Saint Elijah's Monastery

Saint Elijah's Monastery is the oldest abandoned Assyrian Christian monastery in Iraq. It is located in Mosul on Forward Operating Base Marez.

Local tradition dates the monastery's beginning at approximately 350 AD. The original monks desired a location that would provide isolation, water, and arable land.

These reclusive Christians found an ideal location near a tributary of the Tigris River. For the first 250 years the monks toiled, prayed, worshiped, and wrote scripture.

These men established a significant social welfare system that provided food for the impoverished people of the region and a home for orphans.

Around the year AD 590, as well known Assyrian monk from the Byzantine Empire (modern Turkey) named Mar Elia learned of the humanitarian work and ministries of the monastery. Leaving the comfort of the world's cultural center, Mar Elia traveled to the austere Ninevah region in order to aid with construction, organization, and order for the monastery that now bears his name and that of the Old Testament prophet Elijah.

For over 1,150 years the monastery functioned as a benevolent microcosm of society. With a

spirit of sincere humility the monks embodied the phrase ora et labora, "there is honor in labor".

In the year 1743 a zealous Persian leader, Tahmaz Nadir Shah, ordered every person in his territory to convert to Islam or die. the monks were not exempt fro the persecution. A dispatched detachment of soldiers ordered the monks to renounce Christ and confess allegiance to Islam or be executed. As many as 150 monks and the sheltered orphans were martyred.

For over 250 years after the monastery massacre, committed Christians made annual pilgrimages to the ruins on the feast day of St. Elijah. The pilgrimages ceased in the 1970's when the facility became a base of operations for the Iraqi Republican Guard.

The Iraqis lived in and controlled the monastery until 2003 with the 101st Airborne Division

assaulted the position. During the battle, the eastern wall was struck by the turret of an Iraqi driven Russian tank. the 1,400 year-old chapel wall received considerable damage as a result of the impact. For a period of time, the 101st Airborne soldiers occupied the monastery without knowing the significance or history of the structure.

When a chaplain with the Screaming Eagles reported the religious, cultural, and historical importance of the area, General David Petraeus ordered the soldiers clear the area. US Army chaplains have been the guardians, historians, and cultural tour guides for the monastery since that time. The chaplains work closely with the local Provincial Reconstruction Team to preserve the integrity of the area.

There are weekly tours offered to the 47th CSH. It was so great to get to see this piece of history that I otherwise would never get to see.