| Site Description | The Chapel of Saint Ananias, also known as the House of Saint Ananias, is a small underground chapel located in the ancient city of Damascus, Syria. The site is connected to the biblical story of Jesus's disciple, Saul of Tarsus, later known as St. Paul the Apostle. Over many centuries, non-Christian rulers have continually destroyed the chapel, rebuilt as a pagan temple and mosque before Franciscans rebuilt it in 1814. The chapel consists of two small stone wall rooms with sparse furniture and decor. An altar sits at the end of the room in front of a short row of pews, reflecting the simplicity of early christian churches. The Chapel of Saint Ananias continues to hold services and is an important Christian pilgrimage site. |
| Project Description | The digital documentation of the Ananias chapel was part of Project Anqa, a collaboration between CyArk, the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), and Carleton University and funded by the UK based charity, Arcadia Foundation. Responding to the catastrophic loss of heritage in the Middle East, the project seeks to further protect monuments through training local heritage professionals in digital preservation techniques. In partnership with the UNESCO Office for the Preservation of Syrian Cultural Heritage, CyArk trained Syrian heritage professionals in Lebanon to carry out the digital documentation of six sites in Damascus. |