Churches

The Kanīsat Mār Quzmā wa-Damiyānūs (Church of St. Cosmas and Damian) was an Antiochan Greek Orthodox church located in the southwestern quarter of the city.  It is estimated to have been originally built around 330 AD, was destroyed in 1212, and was renovated between the 1683-1689 and in 1839.  By 1844, only 15 Antiochian Orthodox believers remained, while the other 50 families became Melkite Catholics, and the church was for a few years Melkite Catholic; by around 1847, the Antiochian Orthodox had reclaimed the church and many converted back.

The Protestant Missionaries had a long history in Diyarbekir prior to opening up this Protestant Church. They faced pushback from the old churches in the city and from the Muslims as well. They also faced internal dissension multiple times during their history in the city. This church building was built around 1872, the largest Protestant Church in Turkey holding up to 2000 people, with 250 attending the first session.

The Roman Catholic Church was built in 1857, although missionaries were there from at least as early as 1675. The mission was supported by the French Government and consulate during the 19th century. They competed with the Protestant missionaries to attract converts. During the 1895 massacres, thoushands Christians sheltered in the Catholic mission, and many converted to Catholicism.

The Surp Giragos yev Hughida Yegeghetsi (Սուրբ Կիրակոս եւ Յուղիտա Եկեղեցի; St. Cyricus and Julitta Church) located in the northeastern quarter of the city was the principal Armenian Apostolic Church in the city.  It may have been built in 1376, or, according to the history of Ghugas Injijian, around 1515-1518 after Surp Teodoros Church was converted into a mosque; it was located in the former graveyard of the Surp Teodoros church. It was rebuilt many times over its history, but by 1915 it was one of the largest Armenian Apostolic Churches in the Middle East, having seven altars and housing around 3000 people.

The Surp Krikor Lusavorich Yegeghetsi (Սուրբ Գրիգոր Լուսաւորիչ Եկեղեցի; Saint Gregory the Illuminator Church) was an Armenian Catholic church built between the 1830s and 1850 by Hoca Hovsep Kazazian in front of his house, located in the southeastern quarter of the city. In 1850 there were estimated about 75 Armenian Catholic families in the city, with two priests. By 1877 there were estimated to be around 100 Armenian Catholic families in the city.

The Surp Sarkis Yegeghetsi (Սուրբ Սարգիս Եկեղեցի; St. Sergius Church) located in the southwestern quarter of the city was an Armenian Apostolic Church, estimated to have been built in the 16th century and rebuilt around 1840. It was looted and burned during the 1895 massacres.

The ʻEtā d-Mār Giwargis, located in the northeast of the İç Kale, was a Nestorian church.  It was reportedly built in the 4th century and rebuilt in 518 by Anastasius I Dicorus.  In the 14th or 15th century, it was converted into a mosque.  By the early 1870s, half of it had been converted into an armory.

The ʻEtā d-Mār Piṯyon was a Chaldean Catholic church located in the northeastern quarter of the city.  It was built in the late 4th century, and rebuilt multiple times, most recently in the 17th century, and repaired most recently in 1834 with the help of the French. In 1681, the Nestorian Metropolitan of Diyarbekir was consecrated by the Pope Innocent XI as the Patriarch of the Chaldeans, and the church became the headquarters of the Chaldaen Patriarchate, and remained so until 1828.

The ʻIto d-Mor Peṭros w-Pawlos is reported to have been built in the 17th century, located in the northeastern quarter of the city.

The ʻIto d-Yoldaṯ Aloho Maryam was a Syriac Orthodox church located in the southwestern quarter of the city.  It was originally a Shamsīyah temple, worshiping the sun god Shamash, and was converted to a church in 280.  The church father Mar Afrem Syrus was said to be baptized in the church in 300.  It had a metropolitan starting from around 325, shown by the presence of the metropolitan Mor Sham'un as a delegate in the first Council of Nicea.  The patriarch resided in Diyarbekir at least during the late 19th century until 1933. The church contains the relics of multiple saints and tombs of bishops, including St. Mar Habib of Amid, Metropolitan of Amid Mor Diyonosiyos Yakup Bar Salibi, and Mar Yakub of Suruç.