Chaldean Catholic Diocese of

Zakho Zakho, also spelled Zaxo ( ku, زاخۆ, Zaxo, syr, ܙܵܟ݂ܘܿ, Zākhō, , ) is a city in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, at the centre of the eponymous Zakho District of the Dohuk Governorate, located a few kilometers from the Iraq–Turkey b ...

is a

diocese In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associa ...

of the Chaldean Church in the second half of the 19th century and for most of the 20th century. The diocese of Zakho was merged with the Chaldean diocese of

Amadiya Amedi or Amadiya ( ku, ئامێدی, Amêdî, ; Syriac: , Amədya), 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. Etymology According to Ali ibn al-Athir, the name ...

in 1987. In December 2001, a new bishop was consecrated. In July 2013, Zakho was suppressed to the Diocese of Amadiyah.

Background

The diocese of

was founded in 1851. The diocese included some villages in the western Khabur valley and the mountains to the northeast of Zakho previously in the diocese of

Gazarta Cizre (; ar, جَزِيْرَة ٱبْن عُمَر, Jazīrat Ibn ʿUmar, or ''Madinat al-Jazira'', he, גזירא, Gzira, ku, Cizîr, ''Cizîra Botan'', or ''Cizîre'', syr, ܓܙܪܬܐ ܕܒܪ ܥܘܡܪ, Gāzartā,) is a city in the Cizre Dis ...

, and several villages in the

Dohuk Duhok ( ku, دهۆک, translit=Dihok; ar, دهوك, Dahūk; syr, ܒܝܬ ܢܘܗܕܪܐ, Beth Nohadra) is a city in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. It's the capital city of Duhok Governorate. History The city's origin dates back to the Sto ...

district previously in the diocese of

The Chaldean bishops of Zakho

The first Chaldean bishop of Zakho was Emmanuel Asmar (1859–75). He was succeeded by Quriaqos Giwargis Goga, a monk of the monastery of

Rabban Hormizd Rabban Mar Hormizd ( syc, ܕܪܒܢ ܗܘܪܡܙܕ ) was a monk who lived in the seventh century in modern northern Iraq. ''Rabban'' is the Syriac term for ''monk''. "Rabban" is also the Aramaic word for "teacher". He founded the Rabban Hormizd Mo ...

, who was born in

Telkepe Tel Keppe ( syr, ܬܸܠ ܟܹܐܦܹܐ ', ar, تل كيف ', alternatively spelled Tel Kaif or Telkef) is an Assyrian town in northern Iraq. It is located in the Nineveh Governorate, less than 8 mi (13 km) northeast of Mosul.Welcome to ...

on 15 January 1820 and ordained a

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in partic ...

in 1855. According to Tfinkdji he was consecrated for Zakho on 25 July 1875 by the patriarch Joseph VI Audo, but a manuscript note gives the date of his consecration as 1 August 1875.Note in MS Dawra Syr 61 In 1876 Quriaqos Giwargis Goga rebelled against the patriarch and installed himself in the village of Telkepe in the patriarchal diocese of

Mosul Mosul ( ar, الموصل, al-Mawṣil, ku, مووسڵ, translit=Mûsil, Turkish: ''Musul'', syr, ܡܘܨܠ, Māwṣil) is a major city in northern Iraq, serving as the capital of Nineveh Governorate. The city is considered the second larg ...

, where he was supported by most of the village's priests. Following an appeal to the

Vatican Vatican may refer to: Vatican City, the city-state ruled by the pope in Rome, including St. Peter's Basilica, Sistine Chapel, Vatican Museum The Holy See * The Holy See, the governing body of the Catholic Church and sovereign entity recognized ...

by Joseph Audo, the two rebels eventually submitted, and Goga was transferred to the diocese of

in 1879. Quriaqos Goga was succeeded by Mattai Paul Shamina (1879–85) and Stephen Yohannan Qaynaya (1886–9). Jeremy Timothy Maqdassi, who was born in

Alqosh Alqosh ( syr, ܐܲܠܩܘܿܫ, Judeo-Aramaic: אלקוש, ar, ألقوش, alternatively spelled Alkosh or Alqush) is a town in the Nineveh Plains of northern Iraq, a sub-district of the Tel Kaif District and is situated 45 km north of the ...

