Monastery of St. Elian

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Not to be confused with the Church of Saint Elian

Coordinates: 34°14′10″N 37°13′30″E / 34.23611°N 37.22500°E / 34.23611; 37.22500

Monastery of St. Elian
Deir Mar Elian al-Sheikh
Monastery of St. Elian is located in Syria
Monastery of St. Elian
Location within Syria
Monastery information
Other names Mar Elian
Order Syrian Catholic
Established 5th century
Disestablished 2015 (August 21th)
Dedicated to St. Julian (Mar Elian)
Abbot Jacques Mourad
Site
Location Al-Qaryatayn, Homs, Syria
Coordinates 34°14′10″N 37°13′30″E / 34.236111°N 37.225°E / 34.236111; 37.225
Visible remains ?
Public access (not recommended, war going on)

The Monastery of St. Elian is or was a Syrian Catholic monastery near the town of Al-Qaryatayn, on the road to Palmyra, in the Homs Governorate of central Syria. It was destroyed on 21 August 2015 by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL or ISIS), whose acts of terror in the Syrian Civil War include many more acts of vandalism and violence against non-Salafists and historical heritage.

ISIL (Daesh) released images showing their demolition of the monastery.[1] St. Elian Monastery housed a 5th-century tomb and served as a major pilgrimage site.[2] Parts of the monastery, including the foundations, were 1,500 years old.[3]

The group had captured the area earlier in August. The group also imprisoned a number of Christian civilians.[1] The monastery's superior Jacques Mourad was abducted by ISIL in May and escaped after 5 months of captivity.[4]

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