St. Mary Church of the Holy Belt

The Saint Mary Church of the Holy Girdle (Arabic كنيسة أم الزنار Umm al - Zennar, DMG To az- Zinnar ) is a historical Syriac Orthodox church in Homs, Syria Republic.

The church was built over an underground church that dates back to the year 50 AD. It is now the seat of the Syrian Orthodox Archbishop. The church contains a revered relic, a belt which is regarded as a belt of Mary, Mother of Jesus. This is the equivalent of the Assyrian Church of the Theotokos Zinktur the Orthodox Church, Vatopedi monastery on today in Mount Athos, as well as to the Catholic Belt of Thomas in the Prato Cathedral in Italy. All refer to the same legend about the Virgin Mary, who is said to have the Apostle Thomas handed her belt as evidence for their inclusion in the sky.

The church has been misused as a shield during the Syrian civil war by armed opposition groups against the Baath government Bashar al- Assad and was damaged during the confrontation with the armed forces. Subsequent clashes led to serious and irreparable damage to the exterior of the historically valuable St. Mary's Church of the Holy Girdle.