St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox CathedralSaida, Lebanon
The Greek Orthodox Cathedral of St. Nicholas is Saida’s oldest church. It was originally built in the 8th century on the spot where it is believed St. Paul and St. Peter met in 58 AD according to the Holy Bible (Acts 27:3). In 1819, the church was divided in two following the schism within the Greek Orthodox church that produced its Catholic counterpart. As the Catholic community grew increasingly wealthy, they opted to close their section of the Cathedral and construct a new, much larger, edifice on the fringes of the city. The Orthodox half of the church, and its adjacent Archeparchy, have remained onsite and serving a congregation since its construction. The complex is accessible from a small alley along the city’s eastern boundary within the old town. The doorway leads first to a room built around a shrine where the two apostles met and connects to a small courtyard open to the sky before the main entrance of the church. The church itself is composed of a modestly sized hall of ancient stone construction to which is attached an accessory back room that serves as the back end of the church. The nave is separated from the apse by a small iconostasis.
The Greek Orthodox Cathedral of St. Nicholas is Saida’s oldest church. It was originally built in the 8th century on the spot where it is believed St. Paul and St. Peter met in 58 AD according to the Holy Bible (Acts 27:3). In 1819, the church was divided in two following the schism within the Greek Orthodox church that produced its Catholic counterpart. As the Catholic community grew increasingly wealthy, they opted to close their section of the Cathedral and construct a new, much larger, edifice on the fringes of the city. The Orthodox half of the church, and its adjacent Archeparchy, have remained onsite and serving a congregation since its construction. The complex is accessible from a small alley along the city’s eastern boundary within the old town. The doorway leads first to a room built around a shrine where the two apostles met and connects to a small courtyard open to the sky before the main entrance of the church. The church itself is composed of a modestly sized hall of ancient stone construction to which is attached an accessory back room that serves as the back end of the church. The nave is separated from the apse by a small iconostasis.