Mor Behnam Church
Mor Behnam And Sister Saro & Forty Church
By Slowtravelguide
There are several churches in the old part of Mardin. The Mor Behnam Church is located not far from the busy ’shopping street’ in old Mardin.
The church entrance is only 100m away from this busy street—a short climb on the stairway that brings you to another less hectic world.
The entrance door is a local design and has been made of walnut. It has been covered with wrought iron and large nails. A small corridor leads you to the garden of the church.
The Garden Of The Mor Behnam Church
A Lovely Court Yard
A Immaculate Restorated Church
Several Bas Relief In The Courtyard
Once The Church Was A School
Another feature of the church in the Çabuk District of the city was the school inside. The school, which officially started teaching in 1789, was at a high school level. This school, which continued its education until 1928, was closed by the school principal’s petition to the state containing a request for closure. Syriac phrases were used in the diploma given to successful students.
Apart from the school and the school church built for it, the old metropolitan centre and bell tower inside the building.
Plenty Of Atmosphere Inside The Court Yard
More Craftly Made Tablets
Meditation Corners Everywhere
Another Look At The Entrance Door And Bell Tower
Mor Behnam and Sister Saro & Forty Church
The divanhane, which was built during the reign of Patriarch Elias the 3rd, is worth seeing. The walls are cut stone, lime-free and embroidered. Stone carving, which worked like lace, arouses the admiration of the guests. The northern and southern naves of the naos are added later and consist of 5 centres.
The mihrab is stonework. There are four hundred years old mihrab doors. The curtains are made with 1500 years old madder.
Today, It Is An Empty Church
Several Tablets At Display
Legend Nr. 1
There are two miraculous events legends about this church. The first of these legends is the story of Mar Behnam and his sister Sarah.
Mor Behnam takes his sister Sara, who has incurable leprosy, to Mor Matay. Saro recovers shortly after. Behnam tells his father, Senharip, the governor, that Mor Matay has healed his sister. Senharip does not believe this and kills his children so that the incident is not heard; because for the governor, it is humiliating for his children to believe in a Christian Saint.
Later, Senharip fell ill because of the guilt and pain of killing his children. His wife takes him to Mor Matay, and just like his daughter Saro, he gets well. On behalf of Mar Behnam and his sister Sara, who was killed for showing God’s miracle and believing in Christianity, a church was built in Mardin in 539, the Mor Behnam Church.
Delicate Arches In Mor Behnam Church
Legend Nr. 2
The other event is about 40 people who resisted the massacre of Christians by the Romans. These people were arrested, thrown into prison and tortured.
After a while, the Emperor, Dukius, took the resisters to Sivas. Because of his idea, he built a bath with an ice pond right next to it. Then he throws the 40 people into this ice pond. The Emperor’s thinks that they will give up on the cold (and abandon their belief) and go to the hot bath.
Only one of them leaves the ice pond for the hot bath. He dies on the spot. The other 39 people do not escape the cold and freeze to death.
Miraculously, 40 crowns appear in the sky. 39 of these crowns are on the people’s heads in the pond. The other one remained empty.
The soldier who was on watch in the bath, and witnessed this miracle, threw himself into the ice pond. He also freezes to death. The other crown that is left unoccupied also comes to the soldier. Forty people, including this soldier, froze to death; and they go down in history as “Forty Martyrs”. Over time, churches were built in their names. One of them is in Mardin.
Practical Information
The number of active churches is also decreasing since the number of non-Muslim communities living in Mardin decreases day by day. Today, Mor Behnam Church is one of the involved churches.
We hope that this historic building will continue to be preserved as it is.
We advise you to check the hours when the church is open before visiting it.
The attendant at the church will be happy to give you information about the church if you want.
Like its legendary stories, the church itself is mystical and deserves to be visited.
When the Mardin Forty Martyrs Church, built on behalf of the second legend, was converted into a mosque by the Artuklu in 1170. Named Şehidiye Mosque, our church already was named as Mor Behnam and his sister Saro. The bones of the Forty Martyrs were brought to the church, and they gave the name Kırklar Church.
So the church is now known by two names, Kırklar Church and Mor Behnam and Sister Saro Church.
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Places Nearby
Mardin Old City, a city where the time stood still (200m)
Mardin Museum, more than a museum (450m)
Kasimiye Madrasah, 700 years old Madrasah (5km)
Zinciriye Madrasah, once upon a time was an observatory (800m)
Dara Ancient Site was established as a military garrison city (34km)
Deyrulzafaran Monastery, the monastery built on the ‘sun temple’ (9km)
Places We Recommend
Deyrulzafaran Monastery
Deyrulzafaran Monastery, which was built in the 5th century after Christ, is one of the important centers of the Syriac Church besides its magnificent architecture. (Coming soon)
Mardin Old City
It is one of the poetic cities of the Southeast; Mardin gives the visitor the impression that time has stopped here. It has a treasure of architectural, ethnographic, archaeological, historical and visual buildings. (Read more)
Last Church Of Revelation
Laodicea Church was built during the reign of Constantine the Great in 313 AD. In the 4th century, Laodicea became the centre of Christian pilgrimage. Today, this church is the most famous of the Seven churches of Revelation. (Read more)
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