Idlib: Two schools run by the Franciscan friars of the Custody of the Holy Land have reopened in the Syrian Christian villages of Knaye and Yacoubieh after nearly six decades of closure, offering education and new hope to communities rebuilding after years of war.
The Terra Santa schools were inaugurated on Sunday, September 20, in the presence of local civil and religious leaders. The reopening marks a major step in efforts to restore education and community life in the two villages.
The schools were originally established by the Franciscan friars in 1958, but were taken from them in 1972. After the military withdrew from the area, the buildings were used as shelters for about a decade.
Father Khukaz Mesrob, parish priest of Knaye, led the rebuilding efforts together with Father Luai Bisharat, parish priest of Yacoubieh. After returning to Syria to serve his community, Father Mesrob said he wanted to bring a sense of hope to the villages and began working to restore the former school buildings.
Following the fall of the Assad government, the remaining refugees left the school buildings, allowing major renovation work to begin. With support from church associations, the NGO Pro Terra Sancta, the Custody of the Holy Land and the Franciscan friars, about 80 percent of both schools has been restored.
The two schools now provide education across the full school cycle. The Yacoubieh school serves children from three to ten years old, while the Knaye school welcomes students from ten to seventeen.
The rebuilding has also created employment for local families and young people. Nearly 100 people have been hired for work including electrical services, carpentry, artistic work and general labour. The schools now have 25 teachers, many of them young graduates who returned to Syria after the war. They teach subjects including English, mathematics, chemistry and biology.
The schools currently have 80 pupils, but the number is expected to rise to nearly 300 when restoration is completed next year. The schools are open to children from both Christian and Muslim families.
Father Mesrob said the schools have long been a place where Christian and Muslim families can meet and build relationships. He recalled meeting a local imam who had attended the Terra Santa school before its closure, when Father Mesrob's own father taught him English.
The Franciscan schools also continue to welcome Muslim teachers who were educated there. According to Father Mesrob, the schools encourage children to respect others, care for humanity and practise charity and neighbourly love.
Bishop Hanna Jallouf, Apostolic Vicar of Aleppo of the Latins, described education as a key part of rebuilding Syria. He said young people who had grown up during years of war needed opportunities to learn peace and coexistence rather than the ways of conflict.
Father Francesco Ielpo, Custos of the Holy Land, said rebuilding the schools meant more than restoring buildings. It meant providing children with places where they could grow, learn and dream, while allowing the Franciscan presence to remain close to communities facing hardship.
Around 200 families now live in Knaye, Yacoubieh and nearby villages, about twice the number that remained there during the war.
For the communities, the reopening of the schools has become a sign of renewed hope. Father Mesrob described the gathering of Christians and Muslims, religious leaders, ambassadors and government officials at the inauguration as a mosaic in which every person has a place.
As families return and communities begin to rebuild, the Franciscan friars are continuing to work with charities to help people settle again. The reopening of the schools has placed education, coexistence and hope at the centre of that effort.