Christian history
The Christian tradition in the area of today’s Syria actually goes back to the beginning of Christianity. Several apostles have traveled through the country and even Mary, the mother of Jesus, is said to have been in Syria, for example in the port city Tartus, where a cathedral still commemorates it today. Ephrem the Syrian and John of Damascus, two doctors of the church, as well as six popes stand out from the later Syrian Christians. There are also many Syrian traces in Scripture that can be traced to this day. For example, we visit a cave north of Damascus, where the prophet Elijah lived, and in Damascus the house of Ananias who baptized the apostle Paul (Acts 9: 10-19).
In the Christian quarters of Damascus, Aleppo and other cities you can still see not only numerous churches, but also small niches in the house walls with statues of Our Lady, crosses on the roofs and shops for devotional items and images. A particularly beautiful tradition of the Syrian Christians can be seen in May: girls and women wear long, blue dresses in honor of Our Lady throughout the whole month – in church, at school, at the university or in a café.
Today, Christianity in Syria is threatened by the civil war. The Christian population can only be estimated. Before the war, the circulating numbers fluctuated between one and three million. Compared to other countries in the Middle East the number of the Christian population in Syria was quite high. But, the current number is difficult to calculate. Various aid organizations only agree that the number is less than one million.
For the survival of Christians in Syria, it is of great advantage that the predominantly Muslim government is sympathetic to them and that the areas the government controls are relatively safe. In comparison, the situation of Christians in the neighboring state Iraq is much more negative. Since the US-led military invasion in 2003 and the emergence of ISIS in 2006, Iraq has been very unstable and Christians are at great risk. Accordingly, their number has dropped even more drastically.
We leave the rectory and are back on the street. Rubble spreads along the roadside, with broken household objects and toys in between. The atmosphere of the empty city is spooky. It is not known if the city will be rebuilt, Archbishop Barakat replies to my question. The future is uncertain.
Leaving the new town, we drive to the landmark of Palmyra, the temple city, of which some parts are over 2000 years old. The huge buildings are impressive. Even the massive destruction by ISIS cannot change that. There are already archaeologists in Palmyra, trying to reconstruct some buildings and artifacts, but we do not see them. ISIS has left its green graffiti on some walls and pillars. We see a soldier with a bucket and a brush trying to remove them. Father Fuchs tells me about his first visit to Palmyra before the war. There were tourists and coaches everywhere. It is hard to imagine such a time while standing almost alone between the pillars in the middle of the desert.
In general, Syria was still on the economic and social upswing before the war: life expectancy had risen, child mortality and illiteracy rates had dropped and almost all children attended elementary school.
About The Contributor
