MABDOOHAI
651
MABSNOO
fortress. It is mentioned as earlv as the time of Em-
peror Constantius (Amm. Murcell. xix, 9. 4) and again
m the year 506 (Theophanis, " Chronogr/' a. m., 6998).
The town became Christian under Tiridates II, King
of "Armenia, at the close of the third century, and it is
probable that the churches, mausoleums, and houses,
the ruins of which have been discovered, belong to this
period. It played an important part in the religious
controversies between the Catholics and Monophy-
sites, Who made it one of their principal monasteries.
It had a Jacobite bishop in 0:^4 (see the list of Syrian
titulars, in Lequien, " Oriens Christ r," II, 1457-14G2;
also "Revue de I'Orient Chretien", VI, 200; also the
list of Chaldean titulars given in Lequien, op. cit.. II.
1321). After 1166 the Jacobite patriarch, who had
hitherto resided at Diarbekir, took up his residence in
Maniin. During the Middle Ages, thanks to its strong
position, the town escaped the attacks of Houla-
gon, grandson of Genghis Khan, and of Tamerlane.
Since 1574 it has belong to the Ottoman Empire,
and is a sanjak in the vilayet of Diarbekir. It is sit-
uated at about 3600 feet above sea-level, on a rugged
browed and impregnable green hill; the grassy plam in
the valley below is known as the Sea of-Mardin. The
population is computed at 25,000, of whom 15,500 are
Mussulmans, the remainder being Christians. The
number of Catholics of various rites is about 3000.
In the Armenian archdiocese there are 8000 faithful,
16 native priests, 8 churches or chapels, 5 central sta-
tions, and 10 chapels of ease. The Syrian Catholic dio-
cese has existed since 1852, and its title has been joined
with that of Amida since 1888. The patriarch ought
to reside at Mardin, but for some years past he has pre-
ferred Beirut on account of facility of communication
with Europe. In the Syrian diocese there are 3500
Catholics, 25 priests, 8 churches and chapels, 1 1 sta-
tions, and the monastery of St. Ephraim. The Chaldean
diocese, which is Hmited to the town of Mardin, has
750 faithful, 4 native priests, 1 parish, and 3 stations.
The Capuchin mission dates from the seventeenth
century^ but its headquarters have been changed
many times. It consists of 15 religious, of whom 11
are priests, and it has 6 houses (Diarbekir or Amida,
Orfa or Edessa^ Malatea or Melitene, Kharpout,
Mamouret-ul-Aaiz or Mozera, and Mardin). The mis-
sion owns 6 churches and 5 chapels; it carries on 18
primary schools, a college at Mamouret-ul-Aziz, 2
orphanages. The Franciscan Sisters of Lons-le-Sau-
nier have three establishments for ^rls, one at Diar-
bekir, one at Orfa, and one at Mardm. The superior
of the mission is Rey. J. Antonius a Mediolano, O.M.C.
There is moreover a schismatic Armenian archbishop
in the town, and an American Protestant mission is
in activity.
AasEMANi, Bibliotheca orientalia, 11, 470; Chapot, Im firon- Hh-e de VEuphraie (Paris. 1907) . 312; Cuinet, La Turquxe d'Asie, II, 494-502; Piolkt, Lea tnisnona catholiqtiee frarifaieea au XIX' eiMe, I ^aria). 274-294; Muaiones Caiholica (Rome, 1907) 161, 756, S05, 810.
