Coptic Museum, Cairo - GmpViaggi PL… · Coptic Museum, Cairo Housing the world's largest collection of Coptic Christian artwork, the Coptic Museum in Cairo is a must-see for visitors
Post on 27-May-2018
227 Views
Preview:
Transcript
Coptic Museum Cairo
Housing the worlds largest collection of Coptic Christian artwork the Coptic
Museum in Cairo is a must-see for visitors interested in Christian art or
Egyptian history after the pharaohs
History
The Coptic Museum was founded in 1910 and recently reopened after
extensive renovations
What to See
The Coptic Museum is generally arranged by artistic medium The first floor
has carved stone and stucco frescoes and woodwork The second floor
includes textiles manuscripts icons and metalwork
The collection includes many exquisite works of art as well as some artifacts
notable for their religious syncretism - the gradual transformation of the
Egyptian ankh into the cross and divine sun discs into halos Christian scenes
incorporating Egyptian gods and ancient Egyptian columns transformed into
baptismal fonts
Some of the Nag Hammadi manuscripts important early copies of Gnostic-
Christian writings like the Gospel of Thomas are upstairs
Hanging Church Cairo
Known in Arabic as al-Muallaqah (The Suspended) the Hanging Church
is the most famous Coptic church in Cairo The church is dedicated to the
Virgin Mary and is thus also known as Sitt Mariam or St Marys Church
The Hanging Church is named for its location above a gatehouse of the
Roman fortress in Old Cairo its nave is suspended over a passage The
church is approached by 29 steps early travelers to Cairo dubbed it the
Staircase Church
History
The Hanging Church was built in the 7th century probably on the site of a 3rd
or 4th century church for the soldiers of the bastion It has been rebuilt several
times since then including a major rebuild under Patriarch Abraham in the
10th century
By the 11th century the Hanging Church became the official residence of the
Coptic patriarchs of Alexandria and several Coptic synods were held in the
church The main furnishings - the pulpit and screens - date from the 13th
century
What to See
Entrance to the Hanging Church is via a beautifully-decorated gate on Shara
Mari Girgis Street This leads into an open courtyard flanked by mosaics
from which there are 29 steps to the church At the top of the stairs are three
wooden doors decorated with geometric patterns framed with decorative
carvings in the stone wall
Inside only the section to the right of the sanctuary above the southern
bastion is considered original Nevertheless the Hanging Church remains
one of the most impressive churches in the city remarkable for its marble
pulpit inlaid screens icons and murals The timber roof of the nave recalls
Noahs Ark
The 11th-century marble pulpit surmounts 13 graceful pillars representing
Jesus and the 12 disciples As customary in Coptic churches one of the
pillars is black representing Judas and another is grey for doubting Thomas
Its steps are carved with a shell and a cross
The oldest icon in the Hanging Church dates from the 8th century Many
other artifacts from this church are now displayed in the Coptic Museum
including a lintel showing Christs entry into Jerusalem that dates from the 5th
or 6th century
St Georges Church Cairo
The Church of St George in Coptic Cairo is the principal Greek Orthodox
church of Egypt It is built atop an old Roman tower and adjoins the
Monastery of St George
History
The Church of St George was built in the 10th century but a fire destroyed
the original structure The present church dates only from 1904
What to See
St George is the only round church in Egypt but unlike the original Church of
the Holy Sepulchre and its many imitators (such as Romes Santa Stefano
Rotondo and Londons Temple Church) this is only for practical reasons - it is
built atop the foundations of a Roman round tower
Inside the dark interior is heavy with incense and pierced by sunbeams that
filter through its stained glass windows A (closed) flight of steps leads down
into the old Roman tower once believed to be peopled by devils
Next door the Monastery of St George is now the seat of the Greek
Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria The monastery rarely admits tourists
Confusingly just down the road is another Church of St George and a
Convent of St George the latter of which opens its chapel to visitors (daily
9-4) and has some English-speaking nuns Both of these institutions are
Coptic Orthodox
Festivals and Events
St Georges celebration of the Moulid of Mari Girgis (St Georges Day) on
April 23 is one of the largest Coptic festivals in Cairo - despite the fact that the
church is Greek not Coptic
St Marks Coptic Cathedral Alexandria
St Marks Coptic Cathedral in Alexandria is the seat of the Pope of
Alexandria the head of the Coptic Orthodox Church The cathedral is said to
stand on the site of the church founded by St Mark the Evangelist in 60 AD
History
St Mark the Evangelist (author of the second Gospel) has been connected
with the city of Alexandria since earliest Christian tradition Coptic Christians
believe he arrived in Alexandria around 60 AD and stayed for about seven
years
During this time Mark converted many to Christianity and performed miracles
He is considered the founder of the church in Alexandria and the first Bishop
of Alexandria According to tradition St Mark was arrested during a festival of
Serapis in 68 AD and martyred by being dragged through the streets He was
buried under the church he had founded
In 828 the body of St Mark was stolen from the Alexandrian church by
Venetians to be enshrined in the grand new St Marks Basilica in Venice
However the head of the saint remained in Alexandria and every newly-
appointed Patriarch of Alexandria began his service with holding the holy
head of St Mark in his lap and changing its cloth shroud
The head of St Mark was moved around a great deal over the centuries and
has been lost for over 250 years Some of the relics from the body of St
Mark however were returned to Alexandria from Rome in 1968
What to See
The present St Marks Coptic Cathedral is of recent date but is said to stand
on the site of church founded by St Mark himself
Mount Sinai
Mount Sinai (also called Jebel Musa or Mount Moses) on the Sinai
Peninsula of Egypt is the traditional site where Moses received the Ten
Commandments from God There are some small chapels at the summit from
which there are spectacular sunrise views The starting point for the climb
and an unmissable sight in itself is St Catherines Monastery at the base of
the mountain
In the BibleNow Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law the priest of Midian and he led the flock to the far side of the desert and came to Horeb the mountain of God There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look God called to him from within the bush Moses Moses And Moses said Here I am
Do not come any closer God said Take off your sandals for the place where you are standing is holy ground Then he said I am the God of your father the God of Abraham the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob At this Moses hid his face because he was afraid to look at God The Lord said I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt So now go I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt
Moses said to God Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them The God of your fathers has sent me to you and they ask me What is his name Then what shall I tell them God said to Moses I am who I am This is what you are to say to the Israelites I AM has sent me to you (Exodus 31-14 NIV)
In the third month after the Israelites left Egyptmdashon the very daymdashthey came to the Desert of Sinai After they set out from Rephidim they entered the Desert of Sinai and Israel camped there in the desert in front of the mountain
Then Moses went up to God and the LORD called to him from the mountain and said This is what you are to say to the house of Jacob and what you are to tell the people of Israel You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt and how I carried you on eagles wings and brought you to myself Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession Although the whole earth is mine you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites
And God spoke all these words I am the Lord your God who brought you out of Egypt out of the land of slavery You shall have no other gods before me (Exodus 19 the Ten Commandments are given at Exodus 201-17)
Authenticity
The geographical locations of these biblical events are not known and a wide
variety of theories have been offered by scholars No particular evidence
supports the site on which the monastery is built nor for the peak identified as
Mount Sinai However the attachment of early Christian monks to these sites
is not without significance
What to See
From St Catherines Monastery it is an uphill hike or camel ride to the
summit of Mount Sinai (2285m) This is identified as the mountain where
Moses received the Tablets of the Law from God The main route to the
summit is known as the Path of Moses (Arabic Sikket Sayidna Musa) and is
lined with remains of various chapels This is a very popular place from which
to watch the sunrise which is spectacular
There is both a mosque and a chapel at the summit of Mount Moses The
Chapel of the Holy Trinity was built in 1934 using the remains of the chapel
built by Justinian in the 6th century Justinians chapel itself replaced an
earlier chapel built in 363
Clearly visible from the mountain is the village of St Catherine located
some distance from the Monastery on the El Raha plain It is an old
