Wanes (Iyawannis) Wanki Metropolitan of Cappadocia and Edessa
(1624)
Wanes is the son of Maqdisi Mardiros Najjar the Armenian. He was born at Wank, a village in Karkar, and in 1566 became a monk at the Virgin and Mar Zakka Monasteries situated in the mountains of the province of Karkar. He studied the Syriac language and literature and wrote in a pleasant style. He was ordained a priest and twice performed the pilgrimage to Jerusalem. For a while he resided at the Monastery of Mar Abhai, but he spent a great deal of effort in renovating the Monastery of Mar Zakka in 1588. In 1590 he became the abbot of Mar Barsoum Monastery, but later returned to his monastery. About 1599 he was ordained a metropolitan of Cappadocia and Edessa under the name Gregorius. He died about 1624. He was known for his piety. He mastered the fine yet beautiful Karkari script.619 We found in his own handwriting, in extremely fine script,620 four Gospels and a book of Psalms. He also wrote brief historical tracts and comments on the monasteries of Karkar621 as well as the events in his time, the most useful of which is the account of the trouble between the two Patriarchs Pilate and Hidayat Allah and their reconciliation in the year 1591-1593.622