Page:The Nestorians and their rituals, volume 1.djvu/149

Rh below there is a deep hole from whence earth is taken, and after being mixed with water is made into small balls of clay which are carried away as a charm by such as attend the commemoration of the saint's festival. The church appears to be the only relic of the original structure, and like all the ancient edifices of the kind in these parts is of an oblong form, with an arched roof and entirely destitute of windows. Light is admitted into it from an upper chapel reached by a passage opening into the church, in which are the tombs of many Nestorian Patriarchs. This passage serves as the Beit Kaddeeshé, and an adjoining apartment is still called the Beitá d'Amâdha, or Baptistery, though not now used as such by the Chaldeans.

The tombs of the Nestorian Patriarchs are covered with elaborate epitaphs in the Estrangheli character, each containing a short declaration of the faith of the deceased. Wherever the confession of "two persons" in has been inscribed on the marble, the zealous Chaldean monks have taken the pains to erase it, thus forcing the dead as it were to utter a doctrine which, while living, they professed to disbelieve.

There are two other chapels at Rabban Hormuzd of modern foundation, dedicated to the Holy Trinity and the Four Evangelists, These are simple structures, each consisting of a nave and sacrarium, the walls and altar of which are decked with tawdry pictures and other ornaments imported from Rome. The rocks around contain a number of natural caves which form the cells of the monks. The monastic order professed is that of S. Anthony, but the discipline observed is very lax compared with that of similar establishments in Egypt and Palestine. At the time of our first visit the monks were only allowed to eat meat twice a year, viz., on Christmas and Easter day; wine and spirits were also prohibited. Since then, however, the revenue of the convent has been increased by the plunder of the property belonging to the old patriarchal family, as will be related hereafter, and the Chaldeans themselves now say that none enjoy the good things of this world as much as the monks of Rabban Hormuzd. The only other Chaldean convent now in existence is that of Mar Gheorghees, two miles north of Mosul, on the eastern bank of the river, which was rebuilt by the late Patriarch Mar Zeyya, who intended to establish a school there; but the