{"id":115789,"date":"2024-08-03T18:16:16","date_gmt":"2024-08-03T18:16:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/npasyria.com\/en\/?p=115789"},"modified":"2024-08-03T18:16:17","modified_gmt":"2024-08-03T18:16:17","slug":"rebuilding-old-church-in-syrias-hasakah-after-years-of-cessation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/npasyria.com\/en\/115789\/","title":{"rendered":"Rebuilding old church in Syria\u2019s Hasakah after years of cessation\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Taysir Muhammad<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

HASAKAH, Syria (North Press) \u2013 <\/strong>Construction workers are restoring the walls and towers of the St. George Syriac Orthodox Church in the city of Hasakah, Northeast Syria, which is considered one of the churches that was damaged by the Islamic State (ISIS) in 2015.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Supervisors said that the restoration began in 2022 but later stopped due the shortage of materials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gabriel Khajo, pastor of the church, says that the process of the restoration conveys a message regarding the existence and the survival of Syriac people in Hasakah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Khajo recalls when ISIS was about to take control over Hasakah and how the cathedral served as a shelter for the residents, saying that the church\u2019s doors remained open to everyone, even when ISIS was only about two to three hundred meters away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The church, which is six decades old, holds special religious significance as it is the seat of the Bishop in Hasakah and Euphrates, whose jurisdiction includes Deir ez-Zor, Hasakah, and the Euphrates region. The church also houses the bishop\u2019s office and the diocesan headquarters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Considered one of the oldest churches in the East, the church covers a total area of 950 square meters and stands 40 meters tall, accommodating more than 1,200 people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The church was built in the shape of a cross and is surrounded by four streets in the heart of old Hasakah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tamim Antar, a supervisor of the restoration operation, says the church is a historical landmark for the Christians of Hasakah in the East, so we tried to pay attention to the Syriac details regardless the engineering works.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Antar adds that they tried as much as possible to seek out all the elements that help this landmark remain historically and culturally significant, drawing architectural inspirations from all eastern churches such as Greek, Byzantine, and Russian styles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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