Dayro d'Mor Doniyel

Dayro d'Mor Doniyel

The Monastery of Mor Doniyel, also known as Der Matina, is a Syriac Orthodox monastery located on Matina Mountain near the villages of Tilbisim and Dairkah, northwest of Rish 'Ayno. Its patron saint, Doniyel of Ghlosh, was a 5th-century ascetic who died in 439. The monastery's location is described as being between Beth Ma'de and Qelleth, closer to the former, near a fortress on top of Mount Ghlosh. Magnificent remains of the monastery are still visible today.

The monastery’s founding is intertwined with the life of its patron saint. According to Doniyel's biography, as he aged, his student and son, Lazarus, sought to build a church and a burial chamber for his father. Lazarus did not rely on the church for funding but instead traveled and collected money and gold from various parts of the Mediterranean. With these funds, he built a large and robust church and a cross, likely to house his father's bones. The monastery was rebuilt later by Yuhannon, the metropolitan of Mardin, and remained active until at least 1230. In the early 10th century, Athanasius, the metropolitan of Afra in Khuzestan, likely came from this monastery.

The monastery's architecture suggests a layered history of construction and adornment. The decorations on the apse of the main church bear a great resemblance to those of the Dayr al-Zaʿfaran Monastery, which is dated to the 6th century. This similarity suggests that the church built by Doniyel may have been expanded and adorned with new architectural ornamentation in the 6th century, after his death.

The complex also features a distinctive tower, possibly used for recluses. These towers are a common feature in other monasteries in TurʿAbdin and may have also served as watchtowers, dominating the surrounding topography. In addition to this main monastery, a separate Lower Mar Daniel Monastery exclusively for nuns was located nearby. The main monastery, located near Basakhra, was exclusively for monks and was thriving in the early 14th century, according to al-Khalidi. 

Status: Abandoned