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Mor Augin is a 4th century Syriac Orthodox monastery in the Turkish province of Mardin in the district of Nusaybin in Tur Abdin.

It is located about 20 km northeast of Nusaybin and 60 km east of the provincial capital Mardin. North of the monastery Mor Augin are the villages Badibe, Sederi and Harabemishka and south Giremira.

Suriani Christians (those who follow the Syriac Orthodox faith) speak Aramaic, the language of Jesus.

The monastery is named after the saint of the Syrian Orthodox Church Mor Augin († April 363). From him numerous monks emerged and it was considered a center of monasticism. From here, other monasteries of Tur Abdin were founded. At times the monastery was fiercely contested between Persians and Greeks. It had more than 350 monks in those periods and was one of the main spiritual centres in Mount Izlo and Turabdin. In the twentieth century, there were more than 20 monks in the monastery and the last monk passed away in 1968.

Patriarch of Antioch, H.H. Ignatius Zakka I, appointed Fr. Joachim Raban as the abbot of Mor Augin Monastery in April 2010. With the help of the Rabans and other employees of Mor Gabriel Monastery and SURYOYE in Europe, Fr. Joachim has restored some of the Monastery buildings. Restoration of buildings e.g. the main church and vital parts of the monastery are still ongoing till this day, reports website morauginmonastery.wordpress.com

About Mor Augin, the “Second Christ”

Saint Mor Augin is the traditional founder of Syriac monasticism. He originated from Qluzma in Egypt, and started off as a pearl diver who gave pearls to the poor and needy. In mid-life he decided to become a monk at the monastery of St. Pachomius, and from there he and his brotherhood, the holy 70 ancestors, set off to Bethnahrin (Mesopotamia), settling in the region of Mount Izlo. The remains of the monastery dedicated to his name still stands on the slopes of Mount Izlo, overlooking the Mesopotamian plain. His name testifies his success and his glory because it is translated as “the good man”

He’s called “Second Christ” in the Syriac tradition owning to the miraculous deeds he did. This certainly does not mean an equality between the both of them, rather it expresses the particularly tight succession of Mor Augin.

Mor Augin and his companions filled and decorated the whole east with monasteries and churches, from Egypt to the border of Persia.

In 363, Saint Mor Augin passed away at a great age and advanced to the kingdom of heaven. “His body was buried in the cave underneath his monastery’s southern altar. His holy relics are kept till today in the monastery.

Photo haberturk.com

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