CHURCH BUILDING
Virgin Mary Syriac Orthodox Church
Bethlehem · Syriac Orthodox
- Locality
- Bethlehem
- Tradition
- Syriac Orthodox
- Type of place
- CHURCH BUILDING
- Coordinates
- 31.70495° N, 35.20414° E
Identity checked:
History: Virgin Mary Syriac Orthodox Church
The Syriac Orthodox community's account distinguishes an earlier sanctuary from today's larger church. A board formed in 1922 to buy land, Patriarch Ignatius Elias III laid a cornerstone in 1927, and the present enlarged church was completed and dedicated in 1943. Community members, including families arriving from Tur Abdin after the First World War, helped build it in Bethlehem's old Syriac quarter. The earlier sanctuary later became a social hall.
An interesting detail
Its white belltower was dedicated in 1966 and equipped with four electric bells imported from Germany, according to the community's church history.