News
A recent sign of the presence and witness of Syrian Orthodox faithful in Turkey was a formal visit on 28 February by a delegation from the city of Urfa (historically, Edessa), led by the wali (governor) of the Turkish city, to the monastery of St Mary at Tel-Wardiat, Hassake, Syria.
Syrian Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East archbishop Mor Eustathius Matta Roham, metropolitan of Jazirah and Euphrates, welcomed the wali and the governor of Hassake to the relatively new monastery, built under his supervision and consecrated in 2000.
The archbishop reports that Christians from Iraq are beginning to come to the Hassake area, and are finding shelter in the monastery.
During the visit, the archbishop and his visitors enjoyed a discussion on the Syriac-Aramaic history of Urfa. Şanlıurfa, often simply known as Urfa, (historically, Edessa), is a city in south-eastern Turkey. It has a history going back 9,000 years, is said to have been blessed by Jesus himself, and was a powerful city for many civilizations.
The Syrian Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East is one of two WCC member churches in Syria; the other is the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and all the East.
