The outside shell was reconstructed by Saddam Hossain to show its original archetectural beauty. Some of the ancient walls can be seen behnid the renovated facade. This archetechure undoubtedly influenced the Arab construction in later centruies.
The town of Tikrit or the Assyrian Tikriti located 140 km northwest of Baghdad on the Tigris is best known for being the birthplace of Saddam Hussein and is presently inhabited predominantly by the Suni Arabs but it was not always the case. It was an ancient Assyrian town, one of the first Assyrian cities to be captured by the Babylonian King Nabopolassar. According to the Babylonian Chronicle it was used as a base from where he attacked the city of Assur in 615 BCE. Tikrit continued to be inhabited by the descendants of the Assyrians before and during Christianity until it was taken over by the Moslems and its remaining Christian population was driven away or forced into Islam. It was renowned as a centre for the production of woolen textiles, had a fortress and a large Christian monastery.
During the Christian theological conflicts of the fifth century the Assyrians of central and southern Mesopotamia who were subjects of the Persian empire opted to side with Nestorius and his duality of Christ's nature but those of northern region ruled by the Byzantine embraced the Monophysite doctrine later nicknamed Jacobite. The Assyrians of Tikrit joined the Jacobite rite.
During the 1990's Iraqi archaeologist excavated, an impressive Christian buildings outside Tikrit in an area known as Chenisa or [Arabic for Church]. The structures included a church with features, such as the bema and the "beth-qadishe" (graves of holy men). An large inscriptions found in the reception hall of the building suggests that the site was part of a monastery.
The inscription mentioned "the Abbot Mar George", and `Abd al-Nur the "Monk", "Bar-[Sawmo] the Monk" and Athanasius who served as the Metropolitan of Tikrit until his death in 887. A box found in the hall which contained coins of Caliph al-Nasir li-Din-Allah (1180-1225) indicate that the monastery was still functioning at least about the13th century.
To the north of the church a mosque,was discovered which was built after the church had been abandoned by the Christian population. Excavations below the mosque indicates it was built on the church property. Outside the mosque, a grave was uncovered which in addition to a corps contained a beautiful cross of silver with " a finely written inscription in Estrangelo, which reads : "Athanasius the Metropo(litan), Metropolitan of Tagrith". Beneath the mosque was found the Martyrs Sergius and Bacchus church which was built about 675, by the Metropolitan Bar-Isho who was the administrator of the city from 669 to 683.1
Mar Marotha of Tikrit (d. 649) was the first to be called Maphryono. From him the Maphrianate took its line of succession. It is worth mentioning that the bishoprics of the East increased in number and prestige to the extent that they outnumbered the diocese of the See of Antioch during the time of Mor Gregorios Bar `Ebroyo [Hebrius] who himself was a Maphryono of the East (1264-1281). Bar `Ebroyo is considered to be one of the most famous and scholarly Maphryonos of the East. A wellknown Syriac writers of Tikrit was Monk Anton (840-850) who contributed to the advancement of the Syriac literature and poetry. He was also known as an Orator and wrote on rhetoric. He is credited with having introduced the use of rhyme in Syriac verse . His writings also influenced the Arab poetry. Yahya ibn-Adi born in Tikrit (d. 973) was one of the several Jacobite Assyrians who translated philosophical works from Syriac into the Arabic language.
The headquarters of the Maphrianate was first in Tikrit and remained there until 1089 AD. Subsequently, it was transferred to Mosul, and then back to Tikrit where it remained until 1152 when it was transferred to St. Mattay Monastery, near Mosul. For sometime the Maphrianate of Ashur [Assyria] was at Bar-tellah near Nineveh and then was brought back to Mosul. Today the inhabitants of Bar-Tillah predominantly belong the Syrian Orthodox Church otherwise known as Jacobite.
Badger reported that in the 18th century at Mosul a coffin was discovered within the precincts of a mosque which previously had belonged to a church called "Beit oot-Tekreeti". The coffin contained several Syriac books dating back to mid 13th century. One of the books dedicated to Mar Ignatius, Patriarch of Antioch and lord Mar Yohannan the Catholicos and Maphriano of 'Tikrit and Nineveh' indicated that originally the edifice was known as "the Church of Cross" belonged to a large community of the Assyrian Jacobites centered in Tikrit.
