 View of Cyrrhus. | |
  Shown within Syria | |
| Location | Aleppo Governorate, Syria |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 36°44′39″N36°57′33″E / 36.74417°N 36.95917°E /36.74417; 36.95917 |
| Type | Settlement |
| History | |
| Builder | Seleucus I Nicator |
| Founded | 300 BC |
| Abandoned | 13th century CE |
| Site notes | |
| Condition | In ruins |
Cyrrhus (/ˈsɪrəs/;Greek:Κύρρος,romanized: Kyrrhos) is a city inancient Syria founded bySeleucus Nicator, one ofAlexander the Great's generals. Other names for the city includeCoricium,Corice,Hagioupolis,Nebi Huri (Arabic:نبي هوري), andKhoros (حوروس,Ḳūrus). Afalse etymology of the sixth century connects it toCyrus, king of Persia due to the resemblance of the names. The former Roman/Byzantine (arch)bishopric is now a double Catholictitular see.
Its ruins are located in northernSyria, near the Turkish border.
It lies about 70 km northwest ofAleppo and 24 km west ofKillis, inTurkey. Cyrrhus was the capital of the extensive district ofCyrrhestica, between the plain ofAntioch andCommagene.
The site of the city is marked by the ruins atKhoros, 20 km fromAzaz, Syria, standing near theAfrin Marsyas River, a tributary of theOrontes, which had been banked up by Bishop Theodoret.
The Cyrrhus in Syria was founded bySeleucus Nicator shortly after 300 BC, and was named after theMacedonian city ofCyrrhus.Andronicus of Cyrrhus built theTower of the Winds inAthens, but it is not known which Cyrrhus he came from.
It was taken by theArmenian Empire in the 1st century BC, then becameRoman whenPompey took Syria in 64 BC. By the 1st century AD, it had become a Roman administrative, military, and commercial center on the trade route betweenAntioch and theEuphrates River crossing atZeugma, and minted its own coinage.[1] It was the base of the Roman legionLegio X Fretensis.[2] TheSassanid Persian Empire took it several times during the 3rd century. Following these attacks the city became a major point of strategic importance for the Romans, who would rapidly develop and fortify it.[3]
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In the 6th century, the city was further embellished and strengthened byByzantine EmperorJustinian, who oversaw work that only added to the Cyrrhus' already incredibly formidable defenses. It was however taken by the Arabs from the Byzantines in 637 AD. It was then known and identified from that time under the name of Qorosh.
In the early 12th century the region was controlled by the ArmenianBagrat until it came under control of thecounty of Edessa in 1117.[4] In 1150, it was captured byNur ad-Din Zangi. Muslim travelers of the 13th and 14th century report it both as a large city and as largely in ruins.[5]
AfterOperation Olive Branch theSyrian National Army conducted extensive digging and looting of ancient historic artifacts.
The city has been excavated by the Lebanese Syrian Archaeological Mission of Cyrrhus.[6] Initial results indicate asquare layout withHippodamiangrid road plan and a central main road withColonnades typical of theHellenistic east . The road layout seems to have survived until into theIslamic times. Remains in Cyrrhus include twoRomanBridge s in working order, a dilapidatedtheatre outside the town and foundations of aBasilicachurch and some city fortifications.In the 6th century aByzantine citadel was built on the top of the hill behind the theatre.[7] with evidence of Greek and Egyptian influences in the design work.[8][9] This citadel is still largely unexcavated.Temple of Zeus: The exact date of the city's construction is unknown, as it is attributed to the period of the reign of Seleucus Nicator (312 - 280) BC. Given the importance of the city's location, large military forces were stationed there whose subordination to a city is unknown, and perhaps it was independent of itself. Coins were minted during this period and it was also an important center for the worship of the two gods, Athena, the protector of the great land, and Zeus (the god of the thunderbolt). It is believed that the temple of Zeus stood on top of the mountain next to the city. Syros became a frontier city after the separation of Asia Minor from the Seleucid state, following the Treaty of Apamea in 188 BC, which lost its civilian importance and became a center for assembling armies and securing the strong soldiers of the kings of Antioch. In the year 83 BC, controlled by the king of Armenia, Tigran the Great, chaos spread in its area, until the Romans recaptured it in the year 69 BC.
