- UNESCO completed restoration of Mosul’s Al-Tahera Church and Al-Saa’a Convent in 2025
- The Syriac Catholic Al-Tahera Church, built in 1862, was badly damaged in 2017
- Al-Saa’a, a Dominican convent founded in 1870, was used as a prison by the Islamic State
- The Revive the Spirit of Mosul programme cost $115 million
UNESCO has completed the restoration of Mosul’s Al-Tahera Church and Al-Saa’a Convent as part of its Revive the Spirit of Mosul programme, The Art Newspaper reported on February 5, 2025, in a report by Hadani Ditmars.
Al-Tahera, a Syriac Catholic church established in 1862, was severely damaged in 2017 during the fighting. Its restoration included two new bells decorated with motifs including an image of the Virgin Mary. Al-Saa’a, a Dominican convent founded in 1870, housed a church, schools, a seminary, a hospital and an archive of manuscripts. The Islamic State turned it into a prison, though a priest and community members smuggled out the manuscripts first. Najeeb Michaeel, now Chaldean Archbishop of Mosul, led that effort.
The programme began in 2018 and cost $115 million, funded mainly by the United Arab Emirates and the European Union. More than 1,300 young people were trained in traditional skills.
The restorations repaired two historic church buildings that war had damaged or misused.
Large heritage churches in Jamaica also need major investment to restore after damage. The Mosul programme shows the value of international partnerships and of training local craftspeople in traditional skills. Jamaican denominations with historic buildings could seek heritage partners and use restoration projects to build local skills.
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