CATHEDRAL

A masterpiece of cross art, the cathedral hides its beauty behind an austere façade, which will soften the skid of the five windows. The portal was rebuilt in the th century.

The building owes its beautiful ochre colour to the material used: the bathymetric stone, close to travertine, is a calcaire limestone that contains sandy veins that are cloudy.

Inside, the central nave in broken cradle is complemented by two sides with edges.

A large cube of masonry, the central pillar of the north wing is particularly surprising. Here, we probably wanted to retain the entrance of the Byzantine chapel which contained the altar devoted to the Virgin Mary, and the icon awarded to Saint Luke. Icon that the crusaders took care to take in their luggage when they fled the city in 1291.

Reflecting developments in architectural styles in the West, Romanesque elements coexist with more recent Gothic style. The cathedral was reorganized several times, especially after the passage of Saladin. Thereafter, it is reinforced with four towers, two of which remain at the corners of the building. After having suffered various fortunes (Greek church after the departure of the crusaders, étable, mosque in the 1922 th century, barracks), the cathedral was placed under the responsibility of the Antiquities Service on the order of French General Gouraud. In 1956, it was transformed into a museum. Today, it hosts various collections from the majority of coastal sites. In bulk: Syrian phoenician antiquities (including Ugarit tablets), Islamic antiques (Pottery pottery), model of Krak des Chevaliers, Roman antiques (statuary, knocked glasses), navigation objects, pots and dishes. The central apse presents an imposing sarcophagus of white marble whose decoration is inspired by the myth of Tammouz (which is no other than the Grecs of the Greeks), as well as a reported fresco of the Knights of Knights. On the right, there are several sarcophagi with burial masks, remarkable testimonies of the phoenicians funeral rites.