The Monastery of Mor Abraham of Kashkar

This monastery, said Marlia Mundell, is known as the ‘Great Monastery’ on Mount Izlo. It was founded by Abraham of Kashkar (d.588). Abraham, who was from the Kashkar region (today al-Wasit) in southern Iraq. In 571, he formed the monastic order, which consists of 12 rules and which is followed by the Eastern Syriacs. He […]
The Monastery of Mor Aho

The Monastery of Mor Aho, according to the tradition, was built by the saint himself with his patron Theodore and his disciple Heworo, who named the complex «Bnoyel», mening ‘built by God’. The Roman commander Demetrius, who was assigned to a military unit in the Castle of Ṭur ʿAbdin (Comfort, Anthony. ‘Fortresses of the Tur […]
The Monastery of Mor Sargis and Mor Bakos

The Monastery of the revered martyred Roman soldiers Sergius and Bacchus, lies North of the Syriac village of Hah (the episcopal see of the Ṭūr ‘Abdīn since an early date up to 613 CE and again from the eleventh to the thirteenth century), currently known with the Turkish name of Anıtl. Its most ancient dated […]
Kornelimünster Abbey

The Kornelimünster Abbey was founded in 814 on the Inde River by Benedict of Aniane (750–821), at the suggestion of Louis the Pious, son and successor of Charlemagne. The cloister was originally called Redeemer Cloister on the Inde (Erlöserkloster an der Inde). In the middle of the 9th century, the cloister was given imperial immediacy […]
Premonstraten Monastery Schäftlarn

Schäftlarn Monastery, located on the Isar River, is one of the most original monasteries in Bavaria. Its status as the spiritual and cultural center of southern Munich is also due to the fact that it has been the only active monastery in the Munich district for over 1200 years. In 762 Waltrich, a Benedictine monk […]
The Monastery of Soumela

The Monastery of Soumela is a Greek Orthodox monastery which was dedicated to Theotokos. The monastic complex is located at Karadag (Black Mountain, Sou Mela) which is a part of Pontic Mountains and today in Maçka, Trabzon. Soumela is nestled in a steep cliff at an altitude of about 1200 meters, facing the Altindere Valley. […]
The Monastery of Mor Augin

The monastic complex of Mor Augin lies high above the Plain of Nusaybin among the steep cliffs of Mount Izlo, part of the historical region of the Ṭūr ‘Abdīn and currently located in the Turkish Province of Mardin. According to the local tradition, this is the most ancient monastery in the area, founded in the […]
The Monastery of Mor Abrohom and Mor Hobel

The Monastery of Mor Abrohom and Mor Hobel lies on a hill about one kilometre East of the city of Midyat. The monastic establishment is enclosed by tough modern walls and it includes three churches, two of which dates before the Arab conquest. According to the local tradition, it was founded in the fifth century […]
The Monastery of Mor Gabriel

The Monastery of Mor Gabriel, historically near the village of Qartmin and presently located 22 kilometers S-E of city of Midyat (Mardin Prov.), is the seat of the bishop of Ṭūr ‘Abdīn. It is a large monastery with buildings dating to various periods. The foundation myth of the monastery, in the hagiographic text named “Qartmin […]
The Monastery of Mor Hananyo

The monastic complex of Mor Ḥananyo is located 5 kilometers East of the Turkish city of Mardin, capital of the homonymous province. It lies in a shallow basin half-way up the side of the mountain ridge. It’s ancient name of “Monastery of St Ananias” was due to a bishop of Mardin, who rebuilt the monastery […]