Mar Ignatius Andrew 'Abdul-Ghal Akijan (or ''Akhidjan'', ''Akidjian'', 1622–1677) was the

Patriarch The highest-ranking bishops in Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, the Catholic Church (above major archbishop and primate), the Hussite Church, Church of the East, and some Independent Catholic Churches are termed patriarchs (and in certain ...

of the

Syriac Catholic Church The Syriac Catholic Church ( syc, ܥܕܬܐ ܣܘܪܝܝܬܐ ܩܬܘܠܝܩܝܬܐ, ʿĪṯo Suryayṯo Qaṯolīqayṯo, ar, الكنيسة السريانية الكاثوليكية) is an Eastern Catholic Christian jurisdiction originating in ...

from 1662 to 1677. His election as Patriarch marked the first separation of the hierarchy between the Syriac Catholic Church and the

Syriac Orthodox Church , native_name_lang = syc , image = St_George_Syriac_orthodox_church_in_Damascus.jpg , imagewidth = 250 , alt = Cathedral of Saint George , caption = Cathedral of Saint George, Damascu ...

Life

Andrew Akijan was born in 1622 in

Mardin Mardin ( ku, Mêrdîn; ar, ماردين; syr, ܡܪܕܝܢ, Merdīn; hy, Մարդին) is a city in southeastern Turkey. The capital of Mardin Province, it is known for the Artuqid architecture of its old city, and for its strategic location o ...

and soon came in contact with the

Carmelites , image = , caption = Coat of arms of the Carmelites , abbreviation = OCarm , formation = Late 12th century , founder = Early hermits of Mount Carmel , founding_location = Mount Car ...

missionaries A missionary is a member of a religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thomas Hale 'On Being a Mi ...

. He studied from 1649 in the Maronite College in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (Romulus and Remus, legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg ...

and after three years he returned in the East where he was ordained priest in 1652 by the

Maronite The Maronites ( ar, الموارنة; syr, ܡܖ̈ܘܢܝܐ) are a Christian ethnoreligious group native to the Eastern Mediterranean and Levant region of the Middle East, whose members traditionally belong to the Maronite Church, with the larges ...

Patriarch. In those years in

Aleppo )), is an adjective which means "white-colored mixed with black". , motto = , image_map = , mapsize = , map_caption = , image_map1 = ...

a number of Syriac Christians entered in

full communion Full communion is a communion or relationship of full agreement among different Christian denominations that share certain essential principles of Christian theology. Views vary among denominations on exactly what constitutes full communion, bu ...

with the Catholic Church and formed the first Syrian Catholic community. They chose as their bishop Andrew Akijan who was consecrated bishop on 29 June 1656 by Maronite patriarch John Bawab of Safra, taking the name of ''Andrew''. He took possession of his church on 9 August 1656. He suffered a strong and violent opposition by the Orthodox Syriacs that forced him to escape in

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...

on 15 May 1657, from where he returned to Aleppo on 12 March 1658. His ministry as Syriac bishop of Aleppo was confirmed by the

Pope The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...

on 28 January 1659. At the death of the Syrian Patriarch in 1662, the Syrian Catholic party in Aleppo was able to persuade the

synod A synod () is a council of a Christian denomination, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. The word ''synod'' comes from the meaning "assembly" or "meeting" and is analogous with the Latin word meani ...

of the Syriac Church to elect Andrew Akijan as Patriarch, and thus he was elected on 19 April 1662, but with the opposition of the Orthodox party which elected Abdul Masih as Patriarch. On 3 August 1662 the Ottoman Sultan Mehmed IV confirmed Akijan in the patriarchal office and on 20 August 1662 he was formally enthroned, taking the traditional name of ''Ignatius''. The

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith A congregation is a large gathering of people, often for the purpose of worship. Congregation may also refer to: * Church (congregation), a Christian organization meeting in a particular place for worship *Congregation (Roman Curia), an administr ...

, unknown of Akijan's election, in September 1662 disapproved the means of propagation of the Catholic faith which involved gifts to the authorities to obtain appointment, and thus took a stand against Akijan's appointment as Patriarch. Later, after being informed about the actual promotion of Akijan,

granted his confirmation on 23 April 1663. The reign of Akijan was initially quite troubled. Abdul Masih claimed the Patriarchate and in 1663 occupied the cathedral of

Aleppo )), is an adjective which means "white-colored mixed with black". , motto = , image_map = , mapsize = , map_caption = , image_map1 = ...

, but in January 1664 Akijan was successful in being restored. On 10 April 1664 the Sultan Mehmed IV confirmed Akijan as head of the whole Syriac-Christian

Millet Millets () are a highly varied group of small-seeded grasses, widely grown around the world as cereal crops or grains for fodder and human food. Most species generally referred to as millets belong to the tribe Paniceae, but some millets also ...

all over the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

, and this status lasted till Akijan's death. Andrew Akijan died peacefully in

Aleppo )), is an adjective which means "white-colored mixed with black". , motto = , image_map = , mapsize = , map_caption = , image_map1 = ...

on 18 July 1677.

References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Akijan, Ignatius Andrew Syriac Catholic Patriarchs of Antioch 1677 deaths 1622 births People from Mardin 17th-century people from the Ottoman Empire Bishops in the Ottoman Empire 17th-century Eastern Catholic archbishops Assyrians from the Ottoman Empire Converts to Eastern Catholicism from Oriental Orthodoxy