5 Ancient Assyrian Temples That Were Converted into Christian Places of Worship
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Christianity’s origins are found in many places throughout Assyria where Syriac Christianity flourished shortly after the crucifixion. In the second half of the first century CE, Assyria’s major cities were transformed into vibrant centres of learning and philosophy for early Indigenous Assyrian converts.
Like Alexandria, Antioch, Constantinople, Jerusalem, and Rome— so too were Arbelā, Nineveh, and Naṣībīn leading centres of early Christian thought. Throughout the Late Antique period, Christianity and the traditional temple religion of Assyria coexisted.
Progressively, however, much of Assyria’s pre-Christian landscape experienced a process of Christianisation. This included the conversion of sacred spaces and sites such as temples into Christian places of worship.
Such processes not only led to the abandonment of older traditions but allowed the native population to preserve their connection with Assyria— its past, present, and future. By the end of the fifth– or early sixth centuries, the traditional temple religion of Assyria had largely declined in popularity.
There is also growing evidence that suggests the conversion of such sites was done so by peaceful transformation rather than the clashing of religions found elsewhere in the Middle East. These developments not only allowed Christian Assyrians to maintain their cultural identity but their shared memory as well.
Arbelā
In the vicinity of Arbelā (modern-day Erbil, Iraq), the official seat of office of the Archbishop of the Church of the East was located at the Monastery of Mār Qardagh. According to the Syriac literary tradition, this monastery was built above a sacred hill known as Melqī (ancient Assyrian: URU.mil-qī-a).
According to the archaeological record, Melqī was the site of an ancient Assyrian temple dedicated to Ishār/Ishārbēl (Ishtār).
Bēth-Nūhadrā
In the region of Bēth-Nūhadrā (modern-day Duhok, Iraq), the monumental rock art reliefs at Ḥennes depicting a series of ancient Assyrian deities were transformed into sacred Christian spaces and became the setting of monastic activity. The ninth–century abbot and prelate of the Church of the East, Mār Tōmā of Margā, reports of cells that were cut by early pioneering monks on the façade: “When you enter them, you would be amazed to see the crosses cut in rocks that were not subjected to steel, depicted devotionally inside the cave[s]”.
Nineveh
In Nineveh, the primary cathedral of the Church of the East was that of Mār Yōnān “St. Jonah”, built directly above an ancient Assyrian palace and temple. This cathedral sat on top of an archaeological mound that formed part of the ancient city of Nineveh.
The temples of Ishtār and Nabū at Nineveh, respectively, also experienced a process of adaptation. Excavations led by Reginald Campbell Thompson in 1929/30 and 1930/31 unearthed several clay jar sherds featuring cross motifs as well as incense burners used in Christian worship dated to the fifth– or early sixth centuries.
Karamlēs
At Karamlēs (ancient Assyrian: Kār-Mūlissū), a town located in the vicinity of Nineveh, is the Chaldean Catholic Monastery of Mārt Barbārā “St. Barbara”. This monastery was built above an ancient temple dedicated to the goddess Mūlissū, the consort of the god Āshūr.
Mardīn
The sixth century Syriac Orthodox Monastery of Mār Ḥanānyā at Mardīn, in south-east Türkiye was founded directly on the site of an ancient Assyrian sun temple. This monastery served as the official headquarters of the Patriarchs of the Syriac Orthodox Church from 1160 to 1932.
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