Saint Simeon is perhaps the most astonishing monument of Paleo-Christian art. The great church is impressive because of its size as well as its classical refinement. The cruciform church with its four separate basilicas was probably constructed after the death of its namesake, the ascetic Saint Simeon.

Saint Simeon was a shepherd from northern Syria who became a monk as the result of a revelation. Born in 386, he spent 42 years of his life on top of a column, claiming that his isolation demonstrated his detachment from the world and his faith in God.

A thousand years after his death, he is memorialized in books, documents and sculptured stones.

The simplicity and harmony of the basilica of Saint Simeon’s makes it one of the masterpieces of pre-Islamic art in Syria.

In the 10^th century, ramparts and towers were erected making Saint Simeon a "Qalaat", a citadel.