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The Church of the Dominican Convent (Our Lady of the Hour), popularly known as Al-Saa´a (“Clock”) Church or Latin Church, was constructed by Dominican friars 1862–1873 CE. In 1882, the Empress Eugenie, wife of Napolean III, donated the famous Clock Tower in recognition of the Dominican monks’ service to the people of Mosul during a typhoid epidemic in the 1870s. The neighborhood surrounding the church subsequently became known as Al-Saa’a.

The church building consists of two wings of equal size, each with a large dome, and a large central courtyard. Inside, the church contains a large organ opposite the altar, as well as stained glass windows and fine marble. The clock tower stands at 27 meters high and is visible throughout the Old City of Mosul. It is adorned with four clock faces. The original clocks were maintained by hand until the 1980s, when they were replaced by mechanized versions.

In 2016, Daesh militants had begun demolishing the Church using “demolition machines”. The damage was isolated to the southern portion of the church building. The clock tower appeared almost undamaged. The battle to drive out Daesh left behind an estimated 8 million tons of rubble in Mosul. The scale of devastation endured has set the city back decades. Thousands of troops and civilians were killed in the military campaign, which ended with Iraqi Government forces taking over the area in 2017.

With the official approval from the Dominican order, UNESCO – in close collaboration with relevant authorities - will now start the stabilization and rehabilitation of the Conventual Church of Our Lady of the Hour in Mosul. This Project’s component will include all the phases of a stabilization/rehabilitation project (from site clearance and initial survey to the preparation of the detailed design for the actual execution of the works), which will create a unique ‘on the-job training’ opportunity for local heritage professionals and craftsmen. In fact, the actual implementation of this component will be closely integrated with the long-term capacity building program foreseen within the scope of the project.

In October 2019, the stabilization and rehabilitation of the Conventual Church of Our Lady of the Hour was included as one of the main outputs in the UAE funded UNESCO Project ‘Reviving the Spirit of Mosul by rebuilding its historic landmarks’, along with the Al Tahera Syriac Catholic Church and the Al Nouri Mosque complex.

UNESCO is fostering reconciliation and social cohesion in Mosul through the restoration and reconstruction of emblematic historical sites as part of UNESCO’s international initiative “Revive the Spirit of Mosul”. The rehabilitation of this church is important not only because of its value as cultural heritage, but also as a testimony to the diversity of the city, a proud crossroads of cultures and a peaceful haven for different religious communities over the centuries.