In a Baghdad neighbourhood famous for a Shia Muslim pilgrimage, there stands a tiny whitewashed Catholic church, lovingly brought back to life from dereliction by a lone Iraqi Christian committed to preserving faith and history.
Illuminated by fairy lights along its walls, visitors often come in the evenings. One night, a knock on the outer gate reveals two young Sunni Muslim women. “I love Mother Mary, and I love this place,” one of them says.
Other female relatives slip through the gate until there are five. Church custodian Tony Hana, 33, fetches candles for them to light before the courtyard statue of the Virgin Mary. He talks quietly to the ladies, who drift between the statue and the church’s quaint, simple interior.
