Via Aleteio:

The relics of a saint who refused to comply with the Romans’ demands to apostatize faced a new test by a group trying to stamp out Christianity. But now his bones are being protected in Syria.

Aided by Russian airstrikes, the Syrian army on Sunday drove the Islamic State group out of Al Qaryatayn after a seven-month occupation. The jihadists left behind much destruction, including the monastery of St. Elia and other churches.

Now, a priest who himself had been held captive by ISIS is preserving the fifth-century saint’s bones.

Father Jacques Mourad, who was held by ISIS from May to October of last year, found the relics scattered around the tomb when he returned to the monastery.

“In front of all what happened and is happening, I prefer to be silent, because now silence appears to me as the most appropriate word,” Father Mourad told Fides news agency. “The fact that the relics of Mar (St.) Elia are not lost is for me a great sign: it means that he did not want to leave the monastery and the holy land.”

Qaryatayn, which is about 75 miles northeast of Damascus, was once home to a sizable Christian population, AP reported. More than 200 residents, mostly Christians, including Father Mourad, were abducted by ISIS. Some were released and others were made to sign pledges to pay a tax imposed on non-Muslims. Some have simply vanished, the wire service reported. As for the center of Christian life in the town:

The church’s doors and windows were blown out and its interior appeared to have been used by the militants as a workshop for manufacturing bombs and booby traps, its floor littered with gas canisters, metal kettles, coffee pots and blue pails.