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Shattered shrine

Government hits Homs church: This video shows the destruction of […]


3 July 2013

Government hits Homs church: This video shows the destruction of two churches inside the besieged city. The Girdle of Our Lady Church, one of the oldest churches in Homs, is located in the Hamidiyeh neighborhood in the center of Old Homs.

 

It is famous for being the home of a girdle that belonged to the Virgin Mary, which was stolen from inside the church when regime forces stormed Old Homs during the first few months of the revolution. The theft coincided with the lifting of Khalid ibn Al-Walid’s sword from the eponymous mosque in Khaldiya, just north of Hamidiyeh.

Homs is known for its religious diversity, with Christians distributed between the Hamidiyeh and Bustan Diwan neighborhoods, and in less concentrated numbers within the historic neighborhoods of Wa’er and Bab Darib.

“Many Christians left their homes after witnessing shelling and destruction, and 1,000 of the remaining Christian citizens were evacuated last July by the Syrian Red Cross under the conditions of an aid caravan, which was the only one to enter Homs since the beginning of the siege,” said Osama Abu Zaid, a media activist.

“The dozens remaining inside the blockade at this moment include clergy who refuse to leave until the siege is completely broken,” Abu Zaid added. Video Courtesy of Bebars Telawe.

 

 

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