settlement that has received considerable development in recent years
St Catherines Monastery Sinai
St Catherines Monastery is an Orthodox monastery on the Sinai peninsula
at the foot of Mount Sinai in Egypt One of the oldest Christian monasteries in
the world St Catherines incorporates the burning bush seen by Moses and
contains many valuable icons Above the monastery is Mount Sinai (see
separate article) where Moses received the Ten Commandments from God
Because God spoke to Moses in these places this area is sacred to three
world religions Christianity Islam and Judaism
In the BibleNow Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law the priest of Midian and he led the flock to the far side of the desert and came to Horeb the mountain of God There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look God called to
him from within the bush Moses Moses And Moses said Here I am
Do not come any closer God said Take off your sandals for the place where you are standing is holy ground Then he said I am the God of your father the God of Abraham the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob At this Moses hid his face because he was afraid to look at God The Lord said I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt So now go I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt
Moses said to God Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them The God of your fathers has sent me to you and they ask me What is his name Then what shall I tell them God said to Moses I am who I am This is what you are to say to the Israelites I AM has sent me to you (Exodus 31-14 NIV)
In the third month after the Israelites left Egyptmdashon the very daymdashthey came to the Desert of Sinai After they set out from Rephidim they entered the Desert of Sinai and Israel camped there in the desert in front of the mountain
Then Moses went up to God and the LORD called to him from the mountain and said This is what you are to say to the house of Jacob and what you are to tell the people of Israel You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt and how I carried you on eagles wings and brought you to myself Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession Although the whole earth is mine you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites
And God spoke all these words I am the Lord your God who brought you out of Egypt out of the land of slavery You shall have no other gods before me (Exodus 19 the Ten Commandments are given at Exodus 201-17)
Authenticity
The geographical locations of these biblical events are not known and a wide
variety of theories have been offered by scholars No particular evidence
supports the site on which the monastery is built nor for the peak identified as
Mount Sinai However the attachment of early Christian monks to these sites
is not without significance
History
In the early 4th century St Helena mother of Constantine the Great built the
Chapel of the Burning Bush at the site where Moses is supposed to have
seen the miracle
The fortified walls were built around the chapel by the Byzantine emperor and
great church-builder Justinian (who also commissioned the Hagia Sophia)
starting in 527 The Church of the Transfiguration was completed by
Justinians workers in the 560s around the time of his death
The monasterys actual name is the Monastery of the Transfiguration but it
later became associated with St Catherine of Alexandria a 3rd-century
martyr whose head and hand were brought here for safe keeping in the 10th
century St Catherines Monastery became a major pilgrimage destination in
the Byzantine Era and it still is today
Mount Sinai is also revered by Muslims as Jebel Musa (Mount Moses) the
place where God handed down his Law In 623 a document signed by the
Prophet Muhammad himself the Actiname (Holy Testament) exempted the
Christian monks of St Catherines from the usual taxes and military service
and commanded that Muslims provide the community with every help
In recognition of this gesture the St Catherines monks permitted the
conversion of a small Crusader chapel within the monastery to a mosque
between 1101 and 1106 during the Fatimid Caliphate (909-1171) This was in
regular use until Mameluke rule in the later 13th century when it was
neglected until its restoration in the early 20th century It is still used on
special occasions by the local Muslims
In 2002 the area centering on St Catherines Monastery was declared a
World Heritage Site by UNESCO because of Mt Sinais importance in three
major world religions (Judaism Christianity and Islam) the natural
environment of the area and St Catherines historic architecture and art
What to See
St Catherines Monastery comprises the entire Orthodox Church of Mount
Sinai an autonomous Orthodox Christian church headed by an archbishop
who is also the abbot of the monastery The archbishop is traditionally
consecrated by the Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem
St Catherines Monastery is surrounded on all sides by a massive wall 25 m
wide and 11m high This is the wall provided by Emperor Justinian in the 6th
century It is made of huge dressed granite blocks except for the upper
sections which were restored on orders of Napoleon using smaller
undressed stone blocks Christian symbols such as crosses and monograms
are carved on the wall in various places Until the 20th century access was
through a door high in the outer walls The entrance is now through a smaller
gate (also original) to the left of the main gate
The holiest part of the monastery is the large living shrub that is said to be a
direct descendent of the very burning bush that was seen by Moses The
Chapel of the Burning Bush was built with its altar situated above the roots
of the bush and incorporates the 4th-century chapel built by Empress St
Helena The chapel is dedicated to the Virgin Mary The bust itself was
transplanted to permit the construction of the altar and now grows a few
meters from the chapel It is a rare species of the rose family called Rubus
Sanctus The bush is native to Sinai and extremely long-lived facts that help
lend credibility to the site
The main church of the monastery is the Basilica of the Transfiguration (or
Katholikon) which was built of granite by the Byzantine architect Stephanos
at the same time as the defensive walls The church structure the roof and
the carved cedar doors at the entrance are all originals from 527 AD
Inside the basilica has a broad main nave two side aisles an apse and a
narthex The nave is bordered by massive granite columns with capitals
decorated with Christian symbols Each aisle has three chapels and there is a
chapel on each side of the apse Next to the main altar is a sarcophagus with
the relics of St Catherine (head and hand)
The ceiling marble floor and elaborate iconostasis of the basilica date from
the 18th century The icons mosaics and works of art that decorate the
interior span many centuries The doors of the narthex were added by
Crusaders in the 11th century
The neo-Classical bell tower was built in 1871 by one of the monks
Gregorius It houses nine bells given by the Tsar of Russia
A continual supply of fresh water is provided to the monastery by the Well of
Moses which taps an underground spring According to tradition this stands
on the very spot where Moses met his future wife Zipporah after protecting
her and her sisters from an aggressive group of local shepherds (Exodus
216-21
St Pauls Monastery
St Pauls Monastery (Deir Mar Boulos) in the Eastern Desert of Egypt is an
ancient monastery dedicated to the hermit St Paul of Thebes who moved to
this spot in the wilderness around 250 AD Originally built in the 5th century
the monastery now has three churches and contains many important
manuscripts
History
The life of St Paul of Thebes was recorded early but has always been
intertwined with fabulous legends Born into a wealthy family Paul abandoned
civilization and fled the Decian persecution around 250 AD when he was only
16 years old to become a hermit in the Eastern Desert
Living a life of extreme austerity from until his death at the ripe old age of 113
the hermit is said to have been fed a half-loaf of bread each day by a raven
In the most famous episode of his life Paul was visited by the desert monk St
Anthony around 345 AD Nearing the end of his own life of austerity Anthony
had become tempted by vanity in thinking he was the first of the Desert
Fathers So God led him to meet one who had preceded him
Paul died during Anthonys visit According to one version of the legend
Anthony requested two lions to dig a grave Another version says that before
his death Paul requested the robe of Pope Athanasius be brought to him for
burial then died while Anthony was away on the errand Either way two lions
dug the grave and St Anthony buried the hermit there designating him a
saint
St Pauls Monastery was built around the hermits cave by the 5th century It
suffered from Bedouin raids throughout its history the worst being in 1484
when all the monks were murdered the monastery was plundered and the
Bedouins occupied it for 80 years
Deir Mar Boulos was rebuilt under the patronage of Pope Gabriel VII of
Alexandria (1526-69) then attacked and destroyed again towards the end of
the century The monastery was deserted for 119 years then extensively
reconstructed and repopulated by monks from St Anthonys Monastery under
the patronage of Pope John XVI of Alexandria (1676-1718)
What to See
The monastery that bears St Pauls name is located where he was buried in
a valley south of the St Anthony monastery It has been little changed over
the years preserving its remarkably ancient heritage
