Saidnaya Convent

The convent of Our Lady of Saidnaya crowns a rock over its town like a fortress, founded by tradition under Justinian in 547, and its treasure is the Shaghoura, an icon of the Virgin attributed to Saint Luke, kept in a dim chapel where pilgrims - Christian and Muslim alike, for centuries - queue to pray. Stairs climb the rock to courtyards, chapels and terraces with the Qalamun hills all around. It is among the oldest continuously living convents anywhere.

What you actually see

• The Shaghoura chapel - the shrine of the ancient icon.
• The rock-top convent - stairways, courts and cells on the crag.
• The terraces - views over town and the Qalamun hills.
• The pilgrim life - a shrine shared across communities.

When to go

March to May and September to November are mild. The Nativity of the Virgin in September is the great feast. Mornings are quietest in the icon chapel.

Honest expectations

This is a working convent with a dress code; the icon chapel is small, dark and often crowded, and photography inside is forbidden. Steps are many. Visits should bend around services.

Nearby

Maaloula is north over the hills, and Damascus is south.