Chargée d’affaires Vida Soraya S. Verzosa with the staff of the Philippine Embassy during the Familiarization Tour in Maalula and Saidnaya Monasteries

01 November, Damascus – Chargée d’affaires, a.i. Vida Soraya S. Verzosa called on the Mother Superior of Our Lady of Saidnaya Antiochian Orthodox Monastery, Reverend Mother Febronia Nabhan, to personally convey her felicitations and discuss matters related to her function as the Chargée d’affaires of the Philippine Embassy.  

Reverend Mother Nabhan provided insights about the pilgrimage and orphanage centers of the Monastery, which was run by about fifty nuns. According to her, the monastery is the second most visited sanctuary in the Middle East that houses the famous icon of the Virgin Mary.  It contains a precious Shaghoura, an image of Mary that was painted by the evangelist Saint Luke.She also shared that this was built by the Byzantine Emperor Justinian in the 6th century, in the year 945.  It is sometimes called the “Lourdes of Syria” by the pilgrims.

CDA Verzosa also apprised the Reverend Mother on the celebration of National Children’s Month this November and expressed her interest to visit the orphanage center. The orphanage has a school with more than twenty children in the center.  During the said visit, the children prayed for the all the children in the world and offered songs for the Embassy team.  In response, the Embassy team also shared the Filipino version of the song the children sang.

At the end of the call, CDA Verzosa presented her Inabel table runner gift which was handwoven by Ilocano women weavers and an Embassy planner that showed PH tourism sites. She also made a donation for the children to support services of the orphanage center.

Thereafter, the Embassy team also made a familiarization tour at the Monasteries of St. Sergius and Bacchus, and St. Tachla in Maalula and Saidnaya. The Embassy team also witnessed the prayer of the tour guide in Maalula spoken in Aramaic language.  Like the Philippines, the only Christian nation in Asia, Saidnaya and Maalula remain zealous defenders of Christianity in Syria.

COVID-19 Health protocols and security measures were observed during the entire event.