Rehabilitation of the first church in Al-Raqqa
Al-Raqqa—the ancient churches and mosques are a symbolic image of the city and its people.
Building of churches was to equate Muslims and Christians, who are an integral part of the fabric of the city of Al-Raqqa.
(The two Martyrs’ Churches, known for their geographical location in the city center, and Sayyidat (Lady) Al-Bashar nearby) were completely destroyed as a result of military operations in the city.
After the liberation of the city, concerned authorities worked on the re-construction and re-habilitation of archaeological sites, including churches.“Abdul Salam Hamsourk,” the Co-chairman of the Social Affairs and Labor Committee, said: “Since the liberation of the city of Al-Raqqa, we have been paying attention to the religious sites of mosques and churches which were damaged and destroyed by the military operations in the city.”Meanwhile, we appealed organizations to help in re-construction because they are considered sacred symbols, and the memory of the locals, the most important of which is the Church of the Martyrs, which is the largest church in the city.
“We, in the Social Affairs and Labor Committee, in cooperation with the Foundation for Religious Affairs and under the supervision of the Civil Al-Raqqa Council, are working to re-build the Church of the Martyrs in the same design without changing the structure as it was in the past and to return as it was in the memory of the locals. This will be under specialized engineers.” Hamsourk added.
“At the very beginning, we worked to move the rubble of the church to reach the foundation of the building so as to be built on the same old axis, and we will work hard to finish its re-construction on New Year’s Day.” He said.
It is to be noted that about forty Armenian families returned to the city waiting their church to be built so as to go back practicing their rituals and religious ceremonies.
Media Center for Syrian Democratic Forces
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