Orontes website reports: One of Syria’s Oldest Churches Destroyed

Orontes: Syrian Christians in a Time of Conflict – In the Syrian city of Yabrud Islamist terrorists have ruined one of the country’s oldest Christian shrines – the church of Sts. Constantine and Helen. The building dates    back to the first millennium BC, when the site was a pagan temple. It became a church in 331 AD. The Church contained a collection of priceless historical icons and church utensils. On February 21 first reports emerged of the desecration of the Church. Some locals report and the crime was committed by a group of people of European appearance who arrived under the protection of militants, and that  they were armed with M-16 rifles and other small arms. For an hour they emptied out of the church of its valuables, and set fire to the building.