Saint Symeon the Stylite Monastery (Syria)

St Symeon's Monastery is the jewel of the ancient "Dead Cities" of northern Syria. The saint lived from 389 to 459 on a pillar, a habit that became popular in Syrian monastic communities after his death. The main cathedral was built to encompass the saint's pillar during the rule of Emperor Zeno (474-491). Before Hagia Sophia was built, this was the largest church in the Near East.

The cathedral's design is the oldest and most marvelous example that combines the basilica design with the "Byzantine" cross design. In the center of the cross-shaped cathedral stands the saint's pillar, surrounded by an octagonal hall topped by eight huge arches. The arches carried a gigantic wooden roof, while four of them led to the four wings of the cathedral. The entrance wing (to the south) has three large doors topped with three beautiful arches.

The octagonal Baptistery church and the building next to it were erected between 476-490. This church was used for the baptism of adults, which was done in an 80 centimeters deep baptism bowl, covered with bricks on the sides, and descended by three steps on each side. The cathedral itself occupies 5000 square meters. The monastery chapel, buildings, and crypt occupy another 5000 square meters. The small baptistery church occupies 2000 square meters. In all, the monastery is built on 12000 square meters. The length of the cathedral from the west to the east is 103 meters and its width is 91.5 meters. There are 27 doors into the cathedral. The central octagon is 30 meters in diameter and 43 meters in height. The altar is to the east as usual.

The huge wooden ceiling covering the octagon collapsed after a violent earthquake in 527, and left the column of St Symeon exposed. Carvings on the columns and the walls form a mixture of Syrian and Roman art. The floor was covered with beautiful marble designs, and paintings covered the walls. Today, the monastery plays a humble role in Syrian tourism and lacks the attention it deserves.

After the Arab invasion in 638 the site was seldom inhabited, underwent destruction, and a fire damaged its eastern wing. Michael the Syrian states that the area suffered a violent invasion by the Arabs during their conquest of Syria. According to a writing carved in Greek and Syriac in 969, the site was still a monastery that was recaptured by the Eastern Romans. When Nikiforos Phocas defeated the Hamadani Arabs in Aleppo in 969, he might have fortified the monastery, which stands at a strategically important point. The monastery was restored, according to the inscription, in 979 "in the days of Emperors Basil II and Constantine VIII." After the Eastern Roman leader John Tizmisis seized the monastery, Christians re-inhabited it brought monks to live in it. They also enhanced the fortifications around the monastery with thirteen defensive towers. Many other churches nearby in Kharab Shams, Kaluta, Brad, Basoufan, Tal Akbareen, and Sarmada were also fortified. This explains why the monastery was later called "Qalat samaan" (Arabic for "Symeon's citadel").

We learn from Yahya ben Saeed the Antiochan historian (11th century AD) that St Symeon's monastery had many monks and flourished in his days. The army of Saad Al Dawla son of Saif Al Dawla the Hamadani captured the monastery after a three day siege in 985. Some monks were slaughtered while others were sold as slaves. The monastery was restored between 985 and 1017 with the return of the Eastern Romans, but was attacked frequently. The Fatimid army attacked twice in 1017 and again in 1135, but the Eastern Romans held on. Finally, in 1164 Nour Al Din attacked and looted the monastery, captured its monks and sent them to Aleppo. The area again became an Islamic territory and new Muslim people were brought to inhabit it. The monastery ruins were ever since forgotten.

The video was captured in 2002

Видео Saint Symeon the Stylite Monastery (Syria) канала Abe Aboud