Convent of Saint Thecla

Greek Orthodox pilgrimage convent in Maaloula – site of Saint Thecla and one of the world's last Aramaic-speaking villages.

The Convent of Saint Thecla in Maaloula, Syria, is one of the most significant Christian pilgrimage sites in the Middle East. At the heart of the complex lies the grotto of Saint Thecla – an early Christian from the 1st century and disciple of the Apostle Paul – around which the current monastery was built in 1935. In 2013, Islamist fighters seized the town, kidnapped twelve nuns and heavily damaged the convent. After extensive restoration, it reopened in 2018. The village of Maaloula is also one of the last places in the world where Aramaic is still spoken as a living language.