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 […]

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 […]

The Monastery of Mor Lo´ozor

Mor Lo’ozor Monastery is on the top of a hill, few kilometers from the village of Mercimekli (Syriac Habsenas) north of Midyat. The British historian Andrew Palmer claims that it was founded by Shem‘un, the son of Mundar of Habsenas, who died in 734 (Palmer, Andrew. ‘La Montagne Aux LXX Monastères. La Géographie Monastique Du […]

The Monastery of Mor Yakub at Salah

The Monastery of Mor Yakub lies in a valley West of the village of Ṣalaḥ. Its foundation dates back to the 5th or 6th century, based on comparisons with the plan of Mor Gabriel complex and to the tradition that it was founded on the site of the martyrdom of the Egyptian monk Mor Barshabo, […]

Niederaltaich Abbey

Niederaltaich Abbey - galleria 5

Bordered by the foothills of the Bavarian Forest and the banks of the Danube, the historic abbey of the municipality of Niederaltaich is already an attractive destination due to its natural surroundings alone. The Benedictine monastery of Niederaltaich, founded in 731 or 741 by Duke Odilo of Bavaria and settled by monks from the island […]

Tegernsee Abbey

The abbey in Tegernsee is a former Benedictine monastery that is located directly on Lake Tegernsee. The abbey, like the town that grew out of it, is named after the lake, whose name can be translated from the Old German, tegarin seo, meaning large lake. Founded in the 8th century, the abbey represented one of […]