Our Lady of Damascus Church

Rising in the Koussour district of Damascus, Our Lady of Damascus Church is a modern yet deeply symbolic chapter in the city’s long Marian tradition. Its foundation stone was laid in 1970 under the leadership of Patriarch Maximos V Hakim, at a time when the Melkite Greek Catholic community was expanding beyond the Old City’s historic quarters. Completed in 1975, the church was conceived as both a house of worship and a cultural anchor, preserving Byzantine liturgical heritage in a contemporary setting. Dedicated to the Virgin Mary, it carries forward centuries of devotion that link Damascus to wider Christian history, including the legacy of the famed icon of Our Lady of Damascus once taken to Malta during the Crusader era. Today, it stands not only as a parish center but as a vibrant hub for education, charity, and intergenerational community life, embodying the resilience and continuity of one of Syria’s oldest Christian traditions.