Dayro d'Mor Barsawmo

Dayro d'Mor Barsawmo

The manstary built on top of a mountain near Melitene, it looks like a citadel, a fact which has led some writers to call it the Monastery of the Cave. It was built in the middle of the fifth century and was a center of learning from the ninth century to the middle of the fourteenth. It was first mentioned in church history in 790 and it was the Patriarchal see from the eleventh century until the thirteenth century. It produced five patriarchs and forty-three metropolitans and it remained populated until the middle of the seventeenth century, when it was abandoned. Named after the 5th-century ascetic, Mor Barsawmo and his relics which were housed within its walls, further added to its importance, attracting pilgrims and scholars alike. 

Dayro Mor Barsawmo was more than just a religious center; it was a hub of learning and a cradle for several influential figures in the Syriac Orthodox Church. It produced patriarchs and metropolitans, and was the venue for important synods. The monastery's library, though damaged by fire in the 12th century, was a repository of manuscripts, reflecting the rich literary tradition of the Syriac people. and it started after the monastery became a patriarchal seat at the end of the eighth century. Athanasius VI (1129), a collector of the most valuable books, used to carry with him loads of them wherever he traveled. Michael the Great adorned this library with his numerous and magnificent manuscripts. Further, Joseph of Amid, metropolitan of Homs, mentioned in the Lives of Saints, which he completed in 1196, that this library lacked nothing except this book (British Museum MS. 960). 

Despite periods of damage, including a notable fire in 1183 and an earthquake in 1284/1285, the monastery was rebuilt and remained an important site until its eventual abandonment in the 17th century. Its legacy endures as a symbol of Syriac Christianity's resilience and its profound contributions to religious, intellectual, and cultural history.