The Monastery of St. Simon
The Monastery of Simeon is located in the province of Aleppo, near the Daza of Azza.
Originally a church that began construction in 476 AD and was completed in 490 AD, which lasted for about fourteen years, this church is one of the remarkable architectural achievements achieved by Emperor Zeinon in his reign, and spent in building a lot of money.
The church was built in the form of a cross in the center of the column (16 meters), where Saint Simon lived (hence the name of the Baptist). At the end of the fifth century, some buildings were erected around the church, which were used to serve the baptism and some houses to accommodate monks and students.
In the period between 526-528, which preceded the earthquake, the facilities surrounding the church developed and grew. On this date, North Syria struck a devastating earthquake that left great damage to important cities such as Aleppo, Antioch and Salukia.
When the Arab Muslims liberated Syria, they kept the Great Church and the Monastery in the hands of the Christian believers in accordance with their traditions when liberating the land and opening the countries based on religious tolerance. They also kept churches and cathedrals in Aleppo, Rusafa, Damascus, Jerusalem and other countries.
When the Islamic Caliphate was weakened and the Byzantines were defeated, the Byzantines managed to regain control of the Church of Simeon and its fortification and thus turned into an impregnable castle.
The castle remained in the hands of the Byzantines for about a century. It was a fortified fortress of defensive fortresses in front of the border of Aleppo and Hamdania. During this period, the church was paved with mosaics and some repairs were made. This is what the inscription found on the mosaic discovered on the church floor, 976-1026) and his brother Constantine VIII (976-1028 CE) had paved the church with mosaics and made some additions and repairs.
In 986 AD, Prince Hamdani, Saad bin Saif al-Dawla, was able to restore the citadel of Simeon after a three-day siege. In 1017, the Fatimids, who took control of northern Syria at the time, gained control of the citadel of Samaan after they made great efforts to do so.
After this date, the castle was no longer of military importance and was gradually abandoned. Its residence in the 16th century was one of the influential Kurdish people. Until the archaeological authorities emptied and taken care of
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