Mar Mattai monastery

Saint Matthew's Monastery
Shown within Iraq
Basic information
Location	near Bartella, Nineveh,  Iraq
Geographic coordinates	36°29′24″N 43°26′34″E / 36.49°N 43.442778°E / 36.49; 43.442778Coordinates: 36°29′24″N 43°26′34″E / 36.49°N 43.442778°E / 36.49; 43.442778
Affiliation	Syriac Orthodox
Architectural description
Completed	363

Mar Matti Monastery (Syriac: ܕܝܪܐ ܕܡܪܝ ܡܬܝ, Arabic,دير مار متى) is located atop Mount Maqloub in northern Iraq. About 20 kilometers from Mosul, Mar Matti was founded in AD 363 by a Syriac Christian called Matti (Syriac for Matthew) who was fleeing persecution from Amid to nearby Nineveh in Asuristan (Assyria.) ^[1] Matti joined a mostly Nestorian population that had a small Syriac community already located atop Mt. Maqloub. Under his leadership, that community developed a true monastic ethos. It is today recognized as one of the oldest Christian monasteries in existence. It is further noted for a considerable collection of Syriac Christian manuscripts.^[2]

The monastery is currently maintained by the Syriac Orthodox Church. Every year, Christians of various church denominations gather in the monastery on September 14 to commemorate the day of Saint Matti's death.

References

1. ^ "Texts and Traditions: A Source Reader for the Study of Second Temple" By Lawrence H. Schiffman [1]
2. ^ Michael Goldfarb, Ahmad's War, Ahmad's Peace (New York: Carroll & Graf, 2005).