A marble Simat Garme (Syriac, reliquary) decorated with forked crosses. It is shaped like a four root molar tooth
and provides one of the few clues to the relic. The most likely identification is that it held a tooth belonging to St. Febronia.

The reliquary was discovered in Square 64, locus 006.

Another view of the reliquary.

Archbishop Matta Rohm and members of the Syriac Orthodox Church helped archaeologists from St. Louis Community College relocate
the grave of St. Febronia, situated 90 kilometers northeast of Tuneinir.

The cluster of trees are located on land that has been acquired by a Kurdish village. The trees are still visited by pilgrims who tie pieces of cloth to
the surviving tree stumps.

The tradition among the Syrian Orthodox Church members is that the cluster of small trees were miraculous.
If a twig was broken from the trunk, then it would produce a drop of red liquid in memory of the blood of St. Febronia.
The local farmers and village children have pulled up the smaller trees and stripped the
larger trees of their leaves and bark. The trees stumps are situated a few kilometers west of Qamishley
along the road to Amuda. There was no evidence of a grave or artifacts in the area around the remaining tree stumps. The situation was very sad
to the Christians who visited the site.

A small bronze Zagga (Syriac, hand bell) was found hidden or discarded among the Area 10 kilns. It would have been
kept in refectory (Latin, monastic dining hall) in Area 9. It may have been hidden in the monastic workshops when the monastery was looted
or it may have been left behind by looters dividing their spoils.



Iron clapper inside of the bronze Zagga (Syriac, hand bell) found hidden or discarded among the Area 10 kilns.

Drawing of the bronze bell found in Area 10, Square 66, Locus 02. Discovered during the 1997 field season (metal registry M-4993) by Jeff Tripper. Height = 5.0 cm, width = 5.8 cm, average thickness = 2.6 mm, and weight = 78.8 grams. It was discovered 114 cm east and 197 cm south of the NW corner of excavation square 66. It was discovered 83 cm. beneath the surface at an elevation of 287.97 meters above sea level. A very faint pattern on the exterior of the bell may been fragments of an Arabic inscription.
Comparative examples of Early Christian / Medieval reliquaries.
Webpage created 28 February 2005.
Updated 28 March 2011