The absence of a church to serve the large Armenian community of the Suleimaniyeh area of Aleppo, arose the idea of building a new church, which became true with the donations of Armenian benefactors, especially those whose roots were from the Cilician city of Aintab (nowadays
Gaziantep) and throughout the efforts of father Zarmayr Hindoyan, the spiritual leader of Aintabian Armenians in Aleppo. In 1617, according to
Simeon of Poland, the church, together with the
Church of the Forty Martyrs, was renovated and enlarged by
Khoja Sanos. The ground-blessing ceremony took place on 10 September 1972 with the presence of
Khoren I, Catholicos of the
Holy See of Cilicia, during the period of Bishop Datev Sarkissian. The construction work was finished completely in 1982. The consecration ceremony took place on 1 May 1983 under the patronage of Karekin II. Nowadays, the church itself plays a big role in the life of the Armenians of Aleppo. It is usually crowded with the faithful during regular Sunday masses. Many Armenians are members of the church. The church has a large hall opened in 1987 with a stage downstairs, used for cultural meetings, concerts, seminars and celebrations. In 1993 a
Khachkar-memorial by Sarkis Balmanougian was erected in the right side of the main entrance of the church, to commemorate the victims of the
Armenian genocide. The church was completely renovated in 1998. Adjacent to the church is the Armenian
Gertasirats High School and the
Zohrab Kaprielian Theatre. ==Gallery==