Mor Aphrem Theological Seminary
About

Historical Overview

Key moments in the Seminary's journey since 1939.

  1.   1939 – 1946 · زحلة، لبنان

    First Stage: St. Aphrem Clerical School (1939–1946)

    Establishment and organization in Zahlé, Lebanon. The school had fifteen students, of whom some taught and studied at the same time, under the supervision of its director, His Holiness Patriarch Aphrem I Barsoum.

  2.   1946 – 1962 · الموصل، العراق

    Second Stage: St. Aphrem Clerical School (1946–1962)

    Relocated to Mosul, Iraq in 1946, next to Al-Tahra Church, providing the Church with an elite group of graduates.

  3.   1962 – 1968 · زحلة، لبنان

    Third Stage: St. Aphrem Clerical School (1962–1968)

    Patriarch Mor Ignatius Jacob III returned the school to Zahlé, Lebanon.

  4.   1968 – 1982 · العطشانة، لبنان

    Fourth Stage: St. Aphrem Clerical School (1968–1982)

    Moved to a purpose-built building in Atchaneh, Lebanon. Closed 1976–1977 due to the civil war; briefly reopened before students moved to Damascus (1978–79) and returned to Atchaneh (1979–1982).

  5.   1984 – 1996 · دمشق، سوريا

    Fifth Stage: Saint Aphrem Clerical Institute (1984–1996)

    Established in Damascus under the direct supervision of His Holiness Patriarch Mor Ignatius Zakka I Iwas; academic level raised and teaching staff expanded.

  6.   1996 · معرة صيدنايا، سوريا

    Sixth Stage: Saint Aphrem Theological Seminary (1996–today)

    Moved to Saint Aphrem Monastery in Ma'arrat Saydnaya on September 14, 1996. Today, under His Holiness Patriarch Mor Ignatius Aphrem II, the curriculum is being developed to international academic standards on its way to becoming a Theological Faculty within the Antioch Syrian University.