Our Lady of the Salvation of Baghdad (Sayidat al-Nejat)
The Syrian-Catholic cathedral of Sayidat al-Nejat - Our Lady of Salvation - in the Karrada district of Baghdad was consecrated on March 17, 1968. It is today the shrine of the martyrs of October 31, 2010, when a jihadist command raided the temple during the Sunday Mass, and it was the first temple that Pope Francis visited upon arriving in Iraq on March 5, 2021.
🌹 Wonders and anecdotes
- On 31 October 2010, terrorists linked to Al Qaeda broke into the mass: 58 people died, including 48 faithful and two priests. It was one of the worst attacks suffered by Christians in Iraq.
- After careful restoration, the cathedral was reopened on December 14, 2012 and has become a memorial of the martyrs, whose portraits preside over the presbytery.
- On March 5, 2021, Pope Francis proclaimed in her: "We are gathered in this cathedral of Our Lady of Salvation, sanctified by the blood of our brothers and sisters who here paid the highest price of their fidelity to the Lord and to the Church."
- The Holy See studies the cause of beatification of the dead faithful and priests, considered martyrs of the faith.
Our Lady of Salvation (Baghdad)
For the Christians of Iraq, decimated by war and exile, this cathedral is the heart of their memory and hope: the place where their martyrs died with the Eucharist and where the Pope came to weep with them and to confirm them in faith.
"Our Lady of Salvation, comfort of the martyrs, support the Church of Iraq. Pray for us.
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