St. Mary Church

St. Mary Church is an Orthodox church under the jurisdiction of the Syriac Archdiocese of Mardin. The church was originally built as a pagan temple in the first century, but it was rebuilt as a church in the third century. Once it was a Syriac/Assyrian fortress that raised many famous theologians and patriarchs on account of some patriarchs of the Eastern Syriac Church residing here. The bones of the apostle Thomas and St. Jacob of Sarug and a very large and significant manuscript collection are still inside its walls. Throughout its history, it has been damaged and renovated many times; the last one did between 2004 and 2005. It has 2 courtyards, and a small garden, and is covered with a single, centered brick dome.