The Church of the Dormition of Our Lady, Aleppo

One of four churches that open onto a single walled courtyard in the Jdeydeh quarter of Aleppo. It was built in the first half of the 15th century, and the Greek Orthodox community still worships in it; the church belongs to the Diocese of Aleppo. From outside it is a plain stone building. What matters is inside, in the icons of the Aleppo school.

Getting there

Walk west from Sahat al-Hatab; the church courtyard of Jdeydeh is a few minutes away and this church stands along one side of it. From the street you see only the belfry. If you are going into the Forty Martyrs Armenian Cathedral, you are already next door.

What to see

An ashlar front, arched windows behind iron grilles, and a single-bell gable above the roof. Inside hang the icons of the Aleppo school — a tradition of painting that grew up in this city, and the most valuable thing the church holds.

What it has been through

The church was enlarged in 1499-1500 by a donation from Reyis Baron Yesayi, an Armenian notable; the same gift covered the Forty Martyrs Cathedral and the old Maronite church of Saint Elias. The Aleppo earthquake of 1822 damaged it. After the events of 1850, when Jdeydeh was burned, it was repaired between 1850 and 1852. The last heavy damage came in 2015, during the battle for Aleppo, and a full restoration began in early 2020.

What most people miss

The courtyard itself. Four churches sharing one gate tells you how Jdeydeh was laid out: the communities settled side by side outside the walls, and the churches faced inward rather than onto the street. The Italian traveller Pietro Della Valle wrote down that arrangement when he reached Aleppo in 1625, and he called this church Saint George.