Church of Saint Simeon Stylites

The Church of Saint Simeon Stylites (Arabic: , romanized: Kanīsat Mār Simān el-Amūdī) is one of the oldest surviving church complexes, founded in the 5th century. It is located approximately 30 kilometres (19 mi) northwestern of Aleppo, Syria. It was constructed on the site of the pillar of Saint Simeon Stylites, a renowned stylite monk. The church is popularly known as either Qalaat Semaan ( , Qalat Simān, the "Fortress of Simeon") or Deir Semaan ( , Dayr Simān, the "Monastery of Simeon"). Completed in 490, it was not surpassed as a Christian church until the construction of Hagia Sophia was finished in 537.

Saint Simeon was born in 390 AD in the Amanus mountains village. He entered a monastery at the age of 16, but he was judged to be unsuited for cenobitic life due to his extravagant asceticism. Following the example of Saint Anthony, he attempted to live the life of a hermit ascetic in the wilderness, but his feats of physical endurance and self-denial attracted pilgrims seeking religious instruction and other devout admirers. In an effort to escape from such distractions, he resolved to live on a small platform atop a 3-meter column. The height of the column was raised over time to 18 meters. From his perch, Simeon preached twice a day to the crowds who gathered to witness this spectacle of self-mortification. A ladder attached to the column allowed messengers to bring food and written messages to Simeon, who also sent letters to his followers this way. He became well-known enough to attract the attention of the eastern emperors Theodosius, Leo, and Theodosius II, who sought his advice and implored his intervention in state affairs. Simeon lived on the column for years, dying in AD 459 at the approximate age of 69. After a fierce contest for the possession of his remains between Antioch and Constantinople, it was settled in favor of Antioch. His remains were transported to Antioch, accompanied by a procession of the patriarch of Constantinople, 6 bishops, the Master-General of the East, 21 counts and tribunes and 6,000 soldiers. His tomb became a major pilgrimage destination. A few decades following Saint Simeon's death, a large monastic church occupying over 5,000 square meters was constructed on the site where his pillar stood. The church was made up of four basilicas that emanated from the sides of a central octagon. The octagonal crossing was surmounted by a dome; at its center stood Simeon's column. The church was the centerpiece of a walled monastic complex that included two minor churches, and pilgrim hostels. In the year 638 the monastery fell into the hands of the Miaphysites, and it was destroyed by Arab tribes in the year 985.

Long abandoned and ruined, the site is part of the series of ruins referred as the Dead Cities of Syria. Until just recently, remains of the pillar of Saint Simeon still stood, despite having been whittled down to a block only a few meters tall from years of pilgrims cutting down small parts for themselves as relics; substantial surviving parts of the column shaft were last visible in the 17th century. The dome above it apparently survived until the 19th century.

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