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, […]
The Monastery of Mor Barsawmo
The monastery of Mor Barsawmo, also currently known as the “House of the Mother of God, Meryem and Mor Barsawmo”, is a rock-cut religious complex carved into the west side of a low hill, around 800 m northeast of the monastery of Mor Yaqub at Salah as the crow flies. The area between the monasteries […]
Daphni Monastery
The Daphni Monastery lies in Chaidari along the route of the ancient Hiera Odos to Eleusis. It stands on a site where in the antiquity was the sanctuary of Apollo Daphnaios; the latter was destroyed in 395 when the Goths invaded Attica. The only still visible remain in situ is an Ionic column in the […]
Nea Mone
Founders of the monastery of Nea Mone, dedicated to Virgin, are the emperor Constantine IX Monomachos and the empress Zoe. Its construction started in 1042 and finished in 1055, that is after the death of the Emperor. Due to lavish donations through imperial decrees, the monastery became one of the biggest landowners on the island […]
Monastery of Saint John the Theologian
Patmos was a place of exile in Roman times, where also the Apostle John the Theologian was exiled. On this island he wrote down his Apocalypse/Last Judgement. The Byzantine Emperor Alexios I gave Patmos to the monk Christodoulos who had previously been a monk in Asia Minor. In 1088, he founded the monastery on the […]