Cyrrhus became aChristianbishopric at an early date, asuffragan ofHierapolis Bambyce, capital andmetropolitan see of theRoman province ofEuphratensis. UnderJustinian, it became an autocephalousecclesiastical metropolis subject directly to thePatriarch of Antioch but without suffragans. Its bishop Syricius was present at theFirst Council of Nicaea in 325. TheArian Abgar (Latinized as Abgarus or Augarus) was at theCouncil of Seleucia (360).Theodoret mentions as another Arian a bishop called Asterius of the time of theRoman EmperorValens (364–378). Isidorus attended theFirst Council of Constantinople in 381. The most celebrated of the bishops of Cyrrhus is Theodoret himself (423-458), a prolific writer,[10] well known for his rôle in the history ofNestorianism,Eutychianism, andMarcionism. He tells us that his smalldiocese (about forty miles square) contained 800 churches, which supposes a very dense population. In 476, a bishop named Ioannes held a synod againstPeter the Fuller. At the close of that century the bishop was aNestorian named Sergius, who was replaced by another of the same name who was of the directly opposite theological opinion, being aJacobite, and was deposed by EmperorJustin I in 518.Michael the Syrian lists 13 other Jacobite bishops of the see.[11][12][13]
A magnificentbasilica held the relics ofSaints Cosmas and Damian, who had sufferedmartyrdom in the vicinity about 283, and whose bodies had been transported to the city, whence it was also called Hagioupolis. Many holy personages, moreover, chieflyhermits, had been or were then living in this territory, among them SaintsAcepsimas, Zeumatius, Zebinas, Polychronius,Maron (the patron of theMaronite Church), Eusebius, Thalassius, Maris, James the Wonder-worker, and others. Bishop Theodoret devoted an entire work to the illustration of their virtues and miracles.[14]
| Name | Dates | Churchmanship | Notes | Picture |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Syricius | 325 | atFirst Council of Nicaea | ||
| Abgar | 360 | Arian | at Council of Seleucia (360) | |
| Asterius | 364–378 | Arian | ||
| Isidorus[15][16][17] | 381 | at First Council of Constantinople | ||
| Theodoret of Cyrrhus | 423-458 | |||
| Ioannes | 476 | held a synod againstPeter the Fuller | ||
| Sergius I of Cyrrhus | late 5th century[18] | Nestorian | was deposed byByzantine EmperorJustin I | |
| Sergius II of Cyrrhus.[19] | 518 | Jacobite | exiled about AD 522.[20] | |
| John of Cyrrhus[21] | c628 | Orthodox??? | ||
| 12 Jacobite Bishops | ||||
| John of Cyrrhus[21] |
The city was taken in the early 11th century by theCrusaders who made newBishopric, dependent onEdessa under the nameCoricié.
No longer a residential bishopric, Cyrrhus is today listed by theCatholic Church as atitular see,[22] in two different rite-specific traditions, in theapostolic succession of the Byzantine archdiocese.
Established no later then asTitular archbishopric of Cyrrhus (Latin) / Cirro (Curiate Italian) / Cyrrhen(sis) (Latin adjective), aliasCyrrhus of the Latins
It has been vacant for decades, having had the following incumbents, of the fitting Archepiscopal rank with an Episcopal (lowest) exception:
No later than 1896 was established theAntiochene riteTitular archbishopric of Cyrrhus / Cirro (Curiate Italian) / Cyrrhen(sis) Maronitarum (Latin adjective), aliasCyrrhus of the Maronites.
In 1956 it was suppressed, having had only these incumbents, both of the fitting Archiepiscopal (intermediate) rank and without actual prelature :
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Cyrrhus".Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.| International | |
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