Saint Zayya ( Syriac: ܡܪܝ ܙܝܥܐ) was a travelling mystic, holy man and healer who made his way from Palestine to the mountains of northern Mesopotamia and spreading

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...

with his disciple St. Tawor. The Church of the East honours both Zayya and St. Tawor for their missionary efforts in northern Iraq and the region of Upper Dasen (modern Hakkâri province, Turkey) during the late 4th and early 5th centuries. He is also the patron saint of travellers and the Jilu district, where he is buried, and is invoked for protection from hail, famine, plague, anger, illness, disease and the Angel of Death. Zayya is often depicted in miniatures from manuscripts of the Book of Protection as an equestrian saint, spear in hand, and attacking the Angel of Death. He is a Saint in the

Assyrian Church of the East The Assyrian Church of the East (ACOE), sometimes called the Church of the East and officially known as the Holy Apostolic Catholic Assyrian Church of the East, is an Eastern Christianity, Eastern Syriac Christianity, Syriac Christian denomin ...

and all the apostolic churches.

Veneration

According to the calendar of the

Church of the East The Church of the East ( ) or the East Syriac Church, also called the Church of Seleucia-Ctesiphon, the Persian Church, the Assyrian Church, the Babylonian Church, the Chaldean Church or the Nestorian Church, is one of three major branches o ...

, the birth of St. Zay'ā is celebrated on May 26, and a three-day

rogation Rogation days are days of prayer and fasting in Western Christianity. They are observed with processions and the Litany of the Saints. The so-called ''major'' rogation is held on 25 April; the ''minor'' rogations are held on Monday to Wednesday ...

(fast) precedes the commemoration of his death on the first Wednesday of January. Traditionally, the Assyrians of

Jilu Jīlū was a district located in the Hakkari (historical region), Hakkari region of upper Mesopotamia in modern-day Turkey. Before 1915 Jīlū was home to Assyrians and as well as a minority of Kurds. There were 20 List of Assyrian tribes, Assyri ...

celebrate the Feast ( Syriac: ''Shahrā'') of St. Zay'ā on September 13 every year on the

Feast of the Cross The Feast of the Holy Cross, or Feast of the Cross, commemorates True Cross, the cross used in the crucifixion of Jesus. In the Christianity, Christian liturgical calendar, there are several different celebrations which honor and celebrate the ...

. The reason given for this is that the Saint's other festivals fell on dates when the weather was too cold for pilgrims to be able to travel to the main shrine for the celebration. Often, the

District was snowed in for six months of the year. Holding the Saint's Feast day on September 13, when the weather was more agreeable, not only meant that they could take advantage of the brighter light of moon at night, it also meant that those Jīlū men who planned on travelling before the first snows could pray for a safe and successful journey and make their vows to the Saint before departing. Other feasts to the Saint are also celebrated by the Assyrians of Arbūsh (Tell-'Arbush) and Halmon (Tell-Jum'ah) in the Khabur district of Syria, as well as by Assyrians from the

Amadiya Amedi or Amadiye (; ; ) is a town in the Duhok Governorate of Kurdistan Region of Iraq. It is built on a mesa in the broader Great Zab river valley. Amedi is known for its celebrations of Newroz. Etymology According to ibn al-Athir, the Ar ...

district of Iraq, and some Assyrians from the

Urmia Urmia (; ) is the largest city in West Azerbaijan Province of Iran. In the Central District of Urmia County, it is capital of the province, the county, and the district. The city is situated near the borders of Iran with Turkey and Iraq. ...

region of Iran. A prayer commonly attributed to St. Zay'ā is: This prayer appears in a shorter form in the Saint's ''Vita'', and also in different versions of the ''Book of Protection'', from which amulets and talismans were copied.

Shrines

; Turkey *Sts. Zay'ā and Tāwor Cathedral (Abandoned - Assyrian Church of the East), Mātā d-‘Umrā d-Mār Zay'ā,

(present-day Çevrecik,

Hakkari Hakkari or Hakkâri may refer to: *Hakkari (historical region), a historical region in modern-day Turkey and Iraq *Hakkâri (city), a city and the capital of Hakkâri Province, Turkey *Hakkâri Province Hakkâri Province (, ; ), is a province i ...

province, Turkey) ; Iraq *St. Zay'ā Cathedral (Assyrian Church of the East), Mechanics’ Quarter,

Dora, Baghdad Dora (also al-Dura, or ad-Durah, , Syriac: ܕܘܿܪܵܐ) is a neighborhood in Al Rashid administrative district, southern Baghdad, Iraq. Before the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq, it was home to the city's largest concentration of Christian Assyri ...

*St. Zay'ā Church (Assyrian Church of the East), Sardarāwā,

Sarsing Sarsing (, ) is a town and sub-district in the Dohuk Governorate in Kurdistan Region, Iraq. It is located in the Sapna valley in the Amedi District. In the town, there is a church of Mar (title), Mar Mattai. There was previously a shrine of Mar ...

