HISTORY
History of the Syriac Catholic Archbishopric of Homs
The Christian faith in Homs has flourished since the time of the Apostles. There is an ancient tradition stating that two of St. Paul’s disciples were from Syria. The first was Gaius, who was from the city of Homs and who, according to tradition, became bishop of Thessalonica. The second was Aristarchus, whose birthplace was Hama, and who became bishop of the see of Apamea. As for the martyr Pope Anicent (+ 186), Bishop of Rome, his origins go back to the city of Homs, and he is the son of John the Syrian.
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According to historical references, Bishop Cyril Bishara Dabek is considered the first bishop of Homs to unite with the Holy See in Rome in 1678, during the pontificate of Pope Innocent.
Consequently, the Syriac Catholic Diocese of Homs was established in the middle of the seventeenth century, and at the beginning of the twentieth century, the Catholic Church expanded in Syria with Patriarch Ignatius Aphrem II Rahmani, the scholar, who left his influential mark to this day, through the creation and establishment of most of the parishes in the Diocese of Homs, Hama, and Nabek and its dependencies..
It included Homs, Hama, Yabrud, Nabek, Al-Qaryatayn, Sadad, Zaidal, Hafar, Maskanah, Jabriya, and Abu Dali.
Tumen, Fayrouzeh, and Baalbek District. Around the year 1800, the cities of Hama and Nabek joined the diocese, which took Al-Hamidiyah in Homs as its headquarters. The Archdiocese supervises two monasteries: the Monastery of Saint Julian the Hermit Sheikh in Al-Qaryatayn, and the Monastery of Saint Musa Al-Habashi near Al-Nabk..
In 1928, Mar Theophilus Youssef Rabbani was crowned patron of the diocese, which included believers, most of whom were peasants and the poor. Even the diocese’s headquarters consisted of old and poor rooms..
However, this reality did not last during the era of Bishop Rabbani, who wanted the headquarters of the diocese in Homs to be the front and destination for everyone who went to the city. Old Homs, where the archbishopric is based, is the center of the governorate, and its neighborhoods contain the headquarters of dioceses and monasteries for various churches. It is distinguished by its monumental, archaeological and historical architecture..
Hence, the idea of establishing a suitable headquarters for the Archbishopric, and a church that embraces its children, received special blessings, a distinctive gesture, and material and moral support from the Holy See, provided that the first Mass is celebrated there after the completion of construction work, according to the intention of the Holy Father. It was inaugurated in 1935.
Why was the cathedral dedicated to the Holy Spirit?
The representative of Jesus on earth, the Pope, desires above all the unity of the Church, so the lights of the Holy Spirit are necessary to live the spirit of unity. This is why the cathedral was dedicated to the Holy Spirit. This term, which is not used in the region, attracted the attention of those belonging to the Syriac Catholic rite, so the prayers were directed to invoking the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete, the comforter and guide who leads us to live a true Christian life..
Description of the cathedral
The elegance and sobriety of the cathedral’s architecture quickly attracted the attention of visitors. Its Gothic features did not prevent it from maintaining the requirements of the Syriac liturgy, and its measurements were harmonious.
The apses are decorated with a mural representing the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, while the Holy of Holies includes the main altar of white marble surmounted by a dome supported by four columns of precious marble, and above the dome rises the cross..
Large spaces characterize the nave of the church, adding grandeur to the Syriac liturgical celebrations.
Three arches separate the choir from the Holy of Holies, from which three corridors branch out. The main dome that surmounts the cathedral, and above which rises a large cross, can be seen throughout the city of Homs. It is distinguished by twelve arches, which allow light to enter the cathedral and thus symbolize the twelve apostles who preached Christ, the light of the world throughout the entire inhabited world..
The black basalt stone, the historical symbol of the old city of Homs, distinguishes the exterior architectural style of the facade of the cathedral and the archbishopric building..
Painful events and their impact
On the birth of the Lord Jesus in the year 2010, the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit was inaugurated, after ten years of restoration work and the accompanying effort, work, and spending huge amounts of money from benefactors and donors. However, the joy of completing the construction of a masterpiece became like a shrine for passers-by that was not completed. Three months later, the war began in Syria, and the Church paid a heavy price: In addition to the devastation that befell the cathedral, the archaeological building of the Archdiocese, which combines antiquity and modernity, received its share of destruction, along with its small museum that carries the history and heritage of the Archdiocese..
The shells destroyed the two side roofs of the church and five holes in the dome of the church. Icons, wooden benches, and windows were burned, destroyed, and stolen.
In the year 2014, after the liberation of Homs and its evacuation of armed manifestations, the archbishopric worked to restore the church, closing the holes in the dome and painting the church. The wooden benches from the Monastery of Saint Elian Sheikh in Al-Qaryatayn in the Homs countryside were brought and placed in the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit..
The Middle East Council of Churches, in cooperation with the “Churches Together” organization in the Netherlands, within the “Fund for the Restoration and Rehabilitation of Church and Social Facilities Affected by the Crisis in Syria,” worked to replace the old and broken tiles inside the church and install the wooden doors of the church, in addition to installing solar energy to illuminate the entire bishopric. As well as the restoration of the activity rooms in the archbishopric building and the elevator restoration.
In the context of talking about the stone church, the stone has no meaning without humans, without the human believer, the living icon of God’s face on earth. What is the value of a stone in the face of the fall of hundreds of martyrs and the displacement of thousands from Old Homs? But despite everything that happened in the Archbishopric, Homs, and all of Syria, life is still beating and promising a beautiful future. The Risen Christ is the hope of all those who suffer, and He gives us steadfastness in faith despite all the wars and tribulations..