Chaldean Church of Mār Pethion; Inside a niche , Mosul

Relic of Saint(s).
AA.07 The Syriac Orthodox Church of Mār Ahudemeh
The church of Mār Ah)udemeh is located to the southwest of old Mosul in a quarter called al-Qant∗ara, lit. “arched way”. It is believed that it was once inhabited by natives of Takrit after their expulsion from the latter stronghold at the end of the 14th century, though the quarter is now entirely Muslim. The Saint to whom the church is dedicated is locally called Ḥūdēnī. From his vita we know that he was born at Balad (modern Aski-Mosul) to East Syriac parents, was ordained bishop by Mōr Jacob Baradaeus, became the first mafriōnō of Takrit in 559, and was martyred in 575 during the reign of Khusraw I Anūshirvān. The church is ancient since it is 7m below the street level. Some believe that the church was built by the Takritans themselves, and the 13th century décor of the Royal Gate may confirm this belief. The medieval church is mentioned in a colophon dated to 1672, and an Arabic inscription commemorates its renovation in 1896. This church too is filled with groundwater and was inaccessible at the time of my visit. Nonetheless, the Royal Gate bearing an Arabic inscription was removed and placed in a modern church built on the ancient one. One short Syriac inscription is found in this modern complex, commemorating the building of this complex. The value of this modern text is that it may be a copy of an older one, commemorating one of the former restorations of this beautiful church.