The monastery has four churches the most important of which is the
underground Church of St Paul that contains the hermits cave and burial
place Its walls are painted with well-preserved frescoes and the ceiling is
hung with ostrich eggs symbols of the resurrection The larger Church of St
Michael has a gilded icon of John the Baptists severed head
St Pauls possesses many illustrated manuscripts including the Coptic
version of the Divine Liturgy and the Commentary on the Epistle of Saint Paul
to Titus by John Chrysostom
It is possible to hike from St Pauls to St Anthonys Monastery along a trail
across the plateau but this is a demanding trek and should be done with a
guide
St Antony Monastery ndash Red Sea
THE STORY OF MONASTICISM
Monasticism is considered Egyptrsquos greatest gift to the world It is a life of solitude prayer
contemplation charitable deeds and manual labour It is being one with God
where the monastic focuses all their life on being with God and doing His will
Monasticism is built on three basic principles poverty obedience and
chastity Monasticism was founded by the Egyptian Saint Antony who was
granted the title lsquofather of monasticismrsquo
Other important names in monasticism are Saint Macarius and Saint
Pachomius both from Egypt It was Saint Pachomius the Egyptian who began
to constitute monastic rules and innovated the concept of communal monastic
living an innovation that is based on monastic life today Benedictine
Monasticism in the West based its monastic rules on those of Saint
Pachomius Many visitors came from the West in the early years of
monasticism to learn from the simple Egyptian monks People such as Saint
John Chrysostom Saint Jerome Saint John Cassian and Palladius wrote
many books about the lives and sayings of the desert fathers of Egypt as they
experienced them
Monasticism is still thriving in Egypt today thanks to a revival led by His
Holiness Pope Shenouda III There are many inhabited ancient monasteries
and convents in Egypt as well as new monasteries being established abroad
in the Diaspora such as in Europe the USA and Australia
THE CAVE
We know from the lsquoLife of Antonyrsquo that our great hermit when he ventured into
this wilderness to seek greater seclusion discovered a natural cave in the
mountain and loved it and hence made it his home for the remaining 43 years
of his life
Today as in time past this cave within which St Antony dwelt is the life force
and heart beat of the Monastery and in which liturgy is celebrated daily and
thousands of pilgrims each year journey to for spiritual nourishment and
contemplation
From the plateau to the cave is a climb of approximately 1 hour and is today
made accessible by means of concrete steps and hand-railing for support As
one climbs the mountain to which St Antony withdrew one passes the Church
of St Paul the Simple which was constructed over the site of where this
disciple of St Antony once lived St Paul the Simple a 4th century desert
father known as lsquothe Simplersquo due to his meek and simple nature was St
Antonyrsquos faithful disciple Prior to his monastic life he had been married and
caught his wife in the act of adultery Hence he left her and took the decision
to consecrate the rest of his life to monastic living He went to St Antony ndash
who at this time was now 80 years old ndash and asked that he become a monk
St Antony at first refused him on account of his age (St Paul was 60) and
therefore compelled him several times to leave and return to his village
saying he could not survive the harsh ascetical life And yet St Paul was so
persistent that St Antony have him many demanding and arduous tasks all of
which he fulfilled with such humility obedience and simplicity that St Antony
accepted him into his monastic community and called him the Pride of the
Desert and he bore with honour the title lsquothe Simplersquo The solitary life gave St
Paul the Simple the gift of healing and casting out demons a power in which
he even surpassed his teacher St Antony The remains of his cave upon
which is built a church in his honour and is seen on the climb to St Antonyrsquos
cave bears witness to this faithful contemporary of our great hermit About
100 metres further up one reaches a terrace and then St Antonyrsquos blessed
cave
St Antonyrsquos cave is located about 2 km south-east of the Monastery 680
metres above the Red Sea and 276 metres above the Monastery It
comprises 3 parts the terrace the tunnel and the cave The narrow tunnel
connects the outer terrace ndash where one can imagine St Antony would sit and
weave his palm leave baskets ndash with the inner cave where he once dwelt and
is now converted into a small chapel
St Bishoy Monastery
The most eastern surviving Christian monastery in the Wadi el-Natrun of
Egypt is Dier Al Anba Bishoy (Pshoi Bishoi) which was founded by St
Bishoy (Pshoi)
The Monastery of Saint Bishoy is one of the original monasteries of Scetis Its
counterpart monastery is that of the Syrians which was built in the sixth
century by the followers of Severus or the Theodosian monks when concepts
concerning the nature of Christ forced a chrism between many monks in
Egypt
Like the Monastery of Saint Macarius the Monastery of the Romans and the
Monastery of Saint John the Little the Monastery of Saint Bishoy suffered five
sacks by the Berbers Al-Maqrizi who wrote during the fifteenth century
refers specifically to the fourth destruction of the monastery during the
patriarchate of Andronicus (616-2623) The patriarch Benjamin I (623-662) is
said to have rebuilt the monastery after that When the persecution by the
Berbers finally came to an end in the ninth century the bodies of both Saints
Bishoy and Paul of Tammua (Tamweh Tamwa) were returned to the
Monastery of Saint Bishoy
However the monastery was once again pillaged in 1096 which resulted in
its depopulation Then during the reign of patriarch Benjamin II (1327-1339)
considerable restoration of the monastery was undertaken because ants had
destroyed much of the woodwork and the buildings were near collapse
A number of visitors traveled to this monastery during late antiquity and into
more modern times Coppin went there in 1638 and Thevenot visited it in
1657 reporting it as the best of the four Wadi Natrun monasteries Then came
Wansleben in 1672 and Sicard in 1712 Granger made the journey in 1730
Sonnini in 1778 Andreossy in 1799 and Curzon in 1837 In 1839 Tattam is
said to have acquired numerous manuscripts from the monastery and in
1843 Wilkinson discovered thirteen monks in the monastery
However in 1875 when Junkers attempted to visit the monastery he was not
permitted to enter because a European before him had stolen several
manuscripts In 1881 Jullien reported that the monastery had the best water
of any in the Wadi and this was substantiated by Butler in 1883 From these
and other visitors we find that the monastery had twenty monks in 1638 four
in 1712 twelve in 1799 four in 1837 seven in 1875 fourteen in 1896 and
twenty in 1923
The monastery is nearly oblong in shape and surrounded by a defensive wall
The great wall was built in the ninth century and measures about ten meters
high and two meters wide It is one hundred and sixty-six meters on the east
and west and ninety-five meters on the north and south
Originally there were four entrances to the monastery one on each side of the
wall Today there are only two consisting of one on the north and one on the
south The main entrance is a gateway near the western end of the north wall
This gateway which possesses an inner gatehouse and a large carefully built
tower is the best preserved in the Wadi as well as the most complete and
elaborate of its kind of the four remaining monasteries
The southern half of the monastery is occupied by the church and cells of the
monks as well as by a modern patriarchal residence The greater part of the
gardens and the keep are in the northern half
The most interesting building in the monastery is the tower located at the
northwest corner of the monastery Defensive towers or keeps have been a
part of the architecture of Wadi El-Natruns monasteries since the fifth century
This was a time when the Berbers often attacked monasteries in the area
The keep at Saint Bishoy dates to the thirteenth century and is a few years
older than the keep of the Monastery of St Macarius One enters it at the
second floor level by a wooden drawbridge that rests on the roof of the
gatehouseOn the first floor are rooms where food was stored and prepared
One can see traces of an oven a mill for grains a press for grapes as well as
an olive press There is also a well some thirty meters deep
The second floor comprises the living quarters of the monks during the
periods of siege There is also a long corridor and east of this are rooms
which have cupolas supported by brick arches These have now been
transformed into a church dedicated to the Holy Virgin It has a transverse
nave and a triple sanctuary
On the north side of the roof of the tower is the Church of St Michaels one of
five in the monastery The icons on the iconostasis which date to the
eighteenth century have been restored They depict the twelve apostles in
pontifical vestments It is noteworthy that in no other monastery do we find the
Church of Saint Michael so isolated as in the Monastery of Saint Bishoy so it
is probable that at one time the keep had an additional floor like those of the
other monasteries in the Wadi
The other churches really form more of a complex of chapels with the central
and main church dedicated to Saint Bishoy It has been restored and
extended several times but it has been suggested that the most ancient parts
