Cathedral of Our Lady of Tortosa (Tartus Museum)
كاتدرائية طرطوس (متحف طرطوس)
A 12th-century Crusader cathedral, among the finest early Gothic buildings in the East, now housing the Tartus Museum.
In old Tartus near the sea stands the Cathedral of Our Lady of Tortosa, one of the finest surviving Crusader buildings in the East, built in the 12th century and partly rebuilt in the 13th on the site of an earlier church.
Medieval European pilgrims came for the tradition that St Peter founded an altar to the Virgin here and for an icon attributed to St Luke. Its style blends Romanesque and early Gothic, with a plain majestic façade, a broad nave with pointed arches and thick walls with defensive towers, as it also formed part of the city's fortifications.
The city's ancient name, Antaradus, reflects its position opposite the island of Arwad; in Crusader times it was known as Tortosa, the name the cathedral bears in the Latin West.
Used later as a mosque and barracks, it was restored in the 20th century as the Tartus Museum, displaying finds from Amrit, Arwad, Tell Kazel and other sites, from Phoenician to Islamic times. It is on Syria's tentative list with the citadel and old city.
Note: photos may not reflect the site's current condition.
For the visitor
Location: 34.8917, 35.8784 · Open on the map
Photos
Photos: LorisRomito (it.wikipedia) — via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA) · Frank Kidner — via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA) · Dosseman — via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA)
Syria Trails — An interactive geographic and heritage atlas of Syria: a map that walks down from the country to the district, landmarks with their story and era, curated trails and a passport for your visits.