كاتدرائية القديس جاورجيوس للروم الأرثوذكسSt. Georges Greek Orthodox Cathedral

The foundation stone of the cathedral was laid on October 17, 1862, and construction was completed in 1873.

Funds for the project came from endowment income and donations from the faithful. Some even volunteered their labor to help complete the construction.

The cathedral's design was notable for its towering height. This presented a challenge for the builders, particularly with the dome. It fell several times before they succeeded in distributing the weight properly on the columns and walls.

The cathedral consists of three aisles, each serving as a separate church:

• The middle aisle is dedicated to St. George.
• The right aisle is dedicated to Our Lady of the Assumption.
• The third aisle is dedicated to Saints Paul and Peter.

The cathedral blended elements of Byzantine and Ottoman architecture. Its dimensions are 22 meters long, 21.5 meters wide, and 22 meters high, with the dome reaching an additional 22 meters in height.

The cathedral served two purposes:

• To meet the religious needs of the Orthodox community.
• To declare the status of the Orthodox community within the diverse religious landscape of Tripoli, which included Catholics, Maronites, Protestants, foreign missions, and Muslims.

The cathedral's original iconostasis was made of stone. However, at the beginning of the twentieth century, the Orthodox community rebuilt it to match the grandeur of the cathedral. They purchased white marble from Carrara in Italy, with financial contributions from both local Orthodox residents and expatriates.

The new iconostasis was constructed in a neoclassical European style, featuring rich ornamentation and topped with Islamic-inspired woodwork.

The lower portion of the iconostasis is filled with icons painted in the Levantine style, dominated by earthy colors. Look closely at the edges of these icons, and you'll find inscriptions in Arabic script with the names of the benefactors who donated them to the cathedral in memory of loved ones.

In contrast, the icons in the upper part of the iconostasis are painted in the Russian style, where blue is the prominent color.

The cathedral's architecture reflects the ambitions and culture of the Orthodox community in the second half of the 19th century. They admired Western civilization while simultaneously preserving their Eastern roots and their love for the Arabic language, as further evidenced by the poetic verses inscribed on the cathedral's main entrance.