United Syrians

United Syrians one of the Syrian churches which dates from the 17th century, when a numerous party under Andreas Achigian, their first patriarch, seceded from the Jacobites, and acknowledged the authority of the pope. They have a patriarch at Aleppo, styled patriarch of Antioch; and archbishops of Aleppo, Babylon; Damascus, and Seleucia, besides eleven bishops. They number about 30;000. SEE SYRIAN CHURCHES.