Cathedral of Our Lady of Tortosa

Since Byzantine rule the site was believed to be that of a church to the Virgin Mary founded by Saint Peter, and it drew Christian pilgrims. According to UNESCO's description, tradition held that an icon said to have been painted by Saint Luke was kept there, the one the convent of Saydnaya now claims to hold.

Frankish forces captured Tortosa in 1099 during the First Crusade, and the cathedral was built over the Byzantine church. The German Wikipedia places the start of construction in the second quarter of the 12th century, UNESCO's description gives 1123. The Knights Templar governed the town from 1152 to 1291 and, according to the German Wikipedia, completed the building around the mid-13th century. An earthquake damaged it in 1202, and it was soon repaired. In 1213 Raymond, son of Bohemond IV of Antioch, was killed in the cathedral by the Assassins. From the 1260s the church was fortified against the Mamluk threat.

The Templars abandoned Tortosa, one of the last Frankish cities in the region, in 1291. Under the Mamluks the cathedral was turned into a mosque, as the minaret on the west façade still shows. In the Ottoman period, according to the German Wikipedia, it served as a stable.[1][2][3][4]

The church follows a basilica plan with three aisles and three apses. The eastern end, built first, is Romanesque; the 13th-century western end is Early Gothic. The English Wikipedia gives a length of over 45 metres and a width of 30 metres, UNESCO's description 41 by 34.5 metres. The nave has a pointed barrel vault; the shrine of the Virgin is on the north side of the nave. Buttresses project from the north and south walls, while the Gothic-influenced west façade has none but carries a polygonal bell tower and single windows.

Tortosa is probably the only Latin church still standing that was fortified for defence. Sacristies in the north-east and south-east corners provided cover, and the buttresses received machicolations; according to Camille Enlart, two towers were also built over the western aisle bays. UNESCO's description dates the strengthening of the corners with towers to the end of the 13th century.[1][4]

Since 1956 the building has housed the National Museum of Tartus, which exhibits archaeology from the area. UNESCO's Tentative List presents Crusader Tartus, with its cathedral and keep, as an example of a city reshaped by the Crusaders, describing the cathedral as the most remarkable Frankish religious building outside Jerusalem.[1][2][4]

The sources contain no dated condition report. According to the English Wikipedia (as of 2026) the building serves as the National Museum of Tartus.[1]