of the church do not predate the fifth attack which occurred between 830 and
848 on the monasteries of Wadi Natrun Indeed nothing remains of the
original church built prior to this and many principal elements of the structure
that we see today probably date from the restoration and remodeling
conducted by Benjamin II around 1330
It has a naos a three-aisled nave including a main center aisle and a western
return aisle a khurus (Choir) and it currently has a tripartite sanctuary (three
alters) The nave has a precious wooden pulpit while the wooden door
separating the two bays of the nave has decorative hexagonal panels with
arabesques and ivory inlays It probably dates to the fourteenth century The
khurus is rectangular in plan and placed transversely in relation to the nave In
the tripartite sanctuary the north one is dedicated to the Holy Virgin and is
separated from the choir by an arched portal It is a particularly long and
narrow room and its structure probably dates to the ninth century The middle
sanctuary is dedicated to Saint Bishoy and is connected with the khurus
through a high portal with ornate wooden panels dating to the Fatimed Period
However its square plan probably dates to the ninth century and its cupola
to the fourteenth The southern sanctuary is dedicated to John the Baptist
and also dates to the time of the renovations made during the fourteenth
century
The church or chapel more properly a parekklesion of St Iskhyrun (Abu
Iskhirun Iskhiron) was apparently added in the eleventh century though the
cupola is part of the renovations made by patriarch Benjamin II It is accessed
from the south side of the khurus of the Church of Saint Bishoy The plan is
almost square and opens on the east into a semi-circular apse which serves
as a sanctuary Here the relics of the holy martyr Saint Iskhyrun are kept
under the altar An icon from the seventeenth century placed on the
iconostasis separating the choir from the sanctuary depicts Iskhyrun on
horseback As is customary a wooden partition separates the nave from the
choir
The baptistery accessed by a narrow passage is located to the north of the
sanctuary of the Church of Saint Iskhyrun The diameter of the stone
baptismal font is ninety-five centimeters Only this monastery and that of al-
Baramus possess baptisteries in the Wadi This is because Coptic families
sometimes wish for their children to be baptized in holy and particularly
venerated places
Remains of wall paintings were recently discovered in the so-called Chapel of
Benjamin which probably date to the second half of the twelfth century The
restoration of the wall paintings in this section of the Monastery is not yet
complete
To the northeast of the main church and accessed from the khurus of that
church through a door set to the left of the tomb of Saint Bishoy is the Church
of the Holy Virgin which is actually dedicated to Benjamin I It features a nave
roofed with a barrel vault The sanctuary almost square in plan is separated
from the nave by a finely worked wooden iconostasis and surmounted by a
cupola This church is used during the winter months for the divine Liturgy
Built in the eleventh or the twelfth century the Church of Saint George is not
used now for services Its entrance is near the southeast corner of the main
church It has two sanctuaries and is roofed with six low cupolas The
monastery contains three refectories The ancient one is situated parallel to
the west end of the main church from which it is separated by a long narrow
vaulted corridor Its entrance is in the middle of the corridor opposite the west
entrance of the church It is a long chamber measuring twenty-seven meters
in length and four and a half meters in width divided into five domed bays by
four transverse arches The central space is roofed with a beautiful
quadripartite vault while the other four have cupolas in which some openings
admit light A masonry table takes up almost the entire length of the hall It is
strangely low only rising thirty-six centimeters Clearly the monks set cross-
legged on the floor Originally monks came here after Sunday liturgy to
celebrate the agape but today the refectory is used as a museum that
exhibits both sacred and secular artifacts
The two other refectories are older The smallest one lies southwest of the
main church At an unknown date it was transformed into the present chapel
of Mari Girgis It consists of a square room with a central pillar from which
spring four arches The third refectory which is now used fro storage lies in
the southeastern corner of the monastery
There is also a bakery and a millhouse in the northeastern corner of the
monastery The latter is the most complete example of its kind in the Wadi
Natrun
Also located on the grounds of the monastery is the Well of the Martyrs which
has been used ever since the time of Anba Bishoy It is said that the Berbers
washed the blood from their swords here after having killed the 49 Martyrs
Monks at the monastery also say that the Martyrs were thrown in the well prior
to being interned at the nearby St Marcarius Monastery It is twelve meters
deep and continues to produce fresh water which is regarded as miraculous
Following his enthronement in November of 1971 His Holiness Pope
Shenouda III selected this monastery as his pontifical residence where he
generally spends two or three days a week For this reason it is therefore the
destination of thousands of Copts who visit Wadi Naturn At one point he was
exiled to this monastery for forty months and during this time he ordained as
many as one hundred young men as monks
In recent years four hundred acres of desert land were acquired for the
monastery much of which has been cultivated Three reservoirs for drinking
water a new library a three-story guest house three large units for monastic
cells as well as lecture and conference buildings have been constructed at
the rear of the old monastery This is also the location of the pontifical
residence and the new Church of Saint Shenuda Here the number of monks
has increased to over 160 though many of these monks now serve in the
restored Upper Egyptian monasteries as well as in Coptic churches overseas
St Mary Monastery - El Sorian
Different sources indicate that the monastery was built around the fifth century There are many proofs the most important of which are The old fortress to the right of entrance of the monastery (even though it was repaired) It is well known that King Xenon (474-491 AD) was the one that built these fortresses as a token to his daughter Saint Hillary who entered monastic life in the wilderness of Shiheet and became well known everywhere There is a source in the library of London of the writings of Saint Yacoub El Serougi that is dated back to 603 AD from El Sorian Monastery Putler mentioned that the partitions of the church of St Mary-El Sorian go back to before 700 AD which resembles those in the Church of St Pishoy and the Church of St Mary-El Baramous These churches are considered the oldest in the wilderness until now Brumster mentioned in his book ldquoGuidance to the Monasteries of the Natroun Valleyrdquo that it was one of the monasteries known by the Theotokos These monasteries appeared in the fifth century after the counsel of Ephesus in 431 AD that discredited the Nestorian heresy Afterwards monasteries were built bearing the name of the Theotokos ldquoMother of Godrdquo and so it was called St Mary-El Sorian Monastery beside St Pishoy Monastery in the eastern wilderness Evelyn White mentioned that the monastery became independently run from the eighth century
Why it is Called El Sorian [The Syrian] Since the fourth century people have come from all over to the wilderness of Shiheet to visit and get blessings of the ascetic monks that reached high spiritual levels of asceticism and worship Examples of those are St Arsanius and St Maximus and Dometius who are still placed in St Mary-El Baramos Monastery There are also remnants of the old monasteries about three kilometers southeast of the monastery including the monastery of St John
Kame Abanoub the Ethiopians the Armenians and St John the Short And because people from all over came to worship the Coptic monks welcomed some Syrian monks for a period of time which is why it became famous of the Syrian [El Sorian] Monastery and also to differentiate it from St Mary-El Baramous Monastery St Mary Monastery is not St John Kame Monastery As mentioned above El Sorian Monastery was from the fifth century while the Monastery of St John Kame is from the ninth century and its ruins still exist Prince Omar Tosson built a pillar for each monastery and wrote its name on it Also the scholar Mohaub visited this monastery in 1088 AD When St John Kame Monastery was destroyed because of white ants between 1413 and 1430 AD his monks went to El Sorian Monastery and carried with them the body of St John Kame and their belongings including a marble stone that is still in El Sorian Church and engraved on it in Coptic the dates of the departure of St John Kame and his disciple St Stefanos
El Sorian Monastery in the Twentieth CenturyThe monastery became quite famous among other monasteries especially in the second half of the twentieth century when it was the leader and the initiator of monastic revival under the encouragement of Bishop Theophilus since he became the abbot of the monastery in 1948 most important of which
Monasticism A group of educated individuals entered monastic life and started working whole-heartedly to revive the monastery that group included those who reconstructed St Macarius Monastery St Paul St Mina and St George [El-Rozaykat] in addition to St Pishoy Monastery the head of which is HH Pope Shenouda III All of these monks were part of El Sorian Monastery and they had a great impact on
