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Christianity established itself rather early in this
stronghold of the solar cult, but it started in clandestinely, judging
by the catacombs (no visit) discovered in 1957 under many houses of the
Oriental quarter of the old city, where most of the 30 to 40,000
Christians of the city of Homs live. You reach this quarter by foot from
Shukri Kouatly street, leaving the small museum behind you and you enter
a narrow street to your left (about 50 meters). It goes into the old
city whose enclosure wall was often destroyed. About 300 meters to your
left you will pass in front of the Great Mosque, rebuilt on an ancient
cathedral which in turn was built on a temple of Baal where the black
stone of Emesa was revered.
In front are the old souks, well worth a morning's visit (except on
Fridays), when there is usually a crowd of city dwellers, peasant and
bedouin women still wearing sometimes embroidered dresses. The Aboul-Hol street, between the Great Mosque and the bazaars, will take you to
the Christian quarter where you find the Greek Orthodox Church of the
Virgin's Belt (kanisset Umm-Ezzunnar). Here there is a belt which is
said to have belonged to the Virgin Mary. It was discovered, together
with a manuscript written in Syriac and bone fragments in 1953 in an urn
behind the main alter. Leaving the church, turn to the
right, then take the 1st right again and at the end of the street there
is the church of Saint Elian, dedicated to a martyr from Emesa, son of a
Roman officer who was put to death at the end of the 3rd century for
refusing to abjure his Christian faith.
In the crypt, which was used as a tomb for the martyrs, mural paintings
of the 12th century covering fragments of mosaics of the 6th century
were discovered in 1970 from under a thick coating. Medieval paintings
represent a majestic Christ with the Virgin Mary and Mary Magdalene on
one side and Saint John The Baptist and an unidentified person (Saint
Elian perhaps) on the other. In the side niches are pictures of the four
Evangelists, St. Luke and St. John on the left, St. Mark and St. Matthew
on the right. There are also medallions of the Prophets and apostles.
On February 6, the feast of St. Elian, devotions are made in the church
and especially in the chapel of the tomb by those who hope to be cured
by the Martyr Saint. This attracted attention to the church itself which
was restored and ornamented with frescoes (scenes from the life and of the
martyrdom of Saint Elian and his posthumous miracles).
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