Mar Mattai monastery

The Mar -Matti Monastery ( Syriac -Aramaic ܕ ܝ ܪ ܐ ܕ ܡ ܪ ܝ ܡ ܬ ܝ, Arabic دير مار متى ) is located on the mountain maqlub in northern Iraq. About 20 kilometers from Mosul, Mor Mattai was founded in 363 AD by a Syrian Christian named Matti ( Syriac for Matthew), the (now Diyarbakir ) in the nearby Nineveh fled from persecution from Amed in Assuristan ( Assyria ). Matti joined a mostly Nestorian population that had a small Syrian community directly over the mountain maqlub. Under his leadership, the church developed a real monastic ethos. It is now recognized as one of the oldest existing Christian monasteries. In addition, it is known that it has a considerable collection of Syriac Christian manuscripts.

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