the revival of the church The majority of the Holy Synod that represents the leadership of the church areeducated monks that were prior to monastic life servants in their old churches and had a great impact on the priesthood from the spiritual social and intellectual standpoint During that
period a great number of monks were ordained compared to the previous period in which the number usually wouldnrsquot exceed more than twenty or forty the number of monks being ordained now is double or triple that number
Reconstruction In the early fifties when Bishop Theophillus presided over the monastery he demolished the cells that were next to
the Southern wall and built a building for the monks that were four stories high with a beautiful faccedilade It was the first modern building in the monastery and other monasteries adopted the same idea In 1988 another three-story building was constructed on top of which a water tower was built Through the encouragement of HH Pope Shenouda III in 1993 another three-story building was constructed next to that There
were two old bell towers around a guesthouse that was at the east side of St Maryrsquos church one of them is still standing and the other one was demolished Bishop Theophilus built instead of it a high tower at the north of the cells of the monks that the visitors of the monastery can see from far away In 1968 the other tower was built and was even higher than the first one HH Pope Shenouda III [who was Bishop of Education at that time] supervised personally on the construction
The Water Tower In 1955 a big water tower was built under which two water closets were built Father Moussa [the late Bishop Andrawous bishop of Damietta] who was a brilliant engineer from Alexandria was the one that designed and supervised the construction of the water tower That was the first concrete water tower built in the wilderness of
Natroun Prior to that there were only towers that were built out of aluminum and their height did not exceed two meters there were no water fountains in the monastery and only an old primitive water closet In 1988 another water tower was built over the cells of the monks with an electricity-operated water pump
The Guest House To the east of El Sorian Church was a beautiful palace which contained a large hall and many guest rooms that was built by Father Maximus in the year 1914 And in 1974 a guest housebuilding was built in its place that was five stories high and a library of the monastery was transferred to the third floor In addition a small rest house was built in the eighties to the west of El Sorian church on top of an old well and next to it was a big
traditional water pump [sakia] for the monasteryrsquos garden which was transformed after that into a library In 1987 and with the encouragement of HH Pope Shenouda III a two-story building for visitors was built to the west of the monastery
Books of the Monastery In 1951 Bishop Theophilus bought a print-shop for the monastery which was the first of its kind in the Egyptian monasteries and the monks of the monastery ran it and produced important books such as Life of the Orthodox Prayer The Book of the Seven Prayers of Famous Church Saints The Life of Saint John Kame The History of El Sorian Monastery Series of the History of the Patriarchs [four parts] The Three Holy Macari St Basil
the Great His Life Asceticism and Laws and many small booklets that were distributed free of charge like The Life of Mar Ephraim the Syrian Psalm The Lord Has Reigned Saint John Chrysostom Saint Augustine Saint George St Mark St Anna Simon Logios the Stonecutter and
Famous Sayings of Saints about Nativity Epiphany and Resurrection For ten years these sayings are still being read in the mornings of these feasts when the monks get together and read one of them And these books that were produced by El Sorian Monastery had a great impact on the spiritual life of a lot of people and even encouraged some of them to seek the monastic life
Retreat House In 1959 the retreat house was built outside the monastery and was the first one to be built in the monasteries Father Antonious El Soriani [HH Pope Shenouda III] was the guiding father of it and it was receiving large numbers of youth The monastery was enlightening the Christian youth because the quiet atmosphere was a chance for them to grow in prayers fastings spiritual readings meditation and attending
midnight praises and enjoying the desert Especially at sunset when nature coupled with the spiritual guidance of the monks a lot of the youth were led to think seriously about their spiritual lives and yearned to repeat the experience and some of them sought the monastic life And so a lot of the current monks used to spend a lot of time in this house which continued to be a living message of the church for all generations to come
- Coptic Museum Cairo
- History
- What to See
- Hanging Church Cairo
- History
- What to See
- St Georges Church Cairo
- History
- What to See
- Festivals and Events
- History
- What to See
- Mount Sinai
- In the Bible
- Authenticity
- What to See
- St Catherines Monastery Sinai
- In the Bible
- Authenticity
- History
- What to See
- St Pauls Monastery
- History
- What to See
- St Antony Monastery ndash Red Sea
- St Bishoy Monastery
- St Mary Monastery - El Sorian
The collection includes many exquisite works of art as well as some artifacts
notable for their religious syncretism - the gradual transformation of the
Egyptian ankh into the cross and divine sun discs into halos Christian scenes
incorporating Egyptian gods and ancient Egyptian columns transformed into
baptismal fonts
Some of the Nag Hammadi manuscripts important early copies of Gnostic-
Christian writings like the Gospel of Thomas are upstairs
Hanging Church Cairo
Known in Arabic as al-Muallaqah (The Suspended) the Hanging Church
is the most famous Coptic church in Cairo The church is dedicated to the
Virgin Mary and is thus also known as Sitt Mariam or St Marys Church
The Hanging Church is named for its location above a gatehouse of the
Roman fortress in Old Cairo its nave is suspended over a passage The
church is approached by 29 steps early travelers to Cairo dubbed it the
Staircase Church
History
The Hanging Church was built in the 7th century probably on the site of a 3rd
or 4th century church for the soldiers of the bastion It has been rebuilt several
times since then including a major rebuild under Patriarch Abraham in the
10th century
By the 11th century the Hanging Church became the official residence of the
Coptic patriarchs of Alexandria and several Coptic synods were held in the
church The main furnishings - the pulpit and screens - date from the 13th
century
What to See
Entrance to the Hanging Church is via a beautifully-decorated gate on Shara
Mari Girgis Street This leads into an open courtyard flanked by mosaics
from which there are 29 steps to the church At the top of the stairs are three
wooden doors decorated with geometric patterns framed with decorative
carvings in the stone wall
Inside only the section to the right of the sanctuary above the southern
bastion is considered original Nevertheless the Hanging Church remains
one of the most impressive churches in the city remarkable for its marble
pulpit inlaid screens icons and murals The timber roof of the nave recalls
Noahs Ark
The 11th-century marble pulpit surmounts 13 graceful pillars representing
Jesus and the 12 disciples As customary in Coptic churches one of the
pillars is black representing Judas and another is grey for doubting Thomas
Its steps are carved with a shell and a cross
The oldest icon in the Hanging Church dates from the 8th century Many
other artifacts from this church are now displayed in the Coptic Museum
including a lintel showing Christs entry into Jerusalem that dates from the 5th
or 6th century
St Georges Church Cairo
The Church of St George in Coptic Cairo is the principal Greek Orthodox
church of Egypt It is built atop an old Roman tower and adjoins the
Monastery of St George
History
The Church of St George was built in the 10th century but a fire destroyed
the original structure The present church dates only from 1904
What to See
St George is the only round church in Egypt but unlike the original Church of
the Holy Sepulchre and its many imitators (such as Romes Santa Stefano
Rotondo and Londons Temple Church) this is only for practical reasons - it is
built atop the foundations of a Roman round tower
Inside the dark interior is heavy with incense and pierced by sunbeams that
filter through its stained glass windows A (closed) flight of steps leads down
into the old Roman tower once believed to be peopled by devils
Next door the Monastery of St George is now the seat of the Greek
Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria The monastery rarely admits tourists
Confusingly just down the road is another Church of St George and a
Convent of St George the latter of which opens its chapel to visitors (daily
9-4) and has some English-speaking nuns Both of these institutions are
Coptic Orthodox
Festivals and Events
St Georges celebration of the Moulid of Mari Girgis (St Georges Day) on
April 23 is one of the largest Coptic festivals in Cairo - despite the fact that the
church is Greek not Coptic
St Marks Coptic Cathedral Alexandria
St Marks Coptic Cathedral in Alexandria is the seat of the Pope of
Alexandria the head of the Coptic Orthodox Church The cathedral is said to
stand on the site of the church founded by St Mark the Evangelist in 60 AD
