Saint Gabriel of Beth Qustan (: ''Mor Gabriel''), also known as Saint Gabriel of Qartmin, was the Bishop of
Tur Abdin
Tur Abdin (; ; ; or ) is a hilly region situated in southeast Turkey, including the eastern half of the Mardin Province, and Şırnak Province west of the Tigris, on the Syria–Turkey border, border with Syria and famed since Late Antiquity for ...
until his death in 648. He is venerated as a saint in the
Oriental Orthodox Church
The Oriental Orthodox Churches are Eastern Christian churches adhering to Miaphysite Christology, with approximately 50 million members worldwide. The Oriental Orthodox Churches adhere to the Nicene Christian tradition. Oriental Orthodoxy is ...
and his feast day is
23 December
Events Pre-1600
* 484 – The Arian Vandal Kingdom ceases its persecution of Nicene Christianity.
* 558 – Chlothar I is crowned King of the Franks.
* 583 – Maya queen Yohl Ik'nal is crowned ruler of Palenque.
* 962 &nda ...
.
Biography
Gabriel was born in the village of
Beth Qustan circa 573574, and became a monk at the
Monastery of Qartmin circa 588589. Circa 593594, he was ordained a deacon, and, circa 612613, Gabriel was elected head of the brothers at the monastery. He was ordained a priest circa 618619, and became Abbot of the Monastery of Qartmin and Archbishop of
Dara
Dara is a given name in several languages.
Dara, Daraa, or DARA may also refer to:
Geography Africa
* Dar'a, region in northern Ethiopia
* Dara (woreda), region in southern Ethiopia
Asia
* Dara (Mesopotamia), an archeological site in Mard ...
on 1 May 634.
[Palmer (1990), pp. 157-158] Gabriel succeeded Daniel Uzoyo as abbot and bishop.
[Palmer (1990), p. 154]
Following the
Muslim Conquest of Mesopotamia
As part of the early Muslim conquests, which were initiated by Muhammad in 622, the Rashidun Caliphate conquered the Sasanian Empire between 632 and 654. This event led to the decline of Zoroastrianism, which had been the official religion of ...
in 639, Gabriel likely negotiated the rights and obligations of the Syriac Orthodox Church in Tur Abdin with the Muslim conquerors. He may also have met with the Caliph
Umar
Umar ibn al-Khattab (; ), also spelled Omar, was the second Rashidun caliph, ruling from August 634 until his assassination in 644. He succeeded Abu Bakr () and is regarded as a senior companion and father-in-law of the Islamic prophet Mu ...
.
Several miracles are attributed to Gabriel during his time as bishop, including the resurrection of the son of a widow in the village of Sighun, a boy from the village of Olin, and his friend the abbot of the
Monastery of the Cross
The Monastery of the Cross (; ; ; ka, ჯვრის მონასტერი, ''jvris monast'eri'') is an Eastern Orthodox monastery near the Nayot neighborhood of Jerusalem. It is located in the Valley of the Cross, below the Israel Mu ...
near
Hah.
[Johnson (2008), p. 61]
According to his hagiography, at the age of 70, Gabriel sent men to transport a large stone at
Beth Debe to the Monastery of Qartmin, however, they were forced to abandon the stone due to its size. Gabriel ordered the people in the monastery to help transport the stone, at which the dead rose to help. The stone was moved to the Dome of Theodora at the monastery and Gabriel begged the dead for their forgiveness.
After 644, Gabriel became the Bishop of Tur Abdin with authority equal to an archbishop,
and he later died on 23 December 648.
Gabriel's funeral was attended by 2700 priests and altar boys,
[Johnson (2008), p. 62] and the bishops Iwannis of
Amida
Amida can mean :
Places and jurisdictions
* Amida (Mesopotamia), now Diyarbakır, an ancient city in Asian Turkey; it is (nominal) seat of:
** The Chaldean Catholic Archeparchy of Amida
** The Latin titular Metropolitan see of Amida of the Ro ...
, Ignatius of
Mayperqat, Gregory of
Arzon, Basil of Jazira, Polycarp of
Beth Araboye, Dioscorus of
Singara
Singara (, ''tà Síngara''; Syriac: ܫܝܓܪ) was a strongly fortified post at the northern extremity of Mesopotamia, which for a while, as it appears from coins minted there, was occupied by the Romans as an advanced colony against the Persi ...
and Haburo, Epiphanius of
Nisibis
Nusaybin () is a municipality and Districts of Turkey, district of Mardin Province, Turkey. Its area is 1,079 km2, and its population is 115,586 (2022). The city is populated by Kurds of different tribal affiliation.
Nusaybin is separated ...
, Sisinnius of Dara, John of
Kfar Tutho, and Jacob of
Sawro.
A 10-year-old boy died at the funeral, but was resurrected soon after (this young boy was later identified with
Simeon of the Olives
Simeon of the Olives (''Shimʿun Zaytuni'', 624–734) was a Syriac Orthodox bishop of Harran from Ḥabsenus in the eight century. He is attributed to have built or rebuilt several churches and monasteries in the region around Nisibis, such as th ...
).
A plague in 774 led the monks of the Monastery of Qartmin to exhume Gabriel's remains to help ward off the plague. Gabriel's right hand was removed and taken to Hah, and his body was reburied in a bronze coffin.
[Palmer (1990), p. 72] Gabriel later became the patron saint of the Monastery of Qartmin, and, by the end of the fifteenth century, the monastery became known as the Monastery of Saint Gabriel.
[Palmer (1990), p. 156]
References
Bibliography
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648 deaths
574 births
6th-century Christian saints
7th-century Christian saints
7th-century Syriac Orthodox Church bishops
Christians from the Rashidun Caliphate
7th-century Byzantine bishops
Mesopotamian saints
Syriac Orthodox Church saints
Christian miracle workers