Dayro d'Mor Barsawmo

Dayro d'Mor Barsawmo

The Monastery of Mar Barsauma, also known as Mor Barsawmo, is situated near Melitene (know today as Malatya), atop a mountain where its structure resembles a fortress or a citadel. This defensive appearance led some writers to call it the Monastery of the Cave. Built in the middle of the fifth century, the monastery is first mentioned in a Syriac chronicle by an anonymous author dating to 790 AD. It served as a patriarchal seat from the eleventh century until the late thirteenth century, or by some accounts starting at the end of the eighth century. The monastery remained active and populated until the middle of the seventeenth century, after which it fell into ruin and was abandoned. Throughout its history, it was a prominent center of learning from the ninth century to the middle of the fourteenth century, producing five patriarchs and between thirty-four and forty-three metropolitans. Patriarch Ephrem Barsoum lists it among the important monasteries, and its legacy endures as a symbol of Syriac Christianity's resilience and its profound contributions to religious, intellectual, and cultural history.

The monastery was named after the fifth-century ascetic, Mar Barsauma, whose relics were housed within its walls, attracting pilgrims and scholars alike. Barsauma was born in Al-Shata in the region of Samosata and studied under the guidance of Abraham, the ascetic of the High Mountain, a detail mentioned in that ascetic's biography. A large number of disciples followed Barsauma, who visited Jerusalem several times. In the year 438, the Jews, whom Empress Eudocia had permitted to return, were expelled from the city. Barsauma was a friend of Dioscorus of Alexandria and was invited by Theodosius II to the Second Council of Ephesus in 449 to represent the heads of monasteries. He also participated in the Council of Chalcedon in 451, accompanied by a thousand monks, where he voted for the deposition of Flavian. Consequently, he was expelled from the council and given thirty days to sign his acceptance of the council's decrees, yet he refused to do so. Barsauma died in 458, and the Syriac Orthodox Church commemorates him as the chief of ascetics on February 3, June 3, and the Thursday before Pentecost. He was described as a man who crucified himself for Christ throughout his life. Although he did not support Eutyches, he was opposed by many, particularly within the political establishment. Despite this opposition, he was among the Church Fathers most steadfast in adhering to the teachings of the Universal Church and its ecumenical councils of Nicaea, Constantinople, and Ephesus. The Orientalist Honigmann later wrote about his history and recorded one hundred miracles within his biography.

The monastery itself became a hub of learning and a cradle for several influential figures in the Syriac Orthodox Church, serving as the venue for several important synods between 1074 and 1283. Gregorius Bar 'Ebroyo records that Barsauma’s finger was preserved there along with relics of the Apostle Peter, which were encased in a setting inlaid with jewels and gold. These relics had been seized by King Kilij Arslan from the Byzantine camp and gifted to Patriarch Michael I. The monastery's library was a rich repository of manuscripts that reflected the literary tradition of the Syriac people. Patriarch Athanasius VI, who died in 1129, was a collector of the most valuable books and used to carry loads of them wherever he traveled. Later, Patriarch Michael Rabo adorned this library with his numerous and magnificent manuscripts. Joseph of Amid, the metropolitan of Homs, mentioned in the Lives of Saints, which he completed in 1196, that this library lacked nothing except that specific book, which is now identified as British Museum MS. 960.

Over the centuries, the monastery faced numerous conflicts and natural disasters, yet it was repeatedly rebuilt. Its fortifications were strengthened in 1101 and 1164 to protect it from threats. In 1066 AD, Armenian thieves raided the monastery. In 1074, the monastery’s abbot was consecrated as Patriarch, taking the name Basilius. The anonymous chronicler Al-Ruhawi recounts that in 1148 AD, Joscelin II, the Count of Edessa, plundered and carried out a raid on the monastery. In 1145, the Turks attacked Edessa, and a fire broke out in the monastery. Patriarch Michael Rabo, who had become a monk and was consecrated at the monastery, visited in 1169 to convene a synod of bishops, during which he deposed the Bishop of Ceyhan from his office. Michael served as Patriarch at the same monastery and passed away there on November 7, 1199. Bar 'Ebroyo notes that the monastery and its church sanctuary were burned down in 1182, or 1183, but were rebuilt three years later through the efforts of the Patriarch.

In 1190, Rabban Isho‘ the Teacher, who was Patriarch Michael’s nephew, served as the monastery’s abbot. Maphrian Gregorius Ya'koub also visited the site, where Patriarch Michael wrote his will and entrusted it to him, the text of which was recorded by Al-Ruhawi. In 1207, Patriarch Athanasius died at the monastery and was buried in the old lower church, and that same year, Maphrian Gregorius Ya'koub convened a meeting with the bishops. In 1252, Bar 'Ebroyo ascended to the episcopal see of Gubos and attended the consecration of Patriarch Dionysius Angur at the monastery. It is worth noting that an opposing faction had consecrated John al-Ma‘dani alongside Patriarch Angur, and John al-Ma‘dani subsequently served as Patriarch until 1263 after Angur was assassinated. The anonymous chronicler Al-Ruhawi mentions that a certain individual became a monk at this monastery and ended his life there. He also records that in the year 1356, a band of 120 thieves raided the monastery, looting everything and killing many monks and attendants. The monastery was destroyed in 1273, and it also withstood an earthquake in 1284/1285, but it continued to be rebuilt and remained an important site until its eventual abandonment in the 17th century.

Status: Abandoned in Ruins