ABOUT THE CHURCH

The Maronite Old St. George Church is located in the village of Kormakitis/Koruçam. Built in the 16th Century, the church is adjacent to a nunnery. It was the main church of the Maronite community until the early 20th Century when it ceded with the building of the new St. George Cathedral. The Old St. George Church was the first Maronite heritage site to be preserved under the auspices of the Technical Committee on Cultural Heritage.

THE CONSERVATION PROJECT

Designs carried out in 2014 by the Maronite Church Committee through a tri-communal team of architects, engineers and quantity surveyors identified the following needs: structural conservation of the main body of the church, reconstruction of the belfry and landscaping The restoration of the church focused on the removal of all concrete and cement that had been applied to the original stone structure of the church, and structural conservation of the main body (foundations, walls, floor and vaulted roof) of the church. This included the upgrading of the courtyard and provision of accessibility for persons with disabilities, the provision of proper drainage and protection of the foundations, the restoration of wooden doors and the reconstruction of the bell tower and installation of a new bell. Hundreds of Maronites as well as religious leaders from different faiths celebrated the completion of the conservation works to the Church during an official ceremony on 14 November 2015.