The visit of His Beatitude Patriarch John X to the Dormition of the Theotokos Church in Zabadani to follow the reconstruction works.
The Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, His Beatitude John X, on Monday toured the Dormition of the Theotokos cathedral in the small Syrian city of Zabadani, where reconstruction works are underway.
Zabadani lies some 30 kilometers northwest of Damascus, on the mountainous border with Lebanon.
The church had been vandalized and severely damaged by groups of Islamist rebels during the first years of the Syrian civil war.
Members of the city’s Orthodox community are hopeful that holy services will soon be celebrated within its walls. The works are supported by the Russian state and the Russian Orthodox Church.