Saidnaya, Syria
33°41′45″N 36°22′39″E

The memory of ordinary, everyday intercultural or interreligious relationships, in brief 

Long a centre of Christian pilgrimage, the Convent of Our Lady of Saidnaya draws Muslims from the region, as well as from the town of Saidnaya. Muslims have been very much a part of the common prayer life of this mixed Christian-Muslim town. Local Muslims visit the convent sanctuary on the day of Friday prayers, they come to share in prayers for healing, and they share in the founding legends about the feast of Mary on the basis of which the convent was created. Muslims have historically joined Christians in commemorating the feast day of Our Lady of Saidnaya on September 6th. 

The published sources do not give a sense of the relationships between ordinary Christians and Muslims in Maaloula, and that is what the Memory Bank is designed to highlight and explore further. We are also looking for recollections from Syrian towns about the ways in which ordinary cross-confessional friendships were valued and helpful, in areas of social and economic life that go beyond the religious area.

The context in which the memory made a difference at the time 

Due to its isolated situation in the mountains, Saidnaya long maintained a cross-religious peace, even in times of war, such as the crusades.

What has happened since, which makes the memory valuable 

Syria has seen bloodshed and trauma on an unfathomable scale. The story of Christian-Muslim solidarity is naturally told as a kind of foil to the deployment of sectarian narratives to explain conflict in the country. The notorious prison of Saidnaya is to the West of the town, but the town shares little more than its name with the prison. 

How might the memory be used in bringing people together in practice now? 

The fact that everyday Christian-Muslim solidarity here is heightened by the community’s relative isolation – up in the mountains – and poverty of resources makes it of interest to anyone seeking to understand the circumstances in which everyday solidarity is beneficial, and even necessary. As is seen in other cases in which religious communities show their solidarity openly, it may be seen to facilitate this everyday solidarity easier and to magnify the practical results of cooperation between families and among citizens.

Additional context/Some additional readingThe interest of Western academics in Christian-Muslim encounter in Saidnaya may be seen from the multiple academic works cited on the town’s English wikipedia page, which notes especially the involvement of Muslims in Saidnaya’s Christian ceremonies.