In Istanbul, Turkey, there is an Orthodox church called St. Mary of Mongolia, which, like its original name, has many relationships with the Mongols, and this church was originally called the Church of Our Lady, and the Byzantine Emperor Michael VIII married his daughter Maria to Hulagu Khan, the monarch of the Ilkhanate, hoping to exchange peace between the two countries, and Hulagu Khan helped him fight against the Muslims. On Mary's way to the Ilkhanate, Hulagu died, and Mary married Hulagu's son, Abaha. Around 1282, Mary, the widow of Ilhan Abaha, returned to her hometown of Constantinople and rebuilt the Church of Our Lady, which has since been known as the Church of St. Mary of Mongolia.
St. Mary's Church, Mongolia
The one in this article was married to The Mary of the Mongol Great Khan Abaha, whose father was The Emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire, Michael VIII, and during the reign of Michael VIII, the descendants of Genghis Khan completed the conquest of Iran and Eastern Europe and established the Ilkhanate and the Golden Horde. The expansion of the Mongols made Michael VIII realize the strength of these nomads, so he tried his best to hold the "thighs" of the Mongols, and Michael VIII once married his two daughters to Abaha Khan of the Ilkhanate and Nahai of the Golden Horde.
During Hulagu's Western Expedition, Hulagu's closeness to Christians in Europe, due to the fact that his wife was a Jing, gave hope to Mihair VIII, who wanted to expand the influence of the Eastern Roman Empire through the power of the Mongols. So he planned to marry his daughter Mary to Hulagu, and planned to become an ally of the Ilkhanate by marriage against the Mamluk dynasty in Egypt.
Portrait of Mary
Around 1263, Michael VIII began to talk to Hulagu about the marriage, which was at war with the Golden Horde and the Mamluk dynasty, and he was in desperate need of allies to support him, so he agreed to the marriage. Two years later, Mary, accompanied by her retinue, went to the capital of the Ilkhanate, Shroudha (present-day Malagay, Iran), to hold a wedding ceremony with Hulagu.
After more than two months of boating and labor, Maria finally arrived at the capital of the Ilkhanate, But when she entered the palace of the Ilkhanate, she found that the Mongol nobles and ministers in the palace were immersed in an atmosphere of grief. It turned out that Hulagu had died before Maria arrived in the territory of the Ilkhanate, and her body was buried on a small island on Lake Urumiya. Once ten times larger than it is now, Ulumiye Lake is located between the northwestern, West Azerbaijan and East Azerbaijan provinces of Iran, close to the border between Iran and Turkey, and in the part near the eastern lake, there is a hill that was once an island in the lake. Because the lake dried up and the water level receded, it was connected to the shore, but still retained the name of Shahi Island. Buried on the island are two people, Hulagu, the founding monarch of the Ilkhanate, and his son Abaha.
Island in Lake Urumiya
The news of Hulagu's death may have been a good thing for Mary, as most women are reluctant to marry so far away from home. After a few days in the palace, Mary packed her bags and prepared to go home, but at this moment, the ministers of the Ilkhanate stopped her and told Mary: "Although Hulagu Khan is dead, his son Abha is about to become the new Khan, and you will soon marry Abaha Khan." ”
Later, with the permission of his uncle Kublai Khan, Abha became the new Ilkhan, and soon after Abaha ascended the throne, he married Maria, and Maria became a princess of Eastern Rome and became the despennakhadun of the Mongol population. After Mary married Abaha, the husband and wife always respected each other, and because Of mary's Orthodox belief, Abaha has always been very kind to the Orthodox Christians in the Ilkhanate.
It was not until 1282 A.D. that Abha died of excessive drinking, and his body was buried near Lake Urumiyah, where he and his father Hulagu were buried. After Abaha's death, Maria, who had long missed her hometown, immediately returned to Constantinople, but when she met her father, Michael VIII, who had arranged another marriage for Maria.
The burial chamber of the Church of Santa Maria
Michael VIII's actions infuriated Mary, who realized that she was just a pawn in her father's hand, so an enraged Maria left the Byzantine palace and spent the rest of her life as a nun in a church in Istanbul. The church to which Mary went is now the Church of St. Mary of Mongolia, and it is precisely because of Mary's arrival that this church has been given the Mongolian name.