Dayro d'Mor Youhanon Daylmaya

Dayro d'Mor Youhanon Daylmaya

The Monastery of St. John of Dailam, also known as Maqortaya is a small Syriac Orthodox religious complex located about three kilometers north of Qaraqosh in northern Iraq. It is also known at the Monastery of the Syriacs. 

Tradition holds that John of Dailam founded the Maqortaya monastery. He was active in the region during the seventh century and is he credited with converting the local population from the Church of the East to the Syriac Orthodox Church. However, the oldest verifiable mention of the monastery only appears in the late 9th century, with a separate Syriac manuscript recording its consecration in 1115.

According to the accounts of Gregorius Bar 'Ebroyo, the monastery suffered a devastating raid in 1361 when the Kurds attacked the monastery, burned the structure and killed its monks. This left the site abandoned until it was eventually rebuilt in 1563 with further building phases in the early eighteenth century reflecting a Galilean architectural style around a central southern courtyard and cistern. The monastery was destroyed again in 1743 during the invasion of Nader Shah. When most residents of Bakhdida began to convert to the Syriac Catholic Church in the 18th century, the monastery, remaining under the control of the Syriac Orthodox Church, was left deserted. A modern excavation and reconstruction effort took place in 1998, revealing an ancient carved altar and establishing a large courtyard with a fountain and a statue. 

The Maqortaya monastery is a crucial pilgrimage site, visited by thousands of Syriac Orthodox pilgrims from the Nineveh Plains region. They come to celebrate the feast of Yoḥannan Daylamáyá (John of Dailam), which takes place on the last Friday of March.