History
St Mark the Evangelist (author of the second Gospel) has been connected
with the city of Alexandria since earliest Christian tradition Coptic Christians
believe he arrived in Alexandria around 60 AD and stayed for about seven
years
During this time Mark converted many to Christianity and performed miracles
He is considered the founder of the church in Alexandria and the first Bishop
of Alexandria According to tradition St Mark was arrested during a festival of
Serapis in 68 AD and martyred by being dragged through the streets He was
buried under the church he had founded
In 828 the body of St Mark was stolen from the Alexandrian church by
Venetians to be enshrined in the grand new St Marks Basilica in Venice
However the head of the saint remained in Alexandria and every newly-
appointed Patriarch of Alexandria began his service with holding the holy
head of St Mark in his lap and changing its cloth shroud
The head of St Mark was moved around a great deal over the centuries and
has been lost for over 250 years Some of the relics from the body of St
Mark however were returned to Alexandria from Rome in 1968
What to See
The present St Marks Coptic Cathedral is of recent date but is said to stand
on the site of church founded by St Mark himself
Mount Sinai
Mount Sinai (also called Jebel Musa or Mount Moses) on the Sinai
Peninsula of Egypt is the traditional site where Moses received the Ten
Commandments from God There are some small chapels at the summit from
which there are spectacular sunrise views The starting point for the climb
and an unmissable sight in itself is St Catherines Monastery at the base of
the mountain
In the BibleNow Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law the priest of Midian and he led the flock to the far side of the desert and came to Horeb the mountain of God There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look God called to him from within the bush Moses Moses And Moses said Here I am
Do not come any closer God said Take off your sandals for the place where you are standing is holy ground Then he said I am the God of your father the God of Abraham the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob At this Moses hid his face because he was afraid to look at God The Lord said I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt So now go I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt
Moses said to God Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them The God of your fathers has sent me to you and they ask me What is his name Then what shall I tell them God said to Moses I am who I am This is what you are to say to the Israelites I AM has sent me to you (Exodus 31-14 NIV)
In the third month after the Israelites left Egyptmdashon the very daymdashthey came to the Desert of Sinai After they set out from Rephidim they entered the Desert of Sinai and Israel camped there in the desert in front of the mountain
Then Moses went up to God and the LORD called to him from the mountain and said This is what you are to say to the house of Jacob and what you are to tell the people of Israel You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt and how I carried you on eagles wings and brought you to myself Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession Although the whole earth is mine you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites
And God spoke all these words I am the Lord your God who brought you out of Egypt out of the land of slavery You shall have no other gods before me (Exodus 19 the Ten Commandments are given at Exodus 201-17)
Authenticity
The geographical locations of these biblical events are not known and a wide
variety of theories have been offered by scholars No particular evidence
supports the site on which the monastery is built nor for the peak identified as
Mount Sinai However the attachment of early Christian monks to these sites
is not without significance
What to See
From St Catherines Monastery it is an uphill hike or camel ride to the
summit of Mount Sinai (2285m) This is identified as the mountain where
Moses received the Tablets of the Law from God The main route to the
summit is known as the Path of Moses (Arabic Sikket Sayidna Musa) and is
lined with remains of various chapels This is a very popular place from which
to watch the sunrise which is spectacular
There is both a mosque and a chapel at the summit of Mount Moses The
Chapel of the Holy Trinity was built in 1934 using the remains of the chapel
built by Justinian in the 6th century Justinians chapel itself replaced an
earlier chapel built in 363
Clearly visible from the mountain is the village of St Catherine located
some distance from the Monastery on the El Raha plain It is an old
settlement that has received considerable development in recent years
St Catherines Monastery Sinai
St Catherines Monastery is an Orthodox monastery on the Sinai peninsula
at the foot of Mount Sinai in Egypt One of the oldest Christian monasteries in
the world St Catherines incorporates the burning bush seen by Moses and
contains many valuable icons Above the monastery is Mount Sinai (see
separate article) where Moses received the Ten Commandments from God
Because God spoke to Moses in these places this area is sacred to three
world religions Christianity Islam and Judaism
In the BibleNow Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law the priest of Midian and he led the flock to the far side of the desert and came to Horeb the mountain of God There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look God called to
him from within the bush Moses Moses And Moses said Here I am
Do not come any closer God said Take off your sandals for the place where you are standing is holy ground Then he said I am the God of your father the God of Abraham the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob At this Moses hid his face because he was afraid to look at God The Lord said I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt So now go I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt
Moses said to God Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them The God of your fathers has sent me to you and they ask me What is his name Then what shall I tell them God said to Moses I am who I am This is what you are to say to the Israelites I AM has sent me to you (Exodus 31-14 NIV)
In the third month after the Israelites left Egyptmdashon the very daymdashthey came to the Desert of Sinai After they set out from Rephidim they entered the Desert of Sinai and Israel camped there in the desert in front of the mountain
Then Moses went up to God and the LORD called to him from the mountain and said This is what you are to say to the house of Jacob and what you are to tell the people of Israel You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt and how I carried you on eagles wings and brought you to myself Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession Although the whole earth is mine you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites
And God spoke all these words I am the Lord your God who brought you out of Egypt out of the land of slavery You shall have no other gods before me (Exodus 19 the Ten Commandments are given at Exodus 201-17)
Authenticity
The geographical locations of these biblical events are not known and a wide
variety of theories have been offered by scholars No particular evidence
supports the site on which the monastery is built nor for the peak identified as
Mount Sinai However the attachment of early Christian monks to these sites
is not without significance
History
In the early 4th century St Helena mother of Constantine the Great built the
Chapel of the Burning Bush at the site where Moses is supposed to have
seen the miracle
The fortified walls were built around the chapel by the Byzantine emperor and
great church-builder Justinian (who also commissioned the Hagia Sophia)
starting in 527 The Church of the Transfiguration was completed by
Justinians workers in the 560s around the time of his death
The monasterys actual name is the Monastery of the Transfiguration but it
later became associated with St Catherine of Alexandria a 3rd-century
martyr whose head and hand were brought here for safe keeping in the 10th
century St Catherines Monastery became a major pilgrimage destination in
the Byzantine Era and it still is today
Mount Sinai is also revered by Muslims as Jebel Musa (Mount Moses) the
place where God handed down his Law In 623 a document signed by the
Prophet Muhammad himself the Actiname (Holy Testament) exempted the
Christian monks of St Catherines from the usual taxes and military service
and commanded that Muslims provide the community with every help
In recognition of this gesture the St Catherines monks permitted the
conversion of a small Crusader chapel within the monastery to a mosque
between 1101 and 1106 during the Fatimid Caliphate (909-1171) This was in
regular use until Mameluke rule in the later 13th century when it was
neglected until its restoration in the early 20th century It is still used on
special occasions by the local Muslims
In 2002 the area centering on St Catherines Monastery was declared a
World Heritage Site by UNESCO because of Mt Sinais importance in three
major world religions (Judaism Christianity and Islam) the natural
environment of the area and St Catherines historic architecture and art
What to See
St Catherines Monastery comprises the entire Orthodox Church of Mount
Sinai an autonomous Orthodox Christian church headed by an archbishop
who is also the abbot of the monastery The archbishop is traditionally
consecrated by the Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem
