After many years of war and terrorism, new bells were installed today in the church tower of the monastery “Our Lady of the Clock”, so that they resound again in the skies of the Iraqi city of Mosul.

Located in the heart of Mosul, this church, considered one of the symbols of the city, was destroyed by ISIS before the Iraqi army managed to retake it in 2017.

And the director-general of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Audrey Azoulay, currently in Iraq, participated in the inauguration ceremony of the new church bells.

As part of a special program called “Reviving the Spirit of Mosul”, UNESCO is currently working on rebuilding historic churches, mosques and other archaeological sites that were destroyed during fighting when ISIS took the city as its capital and is ravaging it. . . Among these places are the Al-Aghawat Mosque, the Al-Nuri Mosque and the Church of the Immaculate Conception.

“It is a symbol of the return of peace and a connection with history, but also a symbol of hope for the future,” said Azoulay at the opening ceremony. In addition to its ancient history, Mosul, Iraq’s second largest city, is known for its cultural and religious diversity.