Church of Saint Ahudemmeh, Tikrit

Church of Saint Ahudemmeh
Green Church in Tikrit
Religion
Affiliation	Syriac Orthodox
Location
Location	Tikrit, Iraq
Architecture
Type	Church
Completed	700 AD

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. Mamoun, Abdelhak (25 September 2014). "URGENT: ISIS destroys 7th Century Church in Tikrit, Iraq". Iraqi News. Retrieved 13 June 2018.
2. "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. 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

• Rassam, Suha (2005). Christianity in Iraq: Its Origins and Development to the Present Day. Gracewing Publishing. ISBN 9780852446331.