Non Tasarmi, Fratello!

“Wherever the Catholic sun doth shine, There’s always laughter and good red wine. At least I’ve always found it so. Benedicamus Domino!” Hillaire Belloc

Friday, September 06, 2013

Three Things I Learned Today About Ma'loula





1) I it one of only three locations where Western Aramaic is spoken - it's not the language of Christ, but pretty similar.

2) There are two ancient monasteries there. One of them is a Greek Catholic monastery called Mar Sarkis, the other is Greek Orthodox and is called Mar Taqla. Mar Sarkis dates back to around the 5th Century.

3) The Al-Nusra Front, a jihadist Syrian rebel group designated as a terrorist organization by the United Nations, United States, and other nations, has attacked the historic Christian village of Ma’loula, the Associated Press reported. 


A nun said that “there were reports that the militants threatened villagers with death if they did not convert” to Islam, according to AP.

Labels: ,