| Church of Saint George | |
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Rooftop view, Lydda c. 1920 |
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| Basic information | |
| Location | Lod, Israel |
| Affiliation | Greek Orthodox |
| Architectural description | |
| Completed | 1872 |
The Church of Saint George (Arabic: كنيسة القديس جيورجوس or كنيسة مار جريس Hebrew: כנסיית ג'ורג' הקדוש קוטל הדרקון) is the major shrine for the fourth century martyr Saint George (الخضر Al-Khidr in Arabic) and is located in Lod, Israel.[1] The current church, built in 1870, shares space with the El-Khidr Mosque.
Toward the end of the nineteenth century, the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem received permission from the Ottoman authorities to build a church on the site of a previous basilica. The church is built over an earlier 15th century AD structure, and occupies the north end of the nave and left-hand aisle of the earlier church, from which there survive two apses - which, contrary to the normal rule, face north rather than east.
The Ottoman authorities stipulated, that part of the plot be made available for a mosque. Consequently the current Church of St. George incorporates only the northeast corner of the Byzantine basilica. The prayer hall of the adjacent mosque contains a column that once stood in the nave of the basilica. The church contains the sarcophagus of St George.
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