St Catherines Monastery is surrounded on all sides by a massive wall 25 m
wide and 11m high This is the wall provided by Emperor Justinian in the 6th
century It is made of huge dressed granite blocks except for the upper
sections which were restored on orders of Napoleon using smaller
undressed stone blocks Christian symbols such as crosses and monograms
are carved on the wall in various places Until the 20th century access was
through a door high in the outer walls The entrance is now through a smaller
gate (also original) to the left of the main gate
The holiest part of the monastery is the large living shrub that is said to be a
direct descendent of the very burning bush that was seen by Moses The
Chapel of the Burning Bush was built with its altar situated above the roots
of the bush and incorporates the 4th-century chapel built by Empress St
Helena The chapel is dedicated to the Virgin Mary The bust itself was
transplanted to permit the construction of the altar and now grows a few
meters from the chapel It is a rare species of the rose family called Rubus
Sanctus The bush is native to Sinai and extremely long-lived facts that help
lend credibility to the site
The main church of the monastery is the Basilica of the Transfiguration (or
Katholikon) which was built of granite by the Byzantine architect Stephanos
at the same time as the defensive walls The church structure the roof and
the carved cedar doors at the entrance are all originals from 527 AD
Inside the basilica has a broad main nave two side aisles an apse and a
narthex The nave is bordered by massive granite columns with capitals
decorated with Christian symbols Each aisle has three chapels and there is a
chapel on each side of the apse Next to the main altar is a sarcophagus with
the relics of St Catherine (head and hand)
The ceiling marble floor and elaborate iconostasis of the basilica date from
the 18th century The icons mosaics and works of art that decorate the
interior span many centuries The doors of the narthex were added by
Crusaders in the 11th century
The neo-Classical bell tower was built in 1871 by one of the monks
Gregorius It houses nine bells given by the Tsar of Russia
A continual supply of fresh water is provided to the monastery by the Well of
Moses which taps an underground spring According to tradition this stands
on the very spot where Moses met his future wife Zipporah after protecting
her and her sisters from an aggressive group of local shepherds (Exodus
216-21
St Pauls Monastery
St Pauls Monastery (Deir Mar Boulos) in the Eastern Desert of Egypt is an
ancient monastery dedicated to the hermit St Paul of Thebes who moved to
this spot in the wilderness around 250 AD Originally built in the 5th century
the monastery now has three churches and contains many important
manuscripts
History
The life of St Paul of Thebes was recorded early but has always been
intertwined with fabulous legends Born into a wealthy family Paul abandoned
civilization and fled the Decian persecution around 250 AD when he was only
16 years old to become a hermit in the Eastern Desert
Living a life of extreme austerity from until his death at the ripe old age of 113
the hermit is said to have been fed a half-loaf of bread each day by a raven
In the most famous episode of his life Paul was visited by the desert monk St
Anthony around 345 AD Nearing the end of his own life of austerity Anthony
had become tempted by vanity in thinking he was the first of the Desert
Fathers So God led him to meet one who had preceded him
Paul died during Anthonys visit According to one version of the legend
Anthony requested two lions to dig a grave Another version says that before
his death Paul requested the robe of Pope Athanasius be brought to him for
burial then died while Anthony was away on the errand Either way two lions
dug the grave and St Anthony buried the hermit there designating him a
saint
St Pauls Monastery was built around the hermits cave by the 5th century It
suffered from Bedouin raids throughout its history the worst being in 1484
when all the monks were murdered the monastery was plundered and the
Bedouins occupied it for 80 years
Deir Mar Boulos was rebuilt under the patronage of Pope Gabriel VII of
Alexandria (1526-69) then attacked and destroyed again towards the end of
the century The monastery was deserted for 119 years then extensively
reconstructed and repopulated by monks from St Anthonys Monastery under
the patronage of Pope John XVI of Alexandria (1676-1718)
What to See
The monastery that bears St Pauls name is located where he was buried in
a valley south of the St Anthony monastery It has been little changed over
the years preserving its remarkably ancient heritage
The monastery has four churches the most important of which is the
underground Church of St Paul that contains the hermits cave and burial
place Its walls are painted with well-preserved frescoes and the ceiling is
hung with ostrich eggs symbols of the resurrection The larger Church of St
Michael has a gilded icon of John the Baptists severed head
St Pauls possesses many illustrated manuscripts including the Coptic
version of the Divine Liturgy and the Commentary on the Epistle of Saint Paul
to Titus by John Chrysostom
It is possible to hike from St Pauls to St Anthonys Monastery along a trail
across the plateau but this is a demanding trek and should be done with a
guide
St Antony Monastery ndash Red Sea
THE STORY OF MONASTICISM
Monasticism is considered Egyptrsquos greatest gift to the world It is a life of solitude prayer
contemplation charitable deeds and manual labour It is being one with God
where the monastic focuses all their life on being with God and doing His will
Monasticism is built on three basic principles poverty obedience and
chastity Monasticism was founded by the Egyptian Saint Antony who was
granted the title lsquofather of monasticismrsquo
Other important names in monasticism are Saint Macarius and Saint
Pachomius both from Egypt It was Saint Pachomius the Egyptian who began
to constitute monastic rules and innovated the concept of communal monastic
living an innovation that is based on monastic life today Benedictine
Monasticism in the West based its monastic rules on those of Saint
Pachomius Many visitors came from the West in the early years of
monasticism to learn from the simple Egyptian monks People such as Saint
John Chrysostom Saint Jerome Saint John Cassian and Palladius wrote
many books about the lives and sayings of the desert fathers of Egypt as they
experienced them
Monasticism is still thriving in Egypt today thanks to a revival led by His
Holiness Pope Shenouda III There are many inhabited ancient monasteries
and convents in Egypt as well as new monasteries being established abroad
in the Diaspora such as in Europe the USA and Australia
THE CAVE
We know from the lsquoLife of Antonyrsquo that our great hermit when he ventured into
this wilderness to seek greater seclusion discovered a natural cave in the
mountain and loved it and hence made it his home for the remaining 43 years
of his life
Today as in time past this cave within which St Antony dwelt is the life force
and heart beat of the Monastery and in which liturgy is celebrated daily and
thousands of pilgrims each year journey to for spiritual nourishment and
contemplation
From the plateau to the cave is a climb of approximately 1 hour and is today
made accessible by means of concrete steps and hand-railing for support As
one climbs the mountain to which St Antony withdrew one passes the Church
of St Paul the Simple which was constructed over the site of where this
disciple of St Antony once lived St Paul the Simple a 4th century desert
father known as lsquothe Simplersquo due to his meek and simple nature was St
Antonyrsquos faithful disciple Prior to his monastic life he had been married and
caught his wife in the act of adultery Hence he left her and took the decision
to consecrate the rest of his life to monastic living He went to St Antony ndash
who at this time was now 80 years old ndash and asked that he become a monk
St Antony at first refused him on account of his age (St Paul was 60) and
therefore compelled him several times to leave and return to his village
saying he could not survive the harsh ascetical life And yet St Paul was so
persistent that St Antony have him many demanding and arduous tasks all of
which he fulfilled with such humility obedience and simplicity that St Antony
accepted him into his monastic community and called him the Pride of the
Desert and he bore with honour the title lsquothe Simplersquo The solitary life gave St
Paul the Simple the gift of healing and casting out demons a power in which
he even surpassed his teacher St Antony The remains of his cave upon
which is built a church in his honour and is seen on the climb to St Antonyrsquos
cave bears witness to this faithful contemporary of our great hermit About
100 metres further up one reaches a terrace and then St Antonyrsquos blessed
cave
St Antonyrsquos cave is located about 2 km south-east of the Monastery 680
metres above the Red Sea and 276 metres above the Monastery It
comprises 3 parts the terrace the tunnel and the cave The narrow tunnel
connects the outer terrace ndash where one can imagine St Antony would sit and
weave his palm leave baskets ndash with the inner cave where he once dwelt and
is now converted into a small chapel
St Bishoy Monastery
The most eastern surviving Christian monastery in the Wadi el-Natrun of
Egypt is Dier Al Anba Bishoy (Pshoi Bishoi) which was founded by St
Bishoy (Pshoi)
The Monastery of Saint Bishoy is one of the original monasteries of Scetis Its
