The Church of Saint Ahudemmeh, also known as the Green Church, was a Syriac Orthodox church in Tikrit, Iraq. The church was destroyed by Islamic State militants on 25 September 2014.[1]

History

The church was constructed by Denha II, Maphrian of the East, in 700 AD, and was dedicated to Saint Ahudemmeh.[2] Denha II and his successors John II, Daniel, Thomas I, and Baselios III, were buried in the church.[2] Dinkha of Tikrit debated theology and philosophy with Al-Masudi at the church in 925.[3]

In 1089, the church was looted and destroyed by the governor of Tikrit,[4] but was restored in 1112.[5] Christians took refuge in the church during the Mongol invasion of Iraq in 1258, where they were slaughtered and few escaped.[2]

The church was excavated by the Iraqi Archaeological Service in the 1990s,[5] and several coffins were discovered, including that of Anaseous, Bishop of Tikrit.[2] In 2000, Saddam Hussein had the church restored due to its dilapidated condition.[6] On 25 September 2014, the church was destroyed by Islamic State militants with improvised explosive devices.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b Mamoun, Abdelhak (25 September 2014). "URGENT: ISIS destroys 7th Century Church in Tikrit, Iraq". Iraqi News. Retrieved 13 June 2018.
  2. ^ a b c d "Islamists Destroy 7th Century Church, Mosque in Tikrit, Iraq". AINA News. 25 September 2014. Retrieved 13 June 2018.
  3. ^ Rassam (2005), p. 85
  4. ^ Rassam (2005), p. 68
  5. ^ a b Hunter, Erica C. D. (June–July 2015). "Obliterating Iraq's Christian heritage" (PDF). The Middle East in London. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 December 2022. Retrieved 13 June 2018.
  6. ^ Considine, Craig (13 October 2015). "Why Celebrating Columbus Day Is Like Celebrating ISIS". Huffington Post. Retrieved 13 June 2018.

Bibliography