- The Maronite Cathedral of St Elijah in Aleppo was set to reopen on July 20, 2020
- Mortar attacks between 2012 and 2016 damaged its ceiling, dome and walls
- Aid to the Church in Need contributed $460,000 to the restoration
- Aleppo’s Christian population fell from about 180,000 to about 30,000
The Maronite Cathedral of St Elijah in Aleppo, Syria, was set to be officially reopened on July 20, 2020, after restoration from war damage, Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) reported on July 17, 2020.
The cathedral was hit repeatedly by mortar attacks between 2012 and 2016, with the worst damage in 2013. Its ceiling, dome and walls were damaged. A preliminary Christmas service was held in December 2016, 12 days after the city’s liberation. ACN contributed $460,000 to the restoration. Between 2011 and 2019 the charity supported 900 projects in Syria worth more than $43 million.
“This house played a role in receiving the blows itself in order to protect the surrounding civilians,” said Maronite Bishop Joseph Tobji of Aleppo. The cathedral was the only gathering place for Maronite parishioners in the city.
Aleppo’s Christian population fell from about 180,000 before the war to about 30,000 afterwards, so the restored cathedral serves a much smaller community.
Rebuilding a church after disaster is a question of both money and people. Jamaican congregations repairing hurricane-damaged churches face the same choices the Aleppo Maronites did: how much to spend on a building when the congregation has shrunk. Partner funding, clear priorities and a plan for how the building will be used afterwards help make sure repairs are sustainable.
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