Located 60 km north-west of Aleppo and named after a shepherd-turned-hermit Saint Simeon, from northern Syria who became a monk after a revelation in a dream, St Simeon’s Monastery is a great excuse to explore something of the north.

St Simeon was a Stylite – hermits who lived on pillars of rock and who dispensed wisdom to those who came to see them. Following Saint Simon's death in AD459 a cathedral was built where Simeon’s pillar stood. The layout was original, centred on the famous column - four basilicas, arranged in the shape of a cross, opened into an octagon covered by a dome, in the centre of which stood the holy column.

The remains clearly show it was a beautiful church built on the ridge of the hill where Saint Simeon had taken up "residence". Simplicity and harmony combine to make the ruins one of Syria’s most evocative.

From here it is also easy to visit the Dead Cities – a must when in the area.