Convent of Our Lady of Saidnaya
Our Lady of Saidnaya Monastery or Our Lady of Seydnaya Monastery is a Greek Orthodox monastery located in Saidnaya, Syria. It is one of the most ancient Monasteries in the world and in the region of the Middle East and North Africa. It is run by a religious order of nuns.
It is an important pilgrimage site for Christians and Muslims, and contains an icon of St Mary which is attributed to St Luke.
The main chapel has numerous icons and a wooden iconostasis in front of the altar. The pilgrimage shrine is separate from the main chapel. The aforementioned icon of St Mary, called Shaghoura, meaning 'the famous', is kept hidden in an ornate silver-doored niche, while on either side of this there are a number of later icons. Numerous beaten silver crosses and other religious symbols left by pilgrims are displayed on the walls.
Tradition holds that the monastery was constructed by the Byzantine emperor Justinian I in 547 AD, after he had two visions of Saint Mary, one that indicated where to build the church and the other outlining its design. Justinian dedicated the finished project to the feast of Mary's Nativity, and annually thereafter on September 8, and through to the present day, both Muslim and Christian pilgrims have come to commemorate the feast day of Our Lady of Saidnaya.
The monastery was damaged during the Syrian civil war.
Coordinates: 33°41′58.5″N 36°22′30.1″E / 33.699583°N 36.375028°E
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