Syria Church Records

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Church Records

For information about records for non-Christian religions in Syria, go to the Religious Records page.

Online Resources and Websites

• 1756-1800 Baptisms, marriages and burials at Aleppo, Syria from Levant Company's records, 1756-1800(*); at FamilySearch Catalog - images
• 1756-1800 Syria, Aleppo, Register or marriages, baptisms and burials by the chaplain of the British factory in Aleppo, 1756-1800(*); Levant Company at FamilySearch Catalog - images
• 1843-1938 Church records, 1843-1938(*); Armenian Apostolic Church. Aleppo (Syria) at FamilySearch Catalog - images
• 1885-1909 Record of members, 1885-1909,(*); Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Turkish Mission at FamilySearch Catalog - images
• 1907-1951 Annual genealogical report, Form E, 1907-1951,(*); Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Savaii District at FamilySearch Catalog - images
• 1907-1951 Annual genealogical report, Form E, 1907-1951(*); Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Near East Mission at FamilySearch Catalog - images
• 1921-1939 Record of Members, 1921-1939(*) at FamilySearch Catalog - images; ; records of members in the former Palestine-Syrian Mission of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Historical Background

The Christian population of Syria comprise 10% of the population, which is down from when they were 25% of Syrian the total population of 1.1 million in 1920. Most Syrians are members of either the Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch (700,000), or the Syriac Orthodox Church. The vast majority of Catholics belong to the Melkite Greek Catholic Church. Other Christian Churches in union with Rome include the Maronites, Syriac Catholics, Armenians, Chaldeans and a small number of Latin Rite Catholics. The rest belong to the Eastern communions, which have existed in Syria since the earliest days of Christianity. The main Eastern groups are:

• the autonomous Orthodox churches;
• the Eastern Catholic Churches, which are in communion with Rome;
• and the independent Assyrian Church of the East (i.e., the "Nestorian" Church).

Followers of the Assyrian Church of the East are almost all Eastern Aramaic speaking ethnic Assyrians/Syriacs whose origins lie in Mesopotamia, as are some Oriental Orthodox and Catholic Christians. Even though each group forms a separate community, Christians nevertheless cooperate increasingly. Roman Catholicism and Protestantism were introduced by missionaries but only a small number of Syrians are members of Western denominations.

Information Recorded in the Records

Different denominations, different time periods, and practices of different record keepers will effect how much information can be found in the records. This outline will show the types of details which might be found (best case scenario):

Baptisms

In Catholic and Anglican records, children were usually baptized a few days after birth, and therefore, the baptism record proves date of birth. Other religions, such as Baptists, baptized at other points in the member's life. Baptism registers might give:

baptism date the infant's name parents' names father's occupation

status of legitimacy occasionally, names of grandparents names of witnesses or godparents, who may be relatives

birth date and place the family's place of residence death information, as an added note or signified by a cross

Marriages

Marriage registers can give:

the marriage date the names of the bride and groom indicate whether the bride and groom were single or widowed their ages

birth dates and places for the bride and groom their residences their occupations

birthplaces of the bride and groom parents' names (after 1800) the names of previous spouses and their death dates names of witnesses, who might be relatives.

Burials

Burial registers may give:

the name of the deceased the date and place of death or burial the deceased's age place of residence

cause of death the names of survivors, especially a widow or widower deceased's birth date and place parents' names, or at least the father's name

How to Find Records

Digital Copies of Church Records in the FamilySearch Catalog

Watch for digitized copies of church records to be added to the collection of the FamilySearch Library. Some records might have viewing restrictions, and can only be viewed at a FamilySearch Center near you, and/or by members of supporting organizations. To find records:

a. Click on the records of Syria.

b. Click on Places within Syria and a list of towns will appear.

c. Click on your town if it appears, or the location which you believe was the parish which served your town or village.

d. Click on the "Church records" topic. Click on the blue links to specific record titles.

e. Some combination of these icons will appear at the far right of the listing for the record. . The magnifying glass indicates that the record is indexed. Clicking on the magnifying glass will take you to the index. Clicking on the camera will take you to an online digital copy of the records.

Writing for Records

You will probably need to write to or email the national archives, the diocese, or local parish priests to find records. Use Letter Writing Guide for Genealogy for help with composing letters. Then, use an Arabic translating service.

• Maps.me Church Listings for Syria

Catholic Church Records

Writing to a Local Parish

Earlier records can be held at the diocese, with more recent records still kept in the local parish. To locate the mailing address or e-mail address for a diocese or local parish, consult:

• The Catholic Directory: Syria

Historical Background

The Catholic Church in Syria is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope in Rome.

There are 368,000 Catholics in Syria (and its refugee diaspora), approximately 2% of the total population. The Catholics of Syria are members of several different Rite/language-specific Churches, including Armenian, Chaldean, Syriac, Maronite and Melkite in addition to the Latin Church, and there are separate but overlapping jurisdictions for the faithful of each Church.

Anglican (Episcopal) Church Records

Episcopal Church in Jerusalem and the Middle East (including Syria)

Protestant Churches

• Google Maps search results for Protestant churches in Syria

Maronite Catholic Church Records

Writing for Records

• Google Maps search results for Maronite churches in Syria

Greek Orthodox Church Records

Writing for Records

• Google Maps search results for Greek Orthodox churches in Syria

Melkite Catholic Church Records

Writing for Records

• Google Maps search results for Melkite Catholic churches in Syria

Armenian Orthodox or Apostolic

Writing for Records

• Google Maps search results for Armenian Orthodox or Apostolic churches in Syria

Historical Background

The Armenian Apostolic Church is the second largest Oriental Orthodox Christian group in Syria.

Armenian Catholic Church

Writing for Records

• Google Maps search results for Armenian Catholic churches in Syria

Assyrian Church of the East

Writing for Records

• Google Maps search results for Assyrian Church of the East in Syria

Syriac Catholic Church

Writing for Records

• Google Maps search results for Syriac Catholic churches in Syria

Syriac Orthodox Church

Writing for Records

• Google Maps search results for Syriac Orthodox churches in Syria

Chaldean Catholic Church

Writing for Records

• Google Maps search results for Chaldean Catholic churches in Syria

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Records

Online information is available to current members, for deceased members and immediate family members who are still living. Sign in to FamilySearch and then select Family Tree in the drop-down menu.