Monastery of al-Barid

Monastery of al-Barid

It was called al-Barid (the cold) in Melitene and it's founding of the monastery is linked to the career of Patriarch John VII, nicknamed "Sarghita" or "the one with the mat" due to his ascetic practice of sleeping on a mat. He was elected in 965 AD following the death of Patriarch Ibrahim by a gathering of bishops in the village of Kafar Nabu (or Beth Nabu) and he lived in this monastery and died there. During this period, the Byzantine Emperor Nicephorus was capturing territories from Muslim control, including Melitene, and he requested that the Patriarch relocate the Patriarchal See to these newly liberated lands to encourage Christian settlement. In response, John VII constructed this expansive monastery on the banks of the Barid River in a location called Qarira, a name meaning "cold." The relationship between the Patriarch and the Emperor eventually fractured over doctrinal disputes, specifically the Emperor's attempts to force John VII to adopt Chalcedonian teachings. When the Patriarch refused, he and his bishops were imprisoned for four months. Their release was eventually secured following a palace coup that allowed Patriarch John VII to return to Melitene and eventually to the Bard Monastery, where he served for fifteen more years until his death in 985. The Bard Monastery remained a residence for successive patriarchs until the time of Dionysius IV, after which the see moved to Amid (Diyarbakir). 

Despite its early grandeur and its reputation for housing a famous school, often called the School of Melitene, and  producing scholars and skilled calligraphers, the monastery suffered significantly in its final centuries. In 1159 AD, the forces of Nur ad-Din Zengi besieged the area and killed four monks. Later, in 1243 AD, a violent Turcoman raid resulted in the massacre of fifteen monks, many of whom were renowned scholars, effectively ending the monastery's era of influence. It was a big monastery and produced one Patriarch, one Maphryono and eighteen bishops and metropolitans. Patriarch Ioannis Yohanna (1080–1087 AD) is buried in this monastery

Some of the bishops that studied and graduated from this monastery:

• Timothy, Metropolitan of Mayyafarqat, ordained by Patriarch VII (965–986 AD)

• Zacharias, Bishop of Sarouj, ordained by Patriarch VII (965–986 AD) 

• Paul, Metropolitan of Tarsus, ordained by Patriarch Athanasius al-Salhi (987–1003 AD)

• Andrew, Metropolitan of Qurus, ordained by Patriarch Athanasius al-Salhi (987–1003 AD)

• Moses, Bishop of Zogma, ordained by Patriarch Athanasius al-Salhi (987–1003 AD)

• Thomas, Metropolitan of Anazarba, ordained by Patriarch Athanasius al-Salhi (987–1003 AD)

• Ioannis, Bishop of Arshmishat, ordained by Patriarch Athanasius al-Salhi (987–1003 AD)

• Thomas, Bishop of Claudia, Ordained by Patriarch John ibn Abdun (1004–1030 AD)

• John, Metropolitan of Dara, Ordained by Patriarch John ibn Abdun (1004–1030 AD)

• Mark, Metropolitan of Afra, ordained by Patriarch Dionysius Yahya (1032–1042 AD)

• Ioannis, Bishop of Qarqision, ordained by Patriarch Dionysius Yahya (1032–1042 AD)

• Ignatius Simendo, ordained by Patriarch Athanasius V Yahyo  (1058–1063 AD)

• Athanasius, Metropolitan of Simendo, ordained by Patriarch John ibn Shushan (1063–1072 AD)

• Basil, Metropolitan of Mayafrat, ordained by Patriarch Ioannis Yohanna (1080–1087 AD)

• Saliba, Bishop of Balanj, ordained by Patriarch Ioannis Yohanna (1080–1087 AD)

• Ioannis, Bishop of Balanj from Bethonia, ordained by Patriarch Athanasius VI bar Khamoro (1091–1129 AD)

• Basil, Metropolitan of Simendo, ordained by Patriarch Athanasius VI bar Khamoro (1091–1129 AD)

• Dionysius Musa, Maphrian of the East, ordained by Patriarch Athanasius VI bar Khamoro (1091–1129 AD)

• Gregory, Bishop of Krishna, ordained by Patriarch Athanasius VI bar Khamoro (1091–1129 AD)

• Elisha, Bishop of Melitene, ordained by Patriarch Athanasius VI bar Khamoro (1091–1129 AD)

• Basil, Bishop of Marash, ordained by Patriarch Athanasius Yeshua Bar Qatra (1129-1166 AD)

• Dionysius, Bishop of Gigon, ordained by Patriarch Michael Rabo (1167-1199 AD)