Mar Matti Monastery (Syriac: ܕܝܪܐ ܕܡܪܝ ܡܬܝ Saint Matthew's Monastery,Arabic,دير مار متى) is located atop Mount Maqloub in northern Iraq. About 20 kilometers from Mosul, Mar Matti was founded in AD 363 by a Syriac Christian called Matti (Syriac for Matthew) who was fleeing persecution from Diyarbakır to nearby Nineveh in Asuristan (Assyria.) [1] Matti joined a mostly Nestorian population that had a small Syrian community already located atop Mt. Maqloub. Under his leadership, that community developed a true monastic ethos. It is today recognized as one of the oldest Christian monasteries in existence. It is further noted for a considerable collection of Syriac Christian manuscripts.[2]
The monastery is currently maintained by the Syriac Orthodox Church. Every year, Christians of various church denominations gather in the monastery on September 14 to commemorate the day of Saint Matti's death.
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ca:Monestir de Mar Mattai