S. Vailh6. Mardochai. See Esther.
Mar^chaly Ambrose, third Archbishop of Balti- more; b. at Ingres near Orl^ns, France, 28 August, 1764; d. at Baltimore, 29 January, 1828. Yielding to his parents' desires hcstudied for the legal profession, but later entered the Sulpician seminarv at Orl^ns, where he received tonsure towards the close of 1787. Owing to the chaotic condition of France, he was obliged to leave Paris for Bordeaux, where he was ordained in 1792. On the day of his ordination, and at the risk of his life, accompanied by Abb^ Richard, Martignon, and Cicquard, he sailed for America and arrived at Baltimore (24 June, 1792^, where he offered his first Mass. He was sent ou the mission in St. Mary's County, and later to Bohemia on the eastern shore of Maryland . In 1 799, he was teaching theology at St. Mary's College, Baltimore: in 1801 he was on the staff of Georgetown College, but after a while re-
turned to St. Mary's, which was then in the hands of
the Sulpicians, of which order he was a member. Civil
fovemment having been restored in France under fapoleon. Father Mar^chal was summoned by his superiors to teach at Saint- Flour, Lyons, Aix and Marseilles. His pupils at Marseilles presented him with the marble altar which now stands in the Cathe- dral of Baltimore^ and Louis XVIII also testified his regard by presenting him with several paintings, which also remam in Baltimore Cathedral.
In 1812 he was again teaching in Baltimore; in 1816 he was nominated Bishop of Philadelphia^ but at his request the nomination was withdrawn; m 1817, on 24 July, he was appointed coadjutor to Archbishop Neale ot Baltimore, and Titular of Stauropolis. The Brief of appointment had not reached Baltimore when Archbishop Neale died, and the Titular of Stauropolis was consecrated Archbishop of Baltimore by Bishop Cheverus of Boston, 14 December, 1817. He soon had to face serious dissensions over the claim by the laity to a voice in the appointment of clergy; he tactfully induced his flock to yield, and established the right of the ordinary to make all such appointments. The building of the Cathedral which had oeen begun imder Archbishop Carroll in 1806, was now resumed and completed so that the edifice was consecrated 31 May, 1821. In that year Archbishop Marshal went to Rome on business of his diocese, and in connexion with the White Marsh plantation .which the Archbishop claimed as Diocesan property, but which had been devised to the Jesuits (17 Feb., 1728), and was claimed by them as property of the society to be employed in the interests of the Church of Maryland. 'The arch- bishop secured from Rome a Bull in his favour. (See Society op Jesus, in the United States.) From his "Relatio Status" for 1821-1822 we learn that in the United States as they then existed there were 9 dio- ceses and 117 priests, including the Archdiocese of Bal- timorCj which had 40 priests, 52 churches, 80,(XX) Catholics, 1 seminary, 1 Sulpician college, 1 Jesuit college, 1 Carmelite convent, 1 Convent of St. Vincent of Paul nuns, and 1 convent of Ursulines. In 1826 Archbishop Mar^chal made a journey to Canada, and on his return fell ill . H is coad i utor. Key. James Whit- field, who succeeded him as Archbishop, had not yet been consecrated when death came. His writings consist almost entirely of letters and documents schol- arly in style and are to be f oimd in " The History of the Society of Jesus In North America" by Hughes.
Clarxjb, LiveM of Deceased Biehopa, I (New York, 1872) 23S- 255: Hughes, Hiatorupf the Society of Jetua in North Ameriea, 1 (Cleveland, 1910) Part II: Shea, History of the Cathoiie Church in the U. S, (New York, 1886-1892).
J. P. W. McNeal.
Marenco, (1), Carlo, Italian dramatist, bom at Cassolo (orCassolniioyo)in Piedmont in 18()0; died at Savona in 1846. He studied law for a while, but finally determined to devote himself to literature. To make sure of a competency he applied for and ob- tained a public post ccmnected with the Treasury De^ Eartment of Savona. As a writer. Carlo Marenco elongs to the Romantic school, for he rejects the unity of time in his plays and gives to his plots a more ample development than the classic rules allow. In general his characters ard lifelike and his style ele- gant. Perhaps it may be urged against his tra^c plots that they tend unduly to the sentimental. For some of his tragedies he derived inspiration from Dante, as in the "Pia de' Tolomei , the "Corso Donati", and the "Conte UgoHno". In the "Pia" we observe traits of the Roman Lucretia and the Su- sannah of the Bible combined with characteristics of the Dantesque figure. Of other plays bearing upon more or less historical personages there may be listed "Amoldo da Brescia, "Berengario", "Arrigo di Syeyia",and "Corradino" (8eehisTragedie",Turin, 1837-44, and " Tragedie inedite ", Florence, Va5fi\.
