Church of Saint Ahudemmeh, Tikrit
Syriac Orthodox church in Tikrit, Iraq
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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]
| Church of Saint Ahudemmeh | |
|---|---|
Green Church in Tikrit | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Syriac Orthodox |
| Location | |
| Location | Tikrit, Iraq |
| Architecture | |
| Type | Church |
| Completed | 700 AD |
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]
