CHURCH BUILDING
Cathedral of Saint Elias and Saint Gregory the Illuminator
Beirut · Armenian Catholic
- Locality
- Beirut
- Tradition
- Armenian Catholic
- Type of place
- CHURCH BUILDING
- Coordinates
- 33.89288° N, 35.50761° E
- Identity
- Matched to a public listing
A brief history
This Armenian Catholic cathedral stands on Debbas Square in downtown Beirut. Its construction was funded in 1928 by Pope Pius XI, and it serves as the cathedral of the Armenian Catholic Patriarchate of Cilicia. It is named for two saints, Elias and Gregory the Illuminator, and the order in which the two names are given is not fixed.
An interesting detail
Gregory the Illuminator is the patron saint of Armenia, so the dedication joins a figure of Armenian Christian memory to a prophet shared across the region.