A wedding that took place in badly bombed church in a city in Syria has become a symbol of hope for the residents of the war-torn country.

Fadi and Rana had fled their hometown of Homs, which has been subjected to heavy shelling for years as a result of the civil war between rebel forces and the government.

But the couple decided to return to their old neighbourhood to tie the knot - along with 2,000 other locals who had left the city over the past 12 months - once the rebels had left.

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Fadi and Rana fled their hometown of Homs, Syria, during rebel fighting but they have now returned to the city and were married earlier this month

The entire roof of the building is missing as a result of bombs

The pictures have been shared thousands of times around the world

Fadi and Rana, 28, came back to find vast swathes of buildings reduced to rubble as a result of the fighting - including devastation to the church where they chose to be married.

St George - an Orthodox church in the Christian Hamidiyah section of the Old City - had been badly damaged during the two years of fighting. It had lost its roof and much of the detailing inside.

Photos show the building turned to rubble, allegedly from regime airstrikes and artillery.

But the couple still chose it as as their wedding location, posting photos of the ceremony which have been hailed a symbol of hope for the area.

On July 12 the couple married in front of friends and family at St. George church an Orthodox church in the Hamidiyah section of the Old City

Pictures of the bride and groom in a sharp suit and beautiful white wedding dress saying their vows in front of guests at the bombed church have since gone viral

Pictures of the bride, in a white wedding dress, and the groom, in a sharp suit, saying their vows in front of guests inside the bombed church have since gone viral and been shared thousands of times around the world.

The couple and the Syrian people have received supportive messages from as far and wide as France and the UK to Egypt and Jordan.

One Facebook user wrote: 'Congratulations, yours is the final return of peace and safety of Syria.'

Another said: 'The will of life will also won victory through history.'

One added: 'Life continues despite destruction and death.'

The couple take part in the lighting of the candles as their guests look on

Pictures of the bride, in a white wedding dress, and the groom, in a sharp suit, saying their vows in front of guests inside the bombed church have since gone viral

The church was badly bombed during fighting between the rebel forces and the government

Homs has been the subject of heavy shelling for years as a result of the civil war between the the rebel forces and the Syrian government

While Bassem wrote on Twitter: 'U can destroy their church but u won't destroy their spirit. First wedding at St George church Hamidieh Homs.'

Before he was forced to flee, Fadi was a university graduate working in a pharmaceutical factory in the city, but afterwards, he got a job working as a teacher for the U.N. Refugee Agency.

It was while he was working at the agency that Fadi met his now-wife Rana.

He said: 'She was attending another course for start-ups of small business grants.

Fadi and Rana Syrian couple married in the ruins of St George Church

The church building had been badly damaged during two years of fighting in the city

The bride smiles for the camera as she stands next to her new husband

'Soon after, we figured out that we are both from the same neighborhood but we had never met before.

'Despite the short time we spent together, we found time to sit and talk.

'We got to know each other well, and discovered many common interests, and we simply fell in love.'

He told the agency: 'I considered myself very lucky to find such an amazing job. The job was in my domain and it was something that I like doing.'

He continued: 'Life was good to me and everything was just amazing.

'After about a year and a half, the fighting reached my house in the old city of Homs, and I had to run for my life leaving everything behind.'