Restoration of Church of St. Thomas in Mosul after sabotage by Islamic State

MOSUL, Iraq – Restoration work on the Church of St. Thomas in Mosul, Iraq is set to begin by April, reported Agenzia Fides. The Syriac Catholic church suffered major damage during the occupation of Mosul by the Islamic State from June 2014 to July 2017. The restoration work will be supported by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) with funding, an estimated $ 50 million, provided by the United Arab Emirates.

The project falls under the “Revival of the Spirit of Mosul” initiative launched in 2018. The initiative aims to rebuild the monuments and places of worship that have been severely damaged during ISIS’s reign.

The outer walls and inner pillars of St. Thomas Church, built in 1859, were severely damaged when ISIS took the city.

UNESCO highlighted the importance of the reconstruction efforts, referring to St. Thomas Church as symbolic of Mosul’s history as a “crossroads of cultures and a peaceful refuge for various religious communities over the centuries”.

Last October, The U.A.E. and UNESCO announced their cooperation within the “Revival” initiative to restore the heritage and cultural sites in Mosul.

The agreement signed between the two parties comes within the framework of the “Year of Tolerance” launched by the U.A.E. as a slogan for 2019. The agreement positions the U.A.E. to lead rebuilding efforts of a number of destroyed or damaged cultural sites in Mosul, including the Al-Tahira Church, Al-Sa’aa Church, St. Thomas Church, and the Great Mosque of al-Nuri.