Acts 9:1–22 — The Damascus Road: Saul Converted
Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the followers of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked for the letters of introduction to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he should find there any followers of the way of the Lord, he would be able to arrest them, both men and women, and bring them back to Jerusalem.
As Saul was coming near to the city of Damascus, and suddenly a light from the sky flashed around him. He fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?”
‘’Who are You, Lord?” Saul Asked. ‘’I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.’’ the voice said. Then the Lord said to him; ‘’Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.’’
The men who were traveling with him stood speechless, for they heard the voice but could see no one. Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing; so they led him by the hand and brought him to Damascus. For three days he was unable to see, and he neither ate nor drank.
There was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias, and the Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” He answered, “Here I am, Lord.”
The Lord said to him, “Get up and go to the street called Straight and ask at the house of Judas for a man from Tarsus named Saul. He is there praying, and [in a vision] he has seen a man named Ananias come in and lay [his] hands on him, that he may regain his sight.” But Ananias replied, “Lord, I have heard from many sources about this man, what evil things he has done to your holy ones in Jerusalem. And here he has authority from the chief priests to imprison all who call upon your name.”
But the Lord said to him, “Go, for this man is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before Gentiles, kings, and Israelites,and I will show him what he will have to suffer for my name.”
So Ananias went and entered the house; laying his hands on him, he said, “Saul, my brother, the Lord has sent me, Jesus who appeared to you on the way by which you came, that you may regain your sight and be filled with the holy Spirit.” Immediately things like scales fell from his eyes and he regained his sight. He got up and was baptized, and when he had eaten, he recovered his strength.
Pietro da Cortona, 1631
He stayed some days with the disciples in Damascus, and he began at once to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, that he is the Son of God. All who heard him were astounded and said, “Is not this the man who in Jerusalem ravaged those who call upon this name, and came here expressly to take them back in chains to the chief priests?” But Saul grew all the stronger and confounded [the] Jews who lived in Damascus, proving that this is the Messiah.
By now, we all know the story of St. Paul persecuting Christians and eventually being baptized by St. Ananias; the first bishop and martyr of Damascus. The book of Acts presents Ananias as a citizen of Damascus, of Jewish background. He was probably already excercising the priesthood, or even the episcopacy, at the time of St. Paul’s conversion, because it was to him that the Lord appeared and gave order to go and meet Saul in the house of Judas, in the street called ‘’Straight’’, healing Saul’s blindness with a blessing (imposition of hands), baptized him and prophesied his apostolate to all people.
St. Ananias was therefore the providential instrument of God to return to Saul from persecuting Christians, to receive him into the church and to announce his future mission.
According to oriental tradition and to the Greek memology, confirmed by the bollandists, Ananias was one of the disciples chosen by Jesus Christ (Luke 10) and that following the stoning of death of the deacon St. Stephan, Ananias returned to his home in Old Damascus, where later he became the city’s first bishop. While on missionary work in Syria, he was arrested at the order of governor Licinius and later sentenced to death for being the head of the local Christians.
The house of St. Ananias was changed into a church, but it’s not known when this exactly happened. From Byzantine tradition, we know now that it happened before the islamic conquest, A.D. 636. Some accounts indicate that the house of Ananias quickly became a pilgrimage site for early Christians. To counter this, Emperor Hadrian built a pagan temple to discourage Christian worship. The house sits on the remains of a 5th-6th century Byzantine church of the Holy Cross, uncovered during excavations by Count Eustachio De Lorey in 1921.*
In 1347, Franciscan Poggibonsi noted that the church was converted into a mosque, later returned to Christians. Arab writer Ibn Shaker (around 1363) stated that Caliph Walid I (6th Umayyad caliph) exchanged it for the church of St. John the Baptist, now part of the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus. Over the centuries, it became a worship site for both Christians and Turks, as observed by Franciscan friar Antonio Di Castillo.
In the late 12th century, it became a mosque again until 1820 when the Custody of the Holy Land regained it. The chapel was rebuilt in 1867 after being destroyed in 1860 and renovated in 1973, giving the chapel the present form. This first-century church, the city’s only surviving one from that era, consists of two small rooms with bare stone walls. It features an altar, icons of Paul’s conversion, and a few pews. Reflecting early Christian simplicity, it still holds services today.
In my previous piece, I wrote about my visit to the Franciscan monastery in Old Damascus. The same priest who gave me a tour of the monastery, walked with me to the house chapel of St. Ananias and gave me tour of this amazing place. I am honored to have visited this wonderful chapel, a small underground church, and to share the details of my experience in this article.
When finishing my prayers, the priests tells me that this chapel is important to “everyone visiting Old Damascus, even people from all religions and countries come to pray here first before doing anything else”.
I have visited many churches in my life, but this one will remain very special to me. When you visit Old Damascus, make sure to visit this chapel and experience the same feelings I have experienced during my visit.
*The information mentioned in this article is a paraphrased version of the historical texts that are placed in the Church itself regarding the background of the chapel.
