Dayro d'Mor Youhanon (Zuqnin)

Dayro d'Mor Youhanon (Zuqnin)

The Monastery of Saint John, also known as Deir Zuqnin or Dayro Mor Yohanan, was a renowned monastery located on the outskirts of the city of Amid (present-day Diyarbakır in Turkey). Founded in the fourth century, the monastery became a center of learning by the middle of that same century and existed until the tenth century, when it was abandoned and left in ruins. It had skillful teachers on its staff and contained a rich library with many manuscripts. The biography of Saint Matthew the Hermit (or Matthew the ascetic) confirms that he was a monk at this monastery, having previously received his education at the Monastery of Saints Sergius and Bacchus, during a period when the monastery was already celebrated for its library and teachers, prior to the persecutions under the Roman Emperor Julian (reigned 361–363 AD).

In the book Lives of the Saints of the East by John of Ephesus, it is recorded that the monastery acquired half of the village of Nardu, located in the Ingilin region, as a gift from the abbot of the neighboring Monastery of Saint John of Urtaya. This village had originally been granted to the latter abbot via an imperial decree in the late 5th century. It has been suggested that Deir Zuqnin might be identical to the Monastery of "Tell al-Tuthi" (meaning "Hill of the Sycamore" in Syriac), a site where Syriac Orthodox monks from neighboring monasteries sought refuge during the persecutions instigated by Ephraim of Antioch in the 6th century. In the year 750/751 AD, forty-two monks at the monastery died due to illness.

Deir Zuqnin was a cradle for numerous ecclesiastical leaders, originating fourteen bishops and serving as the home for many prominent figures. Matthew, Metropolitan of Aleppo (active c. 669); Theodotus of Amid (died 698); and Thomas, Metropolitan of Amid (died c. 700), were all former monks of this monastery. According to the Ecclesiastical History of Gregorius Bar 'Ebroyo, Patriarch John I (who reigned between 739/740 and 754/755, and died in 755 AD) was also a monk at the Monastery of Zuqnin; Bar 'Ebroyo recounts the manner of this patriarch's election.

Mor Michael Rabo (the Great) and other records note various other monks from the monastery who were ordained into leadership: Patriarch Dionysius of Tell Mahre (818–845) ordained Cyril as Bishop of Edessa. Patriarch John V (847–874) ordained Noah as Bishop of Rhinocorura. Patriarch Ignatius II (878–883) ordained a bishop for Marash, and Severus as Metropolitan of Jerusalem. Patriarch Theodosius (887–895) ordained Cyril of Nazraba and Thomas, Bishop of Rhinocorura. Patriarch Ioannis / John (954–957, consecrated in 954 AD) ordained several bishops who had been monks at this monastery, including Mar Elijah for the Diocese of Melitene.

The monastery played a significant role in the transmission of historical and literary works in the Syriac tradition and served as a repository of knowledge. It is particularly known for being the place where the Chronicle of Zuqnin was composed by a monk of the monastery  between 754 and 775. This valuable historical text is a universal history that begins with the biblical creation account and extends up to the 8th century AD, covering a crucial period from 574 AD to 775 AD. It is considered an important source because it incorporates and preserves earlier texts, some of which have survived only within this chronicle. The work, was falsely attributed to Dionysius of Tell Mahre

Status: Abandoned in Ruins