Ṣaydnāya: Church of St. Peter and St. Paul

 

An enigmatic Roman monument. 

This building is a short distance from the famous Convent and on a lower level. It dates back to the Roman period. The purpose (mausoleum, votive chapel, sanctuary) of the structure, with no other decoration than that of the cornice and doorway, is unknown. Very long ago it was turned into a church under the patronage of Saints Peter and Paul. 

Jacques Ghislain de Maussion de Favières. Damascus, Baghdad: Capitals and lands of the caliphs. Translation to English by Edward J. Banks. Librairie orientale (Dar el-Mashreq), Beirut, Lebanon. 1972.) 

Pococke's description: 

To the east are the small chapels of saint Sergius and saint Christopher, and likewise an entire chapel of saint Peter and Saint Paul, which appears to be a building of great antiquity; it is a very solid work, and is thirty-two feet six inches square; there is an ascent all round on the outside of three steps; the cornice, door case, and a sort of a basement above the steps, are proofs that the architecture is ancient, it may be, before Christ; within, it is in form of a Greek cross, and there is a staircase to the top of it.

Richard Pococke. A Description of the East (1743).