District,

Duhok Governorate Duhok Governorate (, , ) is a governorate in the autonomous Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Its capital is the city of Duhok. It includes Zakho, near the Ibrahim Khalil border crossing with Şırnak Province, Turkey. It borders the Al-Hasakah Gove ...

*St. Zay'ā Cave-Shrine, Duhoké,

District,

*St. Zay'ā Church (now a Mosque), 'Aqdish (Kādish),

District,

*St. Zay'ā Cathedral (Ruined - Assyrian Church of the East), Karrādat Maryam,

Baghdad Baghdad ( or ; , ) is the capital and List of largest cities of Iraq, largest city of Iraq, located along the Tigris in the central part of the country. With a population exceeding 7 million, it ranks among the List of largest cities in the A ...

*St. Zay'ā Church (Ruined - Assyrian Church of the East), Kamp al-Sikak (“Jilu Camp”),

*St. Zay'ā Church (Ruined – Assyrian Church of the East), Khirsheniyah, Simel District,

*St. Zay'ā Church (Ruined - Chaldean Catholic Church), M‘althāyé (Malta Nasara),

Duhok District Duhok District (, ) is a district of Duhok Governorate in Kurdistan Region, Iraq. The administrative centre is Duhok. Subdistricts The district has the following sub-districts: *Duhok Duhok (; ; , ) is a city in Kurdistan Region, Iraq. It ...

; Iran *St. Zay'ā Cathedral (Assyrian Church of the East), Geogtāpā,

Urmia County Urmia County () is in West Azerbaijan province, Iran. Its capital is the city of Urmia. Demographics Ethnicity The county is mainly populated by Azerbaijanis, Persians and Kurds Kurds (), or the Kurdish people, are an Iranian peopl ...

West Azerbaijan Province West Azerbaijan province () is one of the 31 provinces of Iran, whose capital and largest city is Urmia. It is in the northwest of the country, bordered by Turkey ( Ağrı, Hakkâri, Iğdır and Van Provinces), Iraq ( Erbil and Sula ...

*St. Zay'ā Church (Assyrian Church of the East), Hassar d-Spurghān,

, West Azerbaijan Province *St. Zay'ā Church (Chaldean Catholic Church), Khosrāwā,

Salmas County Salmas County () is in West Azerbaijan province, Iran. Its capital is the city of Salmas. Demographics Ethnicity The county is populated largely by Kurds and a smaller minority of Azerbaijanis. Also a few hundred Assyrians live in the dis ...

, West Azerbaijan Province ; Syria *St. Zay'ā Church (New – Assyrian Church of the East), Tell-Gorān,

Al-Hasakah Governorate Al-Hasakah Governorate (; ; , also known as , ''Gozarto'') is one of the fourteen Governorates of Syria, governorates (provinces) of Syria. It is located in the far north-east corner of Syria and distinguished by its fertile lands, plentiful water ...

*St. Zay'ā Church (Old – Assyrian Church of the East), Tell-Gorān,

*St. Zay'ā Church (Chaldean Catholic Church), Tell-Sāameh,

; Lebanon *St. Zay'ā Church (Assyrian Church of the East), Ksārā,

Zahlé Zahlé () is a city in eastern Lebanon, and the capital and largest city of Beqaa Governorate, Lebanon. With around 150,000 inhabitants, it is the third-largest city in Lebanon after Beirut and Tripoli, Lebanon, Tripoli and the fourth-largest ...

District,

Beqaa Governorate Beqaa ( ') is a governorate in Lebanon and one of the eight districts of the country. It is located in the eastern part of Lebanon and borders with Syria. The capital of the district is the city of Zahlé. Districts Since 2014, Beqaa Governorate ...

; Australia
St. Zaia Cathedral (Ancient Church of the East) West Hoxton, NSW
; U.S.A. *St. Zaia Cathedral (Assyrian Church of the East),

Modesto, CA Modesto ( ; ) is the county seat and largest city of Stanislaus County, California, United States. With a population of 218,069 according to 2022 United States Census Bureau, U.S. Census Bureau estimates, it is the List of cities and towns in Ca ...

; Canada *St. Zaia Church (Assyrian Church of the East),

London, ON London is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada, along the Quebec City–Windsor Corridor. The city had a population of 422,324 according to the 2021 Canadian census. London is at the confluence of the Thames River and North Thames River, appro ...

; India *St. Ziah Church (Assyrian Church of the East -

Chaldean Syrian Church The Chaldean Syrian Church of India (; ) is an Eastern Christian denomination, based in Thrissur, in India. It is part of the greater Assyrian Church of the East and is organised a singular Metropolitan (Archdiocese) See of India, and represen ...

), Palakkad (Palghat), Thrissur District, Kerala

References

{{Reflist

Veneration

Shrines

References

See also