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 Assyria spreading

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...

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.

Tradition and legend

Death and remains

Veneration

According to the calendar of the

Church of the East The Church of the East ( syc, ܥܕܬܐ ܕܡܕܢܚܐ, ''ʿĒḏtā d-Maḏenḥā'') or the East Syriac Church, also called the Church of Seleucia-Ctesiphon, the Persian Church, the Assyrian Church, the Babylonian Church or the Nestorian C ...

, 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 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 Assyrian villages in this district. The area was traditiona ...

celebrate the Feast (

Syriac Syriac may refer to: *Syriac language, an ancient dialect of Middle Aramaic *Sureth, one of the modern dialects of Syriac spoken in the Nineveh Plains region * Syriac alphabet ** Syriac (Unicode block) ** Syriac Supplement * Neo-Aramaic languages a ...

: ''Shahrā'') of St. Zay'ā on September 13 every year on the

Feast of the Cross In the Christian liturgical calendar, there are several different Feasts of the Cross, all of which commemorate the cross used in the crucifixion of Jesus. Unlike Good Friday, which is dedicated to the passion of Christ and the crucifixion, 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 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 ...

district of Iraq, and some Assyrians from the

Urmia Urmia or Orumiyeh ( fa, ارومیه, Variously transliterated as ''Oroumieh'', ''Oroumiyeh'', ''Orūmīyeh'' and ''Urūmiyeh''.) is the largest city in West Azerbaijan Province of Iran and the capital of Urmia County. It is situated at an alt ...

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 (, tr, Hakkâri ili, ...

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

Dora, Baghdad Dora (also al-Dura, or ad-Durah, ar, الدورة) is a neighborhood in Al Rashid administrative district, southern Baghdad, Iraq. Before the 2003 invasion of Iraq, it was home to the city's largest concentration of Christian Assyrians, as well ...

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

Sarsing Sarsing ( ku, سەرسەنگ, Sersing, syr, ܣܪܣܢܓ) is a town and sub-district in the Dohuk Governorate in Kurdistan Region, Iraq. It is located in the Sapna valley in the Amadiya District. In the town, there is a church of Mar Mattai. Ther ...

District,

Duhok Governorate ar, محافظة دهوك , image_skyline = Collage_of_Dohuk_Governorate.jpg , imagesize = , image_caption = , image_flag = , image_seal = ...

*St. Zay'ā Cave-Shrine, Duhoké,

District,

Duhok Governorate ar, محافظة دهوك , image_skyline = Collage_of_Dohuk_Governorate.jpg , imagesize = , image_caption = , image_flag = , image_seal = ...

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

District,

Duhok Governorate ar, محافظة دهوك , image_skyline = Collage_of_Dohuk_Governorate.jpg , imagesize = , image_caption = , image_flag = , image_seal = ...

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

Baghdad Baghdad (; ar, بَغْدَاد , ) is the capital of Iraq and the second-largest city in the Arab world after Cairo. It is located on the Tigris near the ruins of the ancient city of Babylon and the Sassanid Persian capital of Ctesiphon ...

*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 Simele or Semel ( ku, سێمێل, translit=Sêmêl, ar, سميل, Syriac: ܣܡܠܐ) is a town located in the Dohuk province of Kurdistan Region in Iraq. The town is on the main road that connects Kurdistan Region to its neighbor Turkey. It is ...

District,

Duhok Governorate ar, محافظة دهوك , image_skyline = Collage_of_Dohuk_Governorate.jpg , imagesize = , image_caption = , image_flag = , image_seal = ...

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

Duhok District , native_name_lang = ckb , other_name = قضاء دهوك , type = District , image_skyline = File:Dahukdistricts.jpg , image_size = , image_alt = , image_captio ...

Duhok Governorate ar, محافظة دهوك , image_skyline = Collage_of_Dohuk_Governorate.jpg , imagesize = , image_caption = , image_flag = , image_seal = ...

; Iran

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

Urmia County Urmia County ( fa, شهرستان ارومیه) is located in West Azerbaijan province, Iran. The capital of the county is Urmia Urmia or Orumiyeh ( fa, ارومیه, Variously transliterated as ''Oroumieh'', ''Oroumiyeh'', ''Orūmīyeh'' ...

, West Azerbaijan Province *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 ( fa, شهرستان سلماس) is located in West Azerbaijan province, Iran. The capital of the county is Salmas. At the 2006 census, the county's population was 180,708, in 40,298 households. Retrieved 2 November 2022 At the ...

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

Al-Hasakah Governorate Al-Hasakah Governorate ( ar, محافظة الحسكة, Muḥāfaẓat al-Ḥasakah, ku, Parêzgeha Hesekê}, syc, ܗܘܦܪܟܝܐ ܕܚܣܟܗ, Huparkiyo d'Ḥasake, also known as syc, ܓܙܪܬܐ, Gozarto) is one of the fourteen governorates (prov ...

*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 ( ar, زَحْلة) is the capital and the largest city of Beqaa Governorate, Lebanon. With around 150,000 inhabitants, it is the third-largest city in Lebanon after Beirut and Tripoli and the fourth largest taking the whole urban area (t ...

District,

Beqaa Governorate Beqaa ( ') is a governorate in Lebanon. Districts Since 2014, Beqaa Governorate contains three districts: * West Beqaa * Rashaya * Zahle A law was passed in 2003 to separate Baalbek District and Hermel District from Beqaa Governorate to form a ...

; 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 218,464 at the 2020 census, it is the 19th largest city in the state of California and forms part of the Sacramento-Stockton- ...

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

London, ON London (pronounced ) 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, approximately ...

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

Chaldean Syrian Church The Chaldean Syrian Church of India ( Classical Syriac: ܥܕܬܐ ܕܡܕܢܚܐ ܕܐܬܘܖ̈ܝܐ; Malayalam: / ''Kaldaya Suriyani Sabha'') is an Eastern Christian denomination, based in Thrissur, in India. It is organized as a metropolitan provi ...

), Palakkad (Palghat), Thrissur District, Kerala

References

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Tradition and legend

Death and remains

Veneration

Shrines

References

See also