in 1847 and became a priest in 1879, was consecrated bishop of Zakho either in 1890 (De Clerq) or 1892 (Fiey), and remained its bishop until his death in 1929. He was succeeded by Peter Raffo Aziz (1929–37), Yohannan Nisan (1937–57), Thomas Rayyis (1957–66) and Gabriel Qoda (27 November 1965– 7 March 1968). Gabriel Qoda, who died in March 1993, was succeeded as bishop of Zakho on 7 March 1968 by Joseph Babana. Joseph Babana died on 9 September 1973 at the age of 57, and was succeeded on 13 October 1973 by Yohannan Paulus Marcus. The elderly Yohannan Paulus Marcus, who died on 13 July 1985 at the age of 75, was succeeded as bishop of Zakho by Stephen Kajo on 29 November 1983. Following the death of Stephen Kajo on 8 November 1987, the diocese of Zakho remained vacant for fourteen years. During this period the few remaining Chaldeans in the Zakho district remained under the care of Yohannan Qello, the bishop of

. In December 2001 Petros Hanna Issa Al-Harboli was consecrated bishop of Zakho. After brief illness he died on November 3, 2010. In July 2013, the Chaldean diocese of Amadiya was united with Zakho under Rabban al-Qas.

Population statistics

In 1867 the diocese of Zakho had a population of 3,000 Chaldeans and contained 15 villages (Martin). In 1896 the diocese had a population of 3,500 Chaldeans, and contained 15 parishes and 20 churches (Chabot). The largest villages in the diocese were

Sharanesh Sharanish ( ku, شرانش, translit=Şêraniş, he, שראנש, syr, ܫܪܢܘܫ) is a village in Dohuk Governorate in Kurdistan Region, Iraq. It is located near the Iraq–Turkey border in the district of Zakho. In the village, there are chu ...

, Yarda, Beidar, Bir Sivi, Mar Yaqob and Esnakh, and the bishop resided either at Zakho or Dohuk. The diocese then had ten indigenous priests and 5 priests who had been trained at the monastery of

. In 1913 the diocese contained 15 villages and 17 churches and had a population of 4,880 Chaldeans, served by 13 priests (Tfinkdji). ''Chaldean communities in the diocese of Zakho, 1913'' }, , align=center , 50, , align=center , 1, , align=center , 1, , Marga, , align=center , , , align=center , 760 , , align=center , 1, , align=center , 1 , - , Beidar, , align=center , , , align=center , 400, , align=center , 1, , align=center , 1, , Bellon, , align=center , , , align=center , 300, , align=center , 1, , align=center , 1 , - , Bir Sivi, , align=center , , , align=center , 400, , align=center , 1, , align=center , 1, , Esnakh, , align=center , , , align=center , 600, , align=center , 1, , align=center , 1 , - , Sharanesh, , align=center , , , align=center , 600, , align=center , 1, , align=center , 2, , Dohuk, , align=center , , , align=center , 350, , align=center , 2, , align=center , 1 , - , Alanesh, , align=center , , , align=center , 70, , align=center , 1, , align=center , 1, , Shiyos, , align=center , , , align=center , 210, , align=center , 1, , align=center , 1 , - , Yarda, , align=center , , , align=center , 250, , align=center , 1, , align=center , 2, , Qashafir, , align=center , , , align=center , 450, , align=center , 0, , align=center , 0 , - , Umra (Deir Shish), , align=center , , , align=center , 200, , align=center , 0, , align=center , 1, , Garmawa, , align=center , , , align=center , 40, , align=center , 0, , align=center , 1 , - , Baijo, , align=center , , , align=center , 500, , align=center , 1, , align=center , 2, , Total, , align=center , , , align=center , 4,880, , align=center , 13, , align=center , 17 A large number of Assyrian refugees settled in the Zakho district after the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, and their presence is reflected in later statistics for the diocese. In 1928, according to an official statistic prepared by the

Congregation for the Oriental Churches The Dicastery for the Eastern Churches (also called Dicastery for the Oriental Churches), previously named Congregation for the Oriental Churches or Congregation for the Eastern Churches ( la, Congregatio pro Ecclesiis Orientalibus), is a dicaste ...

, the diocese of Zakho included 16 villages and contained 8,000 Chaldeans and 18 churches. In 1937 the diocese included 23 villages, and contained 10,852 Chaldeans, 18 priests, and 16 churches (Kajo).

Notes

References

* * * * * * * * * * * {{Dioceses of the Church of the East Chaldean Catholic dioceses Assyrian geography