Syria's communities and civilizations – history, sites and heritage
Maronites
الموارنة
Religious communities
The Maronite Church, in communion with Rome at least since the 12th century and with a Syriac liturgy, has historically had a small community around Aleppo. Its Syrian cathedral is St Elias in al-Jdayde.
MRG describes the Maronites as historically a small community around Aleppo. The church's liturgy is in Syriac (Aramaic).
Sources and details
Saint Elias Cathedral in Aleppo's al-Jdayde quarter is the main Maronite heritage site in the atlas data. The Chapel of St Ananias in Damascus is recorded as Maronite in the atlas database, though the custodian is not confirmed in the fetched source.
Wikipedia gives about 52,000 members without a year; this figure is unverified. A plot to bomb a Maronite church in Tartus was reported foiled in July 2025.
Sites connected with this community 2
- Saint Elias Maronite Cathedral (al-Jdayde, Aleppo)Aleppo · Churches & monasteries
Saint Elias Maronite Cathedral, al-Jdayde, Aleppo.
- Chapel of Saint AnaniasDamascus (Bab Sharqi), Damascus · Churches & monasteries
Chapel of St Ananias, recorded as Maronite in the atlas DB (custody not confirmed).
These categories describe history, language and faith – not exclusive identities. Many Syrians belong to several, and some names refer to civilizations of the past.