Homs, June 9 (SANA) For more than four decades, Syrian artist Ayman Bitar has dedicated his career to preserving one of the region’s oldest artistic traditions, creating religious icons for churches across Syria and abroad while helping keep Byzantine iconography alive for future generations.
Working from his studio in Homs, Bitar has become one of Syria’s most prominent iconographers, producing works that blend artistic craftsmanship with centuries-old spiritual and cultural traditions.
Bitar’s journey began when he was 17 years old and one of his paintings caught the attention of Metropolitan Alexei Abdel Karim. At a time when Syria had few specialized icon painters, he was encouraged to pursue the art form and contribute to its revival.
In 1989, Bitar traveled to Greece to study Byzantine iconography, training in churches, monasteries and workshops that have long served as centers of the tradition.
A major turning point in his career came when he was commissioned to create the icons of the Cathedral of the Forty Martyrs in Old Homs.
“The project was challenging, particularly because some of the walls reached nearly 17 meters in height and many materials had to be imported from Greece,” Bitar told SANA. “But the experience strengthened my confidence and confirmed my commitment to this path.”
Bitar describes iconography as more than a form of painting. Historically, icons served as a visual means of communicating sacred stories to people who could not read or write, with every color, gesture and expression carrying symbolic meaning.
He uses natural earth pigments mixed with egg yolk, a traditional technique that has been employed for centuries and helps preserve the artwork over time.
His works can be found in churches across Syria, Greece, Lebanon, Germany, Egypt and the United States, including the Cathedral of the Forty Martyrs in Homs, St. Saint Olga Chapel in Athens and George Antiochian Orthodox Church in Portland, the United States and the Virgin Mary Church in Alexandria, Egypt.
Bitar has received recognition both locally and internationally, including honors from Greek institutions, and later pursued studies in icon restoration and archaeology.
Today, he hopes to establish a specialized institute in Syria dedicated to teaching and preserving iconography, providing training for future generations and helping safeguard a tradition that forms part of the region’s cultural heritage.
Father Andrawos Tamer of the Cathedral of the Forty Martyrs described Bitar as a distinguished artist whose work has left a lasting mark on one of Syria’s most prominent churches.
Born in Homs in 1963, Bitar is widely regarded as one of Syria’s leading iconographers, carrying forward a tradition that has been part of the country’s artistic and religious heritage for generations.
M.F / ABD
