Maronite Cathedral of the Prophet Elijah

Built in 1873 in an Italian style, the church stands on a prominent open square named in honour of Jirmanus Farhat (1670-1732), where his statue was erected on the 200th anniversary of his death in 1932. The church is entered from the square to the west via a leafy atrium flanked by twin towers topped with square spires (Fig. 13). The interior of the basilica is a triple nave with a domed crossing in front of the apse and galleries above the side aisles.

In addition to providing a notable visual landmark in Judayda, the church was provided with a chiming clock in the northern tower in 1914 to underline its presence. The clock’s chimes play “Ave Maria” every fifteen minutes.

Parts of the nave roof were struck or torn away by shelling and tunnel bombs in the area before 2016. Secondary shell damage affected the church’s west façade. The dome, though weakened, largely survived and the first service after the retaking of Aleppo in late 2016 was held in the church at Easter 2017, even before the nave roof was replaced.