Iraq

Reconstruction of the great Syriac Catholic Al-Tahira Church in Qaraqosh (Baghdeda / Al-Hamdaniya)

This project concerns the rehabilitation of the church of Al-Tahira in Baghdeda (Qaraqosh). The church was built between 1932 and 1948, and is named in honour of the Immaculate Conception, defined as dogma by Pope Pius IX in 1854. The building was last renovated in 1964 and 2017, the latter involving structural repair of the pillars of the building, funded by ACN. The area of the church is 1296m2. Al-Tahira Church is the largest Syriac Catholic Church in the Middle East, and notable for its design and cultural significance to the largest Christian city in Iraq. Its roof rests on 22 one-piece marble pillars from Mosul. The church sites are adjacent to a courtyard containing a replica of the grotto of Lourdes and underground, remains of the former church can be located. During the ISIS occupation from August 2014 to October 2016, the Church’s courtyard was used as a firing range. Bullet holes can still be seen in the walls. In 2016, when ISIS fled, all the furniture, manuscripts, and remaining prayer books were burnt inside the Church. The Church’s ceiling was damaged by the smoke and fire. In addition, the Church’s clock tower was dynamited, with the clock itself being lost.

The plan is to renovate the church to make it fully usable as before; specifically, this project involves the second and third phases of the original plan to repair the church. ACN has also contributed to finish the first phase of the reconstruction. Second and third phase are ongoing. The Pope visit has sped up the work.