Born in Anatolia (present day Turkey) this great martyr was a Roman soldier, nicknamed Tyro (young recruit). He converted to Christianity, was tried and condemned to be burnt alive in 306 AD under the Roman Emperor Diocletian who was a ferocious persecutor of Christians.

From time immemorial, St. Theodore is the patron of our beloved departed ones. His modest chapel stands in the middle of Maarra’s cemetery on the top of a hill southeast of the village. We do not know when the chapel was built. Its roof was restored around 1975.

In the vernacular of the village, St. Theodore is known as Mar^* Fadroos, a popular deformation of his Greek name, Theodoros. The feast commemorating his martyrdom is on February 17, but he is also traditionally venerated in the Eastern Church on the first Saturday of Great Lent. On that day, the Divine Liturgy is celebrated in the chapel for all those who fell asleep in the Lord.

^*For the meaning of the Aramaic word Mar, please see the Description of the Sanctuary of St. Elias the Living on this site.