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Syriac Monasteries, Schools, and Libraries
Christian monasticism emerged in the ancient Near East. An ascetic form of Christian living, characterized by celibacy and poverty, was evident in early Syriac Christianity by the 2nd or 3rd century. The eremitic life involved individuals seeking reclusion for intense prayer, modeled after figures like Elijah and John the Baptist. The cenobitic life evolved from this, with groups of ascetics gathering under an elder, leading to the construction of monasteries with established rules. The legalization of Christianity in 313 AD shifted spiritual aspiration from martyrdom to intense self-sacrifice and devotion in the desert, becoming a new form of "spiritual martyrdom."
The early Syriac Church also developed unique "proto-monastic" traditions that predated the widespread adoption of Egyptian monasticism in Syria. Central to this was the concept of Ihidaya, referring to Christ as "only-begotten" and signifying "unique," "single," "celibate," and "single-minded" devotion. Followers, known as Bnāy Qyāmā ("Members of the Covenant"), undertook a consecrated life, often based on an ascetic vow made at baptism, and typically lived in small groups or within their homes rather than rigidly organized monasteries. Qaddishutha denoted consecrated abstinence, and Bthulutha referred to consecrated virginity, often publicly expressed at adult baptism and inspired by biblical models. This "proto-monasticism" highlights Syriac Christianity's indigenous and distinctive forms of ascetic living, emphasizing individual spiritual commitment within daily life.
The Syriac heritage started and resided in the many monasteries and schools in the Syriac ancestral homeland in the Near East. This is a partial list of Syriac Monasteries, Schools, and Libraries from the end of the apostolic time to present. All of them had libraries and were centers of learning for some time during their existence and many of them are still functioning and playing the same role they played in keeping the West Syriac Heritage alive
Below is a list of more than 180 monasteries that we were able to gather from different sources and there are more sources to investigate. Unfortunately, only 13 functional monasteries survived to our present times and 3 more transferred ownership to different churches. Some monasteries have the same saint name but in different locations and some have names that became more famous than the saint name.
Syriac Schools:
School of Edessa
School of Nisibin
Syriac Monasteries, Functional:
All the monasteries in this list (except for a few) are the center of a diocese where an archbishop or a metropolitan resides in the monastery, hold regular Syriac mass services in their churches, have monks or nuns residing in them, and accept visitors frequently
Dayro Al-Syrian - Egypt
Dayro d'Mor Awgen - Mount Izlo
Dayro d'Mor Hobel and d'Mor Abrohom - Midyat
Dayro d'Mor Malke - Arkah
Dayro d'Mor Marqos (St. Mark Monastery) - Jerusalim
Dayro d'Mor Ya'koub Hbishoyo - Arkah
Dayro d'Mor Ya‘koub d'Nisibin - Mount Izlo
Dayro d'Yoldath Aloho - Hah
Dayro 'dMor Youhanon Dilami
Syriac Monasteries, Abandoned:
All the monasteries in this list (except for a few) are in ruin and were abandoned for various reasons throughout the history of the Syriac Orthodox church. There might be masses held in commemoration of the patron saint of these monasteries every year
Dayro d'Mor Barsawmo - Salah
Dayro d'Mor Barsawmo - Melitene
Syriac Monasteries, Abandoned:
The monasteries in this list were mentioned in various sources but all of them are in ruin. They were abandoned for various reasons throughout the history of the Syriac Orthodox church but unfortunately there isn't much information about them.
Monasteries in Turkey (Outside Tur-'Abdin)
Monasteries in Persia and Asia
Monasteries in Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, and Jordan
Unknown Locations
Fa'nur Monastery: the location of this monastery is unknown; however, it was inhabited between 510 and 575.
Hananya Monastery: perhaps named for Hananya the ascetic (d.500). Peter III was consecrated as the Patriarch at this monastery in 581.
Monastery of Ar'a Rabtha (The Great Land)
Monastery of Beth Meluta or Talitha
Monastery of 'Arnish
Sources:
Patriarch Ignatius Aphram I Barsoum (2004), The Scattered Pearls, A History of Syriac Literature and Sciences, Translated and Edited by Matti Moosa, New Jersey
Bell, Gertrude & Mango, Marlia (ed.) (1982), The Churches and Monasteries of the Tur ‘Abdin. London, UK
Bcheiry, Iskandar (2009), The Syriac Orthodox Patriarchal Register of Dues of 1870: An Unpublished Historical Document from the Late Ottoman Period. New Jersey
Bcheiry, Iskandar (2010), Collection of Historical Documents in Relation With the Syriac Orthodox Community in the Late Period of the Ottoman Empire: The Register of Mardin MS 1006. New Jersey.
Bcheiry, Iskandar (2010), A List of Syriac Orthodox Ecclesiastical Ordinations from the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Century: The Syriac Manuscript of Hunt 444 (Syr 68 in Bodleian Library, Oxford) , New Jersey.
Hollerweger, Hans & Palmer, Andrew (1999), Turabdin: Living Cultural Heritage. 2nd Revised
Keser-Kayaalp, Elif (ed.) (2022), Syriac Architectural Heritage at Risk in Tur ʿAbdin, Istanbul, Turkey.
Keser-Kayaalp, Elif (2021), Church Architecture of Late Antique Northern Mesopotamia, Oxford, UK.
Krüger, Paul (1938), Das syrisch-monophysitische Mönchtum im Ṭūr ‘Ab(h)dīn von seinen Anfängen bis zur Mitte des 12. Jahrhunderts, Orientalia Christiana Periodica, 4, 5-46.
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