Saint Ananias Chapel

The Chapel of Saint Ananias (Kaniset Ananias) is one of Damascus’s most ancient and revered Christian sites, located in the Bab Touma quarter of the Old City. According to tradition, it stands on the spot where Ananias baptised Saul of Tarsus after his miraculous conversion on the road to Damascus – an event that transformed the persecutor of Christians into the Apostle Paul.

The chapel is subterranean, accessed by descending several steps below street level. It consists of two small stone rooms, partly carved into the rock, dating to the early Byzantine period. The simplicity of the space – bare stone walls, a small altar, and a few icons – contrasts with the immense significance of the events it commemorates.

The site has been a place of Christian worship since at least the 6th century, though the current structure largely dates to the medieval period. It was restored in the 19th century and again in the 20th. The chapel is maintained by the Greek Catholic Church and is open to visitors of all faiths. A window in the chapel looks out onto Straight Street, connecting the underground sanctuary to the bustling life of the Old City above.