St. Mary Church, Diyarbakir
Encyclopedia
St. Mary Church is a Syriac Orthodox church in Diyarbakir
.
When Diyarbakir was known by its Syriac name Amid, it was the seat of the Church of the East
Patriarch
and thus an original Assyrian/Syriac
stronghold that produced many famous Assyrian theologians and Patriarchs. Some of them found their final resting place in the church. There are many relics in the Church, such as the bones of the apostle Thomas and St. Jacob of Sarug.
It was first constructed as a pagan temple in the 1st century BCE. The current construction dates back to the 3rd century, has been restored many times, and is still in use as a place of worship today.
Diyarbakir
Diyarbakır is one of the largest cities in southeastern Turkey...
.
When Diyarbakir was known by its Syriac name Amid, it was the seat of the Church of the East
Church of the East
The Church of the East tāʾ d-Maḏnḥāʾ), also known as the Nestorian Church, is a Christian church, part of the Syriac tradition of Eastern Christianity. Originally the church of the Persian Sassanid Empire, it quickly spread widely through Asia...
Patriarch
Patriarch
Originally a patriarch was a man who exercised autocratic authority as a pater familias over an extended family. The system of such rule of families by senior males is called patriarchy. This is a Greek word, a compound of πατριά , "lineage, descent", esp...
and thus an original Assyrian/Syriac
Assyrian people
The Assyrian people are a distinct ethnic group whose origins lie in ancient Mesopotamia...
stronghold that produced many famous Assyrian theologians and Patriarchs. Some of them found their final resting place in the church. There are many relics in the Church, such as the bones of the apostle Thomas and St. Jacob of Sarug.
It was first constructed as a pagan temple in the 1st century BCE. The current construction dates back to the 3rd century, has been restored many times, and is still in use as a place of worship today.