The ancient church of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Syrian province of Daraa, almost totally destroyed by terrorists, will be rebuilt with support from the Russian Federation Ministry of Defense. “Some parts of the church are 1500 years old, and some of its most ancient stones date back to 1700 years ago,” said Mashur el Emkhann, the rector of the church. “We also know that before our Lord Jesus Christ was born, this was already a place of worship. People came here to pray. That means that this has been a sacred place for several millennia. The Divine services were held in this church till the beginning of this war, but in 2013 we had to stop.”

The priest recalled that the church was first shelled, and then plundered by terrorists. After the province was liberated, some of the well-off local people gave money for its restoration. And now, the Russian military joined in.   

“When we got here in October, we saw the church and decided we could help to restore it, as part of the second stage in post-conflict settlement. We brought 8 cubic meters of pine wood from Karelia and five tons of cement, and now we are supervising the restoration work,” said officer Andrey Kotenok."

The church was also examined by experts in early Christian architecture, from the Russian Academy of Science. They confirmed that the church, built of basalt blocks, is absolutely unique and needs to be restored.

As restoration works went on, ancient inscriptions in Greek have been revealed above the entrance to the church

The restoration of normal life in the Deraa province began three months ago, and is monitored by the Center for Reconciliation of Opposing Sides in Syria. Currently, the second stage of post-conflict settlement is underway.