Our Lady Al-Tahira Syrian-Catholic of Mosul (Iraq)

Marian devotion

Where is he?

The church of Al- Tahira - "la Pursima" - is in the Old City of Mosul, in the governorate of Nineveh, Iraq. It is a Syrian-Catholic temple dedicated to the Virgin Mary and is part of the Christian history of a city in which there are several buildings called Al-Tahira belonging to different denominations. This fact sheet refers to the Syrian-Catholic church, not to the Caldea Al- Tahira of Mosul, which is another building and another community.

The map coordinate is 36.3445, 43.1323. It comes from the consultation of OpenStreetMap / Nominatim which identifies the building as "Al-Tahira syriac catholic church (rebuild)," node 10727595905. The precision is verified_building: points to the mapped building, not the altar or a concrete image.

Documented history

UNESCO documents that the church was built in 1859 and opened to veneration in 1862. It is described as a building located in the heart of the ancient city, on the western bank of Tigris and in front of the ancient Nineveh. Its multiple altars, the dining room and the two sacristies distinguish it from other temples of the same time. These data come from UNESCO's heritage documentation and not from a narrative reconstruction added for this fact sheet.

The church suffered serious damage during the Mosul war. UNESCO explains that important parts of the arches and outer walls were destroyed, and that the first reconstruction tasks included the removal of debris and explosive remnants. The restoration was integrated into the "Revive the Spirit of Mosul" initiative, which presents the religious heritage as part of the recovery of the city's historical diversity.

The cartographic marker uses the rebuilt building that returns the current query. This allows the church to be located without pretending that each phase of the temple is kept intact or that the coordinate describes the exact place of a devotional scene.

Tradition and Marian Meaning

Al- Tahira expresses the veneration of Mary as the Most Purple within the Syrian-Catholic tradition. The title belongs to the liturgical and community life of the temple; it is not the name of a Marian apparition. The history of the church is linked to the continuity of a Christian community in Mosul, its celebrations and its memory of persecution, but a community memory alone does not constitute a act of supernatural phenomenon.

Marian veneration is not worship. The faithful honor Mary and ask her to intercede before God and lead to Jesus Christ; worship corresponds only to God. The reconstruction of a sanctuary and the prayer before it are explained within that distinction.

Legend and limits of the record

There is no Marian apparition specifically linked to this church or a local miracle approved by the Catholic Church. Nor is the survival or reconstruction of the building presented as supernatural evidence. The verified sources allow to document the temple, its architecture, its damage and its restoration; when there is no record of apparition or miracle, it is said here.

Ecclesial State

The state indicated is veneration _ permittedin the sense of a Syrian-Catholic church of documented public veneration. This label describes the existence and ecclesial use of the temple; it does not affirm an approval of apparitions, relics or miracles. The fact sheet also does not give UNESCO competence to rule on supernatural: its source is used for history and heritage.

Anecdotes and stories

The restoration of Al-Tahira has a meaning that exceeds the repair of a building. UNESCO relates it to the reconciliation and social cohesion of Mosul, and to the training of young professionals and craftsmen. In this context, recovering a Syrian-Catholic temple makes visible the religious plurality that was part of the city for centuries.

Recent history also recalls the suffering of displaced Iraqi Christians. The fact sheet retains this fact as a documented history of community and heritage, without turning the pain of persecution into a miraculous affirmation.

Prayer

St. Mary, Al-Tahira, intercedes before the Lord for the Syrian-Catholic Church of Mosul, for the Christian families of Iraq and for those who work for reconstruction and peace. Take us to Jesus Christ and teach us to guard the memory with truth, hope and charity. Amen.

Sources

• UNESCO, Al-Tahera Church in Mosul (HTTP 200).
• UNESCO, beginning of the reconstruction of Al-Tahera (HTTP 200).
• OpenStreetMap/Nominatim, Al-Tahira Syriac Catholic Church (rebuilt), nodo 10727595905 (HTTP 200).