maronites are named for a 5th-century hermit, St. Maron, and are found especially in Lebanon.
The head of the Maronite Church is the Maronite Patriarch of Antioch, who is elected by the bishops of the Maronite church and resides in Bkirki, north of Beirut.
See our Aleppo Churches Photo Gallery for photos of this cathedral plus many other churches in Aleppo.
Sources
- "St. Elias Maronite Church" - ArchNet Digital Library
