Holy Cross Church, Damascus

Holy Cross is a large Greek Orthodox church outside the walls of Damascus, in Al-Qassaa, the district north of Bab Touma. It belongs to the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch, and some of the patriarchate’s biggest ceremonies take place here. The present building went up between 1927 and 1932: a twin-towered front, three naves and a dome.

Getting there

From Bab Touma Square, head north-east, out past the walls, for about 500 m. The church stands in Al-Qassaa on Al-Manama Street, on the way towards Abbasiyyin Square. Its dome and two towers show above the nearby streets, so they are the easiest way to find it.

What to see

An older Holy Cross monastery once stood on this plot outside the walls. Work on the new church and its parish buildings began in 1927 and finished in 1932. The building is masonry, with three naves and a transept. The two towers on the front recall European churches, and a dome rises over the middle. The marble iconostasis — the screen of icons in front of the altar — dates from 1936. The icons do not come from a single tradition: Greek, Syrian, Russian and Western styles hang side by side.

What has happened here

On 10 February 2013 John X Yazigi, Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch, was enthroned here, with the Maronite Patriarch Bechara Rai among those present. In November of the same year a mortar round hit the church. On 2 June 2019 Patriarch Irinej of Serbia and John X celebrated the liturgy here together.

Do not miss

Stand in front of the marble iconostasis and look at the icons on either side one by one; the different styles can be read next to each other on the same wall. Then come back in the evening and look from outside: the cross on the dome and the bell tower are lit after dark, and the church can be picked out from streets far across the district.