SYRIA: Hagia Sophia Greek Orthodox Church in Hama vandalised by Islamist rebels

Syria

A Greek Orthodox church in Syria’s Hama province was vandalised last week.

The Hagia Sophia Greek Orthodox Church of Suqaylabiyah (Seleucia, Greek: Σελεύκεια) was vandalised by Turkish-backed Islamist rebels on December 12.

Near the city of Hama, the Greek Orthodox church is a small replica of the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul. It was constructed in 2020 following Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s decision to convert the Hagia Sophia to a mosque.

The construction of the church was supported and funded by the regime of Bashar al-Assad and Russia but has now been desecrated by Islamist rebels backed by Turkey, who earlier this month took control over much of the country.

In July 2022, a missile attack during the church inauguration ceremony claimed two lives and left a dozen others injured.

Originally settled as the Ancient Greek town of Seleucia ad Belum, it was re-established in the 19th century, after being abandoned in the Middle Ages, by Greek Orthodox Christians who had emigrated from the Hauran region in southern Syria in the late 18th century to escape persecution by the Ottoman authorities.

READ MORE: US Warns of Imminent Large-Scale Turkish Attack on Syrian Kurds.

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