counterpart monastery is that of the Syrians which was built in the sixth
century by the followers of Severus or the Theodosian monks when concepts
concerning the nature of Christ forced a chrism between many monks in
Egypt
Like the Monastery of Saint Macarius the Monastery of the Romans and the
Monastery of Saint John the Little the Monastery of Saint Bishoy suffered five
sacks by the Berbers Al-Maqrizi who wrote during the fifteenth century
refers specifically to the fourth destruction of the monastery during the
patriarchate of Andronicus (616-2623) The patriarch Benjamin I (623-662) is
said to have rebuilt the monastery after that When the persecution by the
Berbers finally came to an end in the ninth century the bodies of both Saints
Bishoy and Paul of Tammua (Tamweh Tamwa) were returned to the
Monastery of Saint Bishoy
However the monastery was once again pillaged in 1096 which resulted in
its depopulation Then during the reign of patriarch Benjamin II (1327-1339)
considerable restoration of the monastery was undertaken because ants had
destroyed much of the woodwork and the buildings were near collapse
A number of visitors traveled to this monastery during late antiquity and into
more modern times Coppin went there in 1638 and Thevenot visited it in
1657 reporting it as the best of the four Wadi Natrun monasteries Then came
Wansleben in 1672 and Sicard in 1712 Granger made the journey in 1730
Sonnini in 1778 Andreossy in 1799 and Curzon in 1837 In 1839 Tattam is
said to have acquired numerous manuscripts from the monastery and in
1843 Wilkinson discovered thirteen monks in the monastery
However in 1875 when Junkers attempted to visit the monastery he was not
permitted to enter because a European before him had stolen several
manuscripts In 1881 Jullien reported that the monastery had the best water
of any in the Wadi and this was substantiated by Butler in 1883 From these
and other visitors we find that the monastery had twenty monks in 1638 four
in 1712 twelve in 1799 four in 1837 seven in 1875 fourteen in 1896 and
twenty in 1923
The monastery is nearly oblong in shape and surrounded by a defensive wall
The great wall was built in the ninth century and measures about ten meters
high and two meters wide It is one hundred and sixty-six meters on the east
and west and ninety-five meters on the north and south
Originally there were four entrances to the monastery one on each side of the
wall Today there are only two consisting of one on the north and one on the
south The main entrance is a gateway near the western end of the north wall
This gateway which possesses an inner gatehouse and a large carefully built
tower is the best preserved in the Wadi as well as the most complete and
elaborate of its kind of the four remaining monasteries
The southern half of the monastery is occupied by the church and cells of the
monks as well as by a modern patriarchal residence The greater part of the
gardens and the keep are in the northern half
The most interesting building in the monastery is the tower located at the
northwest corner of the monastery Defensive towers or keeps have been a
part of the architecture of Wadi El-Natruns monasteries since the fifth century
This was a time when the Berbers often attacked monasteries in the area
The keep at Saint Bishoy dates to the thirteenth century and is a few years
older than the keep of the Monastery of St Macarius One enters it at the
second floor level by a wooden drawbridge that rests on the roof of the
gatehouseOn the first floor are rooms where food was stored and prepared
One can see traces of an oven a mill for grains a press for grapes as well as
an olive press There is also a well some thirty meters deep
The second floor comprises the living quarters of the monks during the
periods of siege There is also a long corridor and east of this are rooms
which have cupolas supported by brick arches These have now been
transformed into a church dedicated to the Holy Virgin It has a transverse
nave and a triple sanctuary
On the north side of the roof of the tower is the Church of St Michaels one of
five in the monastery The icons on the iconostasis which date to the
eighteenth century have been restored They depict the twelve apostles in
pontifical vestments It is noteworthy that in no other monastery do we find the
Church of Saint Michael so isolated as in the Monastery of Saint Bishoy so it
is probable that at one time the keep had an additional floor like those of the
other monasteries in the Wadi
The other churches really form more of a complex of chapels with the central
and main church dedicated to Saint Bishoy It has been restored and
extended several times but it has been suggested that the most ancient parts
of the church do not predate the fifth attack which occurred between 830 and
848 on the monasteries of Wadi Natrun Indeed nothing remains of the
original church built prior to this and many principal elements of the structure
that we see today probably date from the restoration and remodeling
conducted by Benjamin II around 1330
It has a naos a three-aisled nave including a main center aisle and a western
return aisle a khurus (Choir) and it currently has a tripartite sanctuary (three
alters) The nave has a precious wooden pulpit while the wooden door
separating the two bays of the nave has decorative hexagonal panels with
arabesques and ivory inlays It probably dates to the fourteenth century The
khurus is rectangular in plan and placed transversely in relation to the nave In
the tripartite sanctuary the north one is dedicated to the Holy Virgin and is
separated from the choir by an arched portal It is a particularly long and
narrow room and its structure probably dates to the ninth century The middle
sanctuary is dedicated to Saint Bishoy and is connected with the khurus
through a high portal with ornate wooden panels dating to the Fatimed Period
However its square plan probably dates to the ninth century and its cupola
to the fourteenth The southern sanctuary is dedicated to John the Baptist
and also dates to the time of the renovations made during the fourteenth
century
The church or chapel more properly a parekklesion of St Iskhyrun (Abu
Iskhirun Iskhiron) was apparently added in the eleventh century though the
cupola is part of the renovations made by patriarch Benjamin II It is accessed
from the south side of the khurus of the Church of Saint Bishoy The plan is
almost square and opens on the east into a semi-circular apse which serves
as a sanctuary Here the relics of the holy martyr Saint Iskhyrun are kept
under the altar An icon from the seventeenth century placed on the
iconostasis separating the choir from the sanctuary depicts Iskhyrun on
horseback As is customary a wooden partition separates the nave from the
choir
The baptistery accessed by a narrow passage is located to the north of the
sanctuary of the Church of Saint Iskhyrun The diameter of the stone
baptismal font is ninety-five centimeters Only this monastery and that of al-
Baramus possess baptisteries in the Wadi This is because Coptic families
sometimes wish for their children to be baptized in holy and particularly
venerated places
Remains of wall paintings were recently discovered in the so-called Chapel of
Benjamin which probably date to the second half of the twelfth century The
restoration of the wall paintings in this section of the Monastery is not yet
complete
To the northeast of the main church and accessed from the khurus of that
church through a door set to the left of the tomb of Saint Bishoy is the Church
of the Holy Virgin which is actually dedicated to Benjamin I It features a nave
roofed with a barrel vault The sanctuary almost square in plan is separated
from the nave by a finely worked wooden iconostasis and surmounted by a
cupola This church is used during the winter months for the divine Liturgy
Built in the eleventh or the twelfth century the Church of Saint George is not
used now for services Its entrance is near the southeast corner of the main
church It has two sanctuaries and is roofed with six low cupolas The
monastery contains three refectories The ancient one is situated parallel to
the west end of the main church from which it is separated by a long narrow
vaulted corridor Its entrance is in the middle of the corridor opposite the west
entrance of the church It is a long chamber measuring twenty-seven meters
in length and four and a half meters in width divided into five domed bays by
four transverse arches The central space is roofed with a beautiful
quadripartite vault while the other four have cupolas in which some openings
admit light A masonry table takes up almost the entire length of the hall It is
strangely low only rising thirty-six centimeters Clearly the monks set cross-
legged on the floor Originally monks came here after Sunday liturgy to
celebrate the agape but today the refectory is used as a museum that
exhibits both sacred and secular artifacts
The two other refectories are older The smallest one lies southwest of the
main church At an unknown date it was transformed into the present chapel
of Mari Girgis It consists of a square room with a central pillar from which
spring four arches The third refectory which is now used fro storage lies in
the southeastern corner of the monastery
There is also a bakery and a millhouse in the northeastern corner of the
monastery The latter is the most complete example of its kind in the Wadi
Natrun
Also located on the grounds of the monastery is the Well of the Martyrs which
has been used ever since the time of Anba Bishoy It is said that the Berbers
washed the blood from their swords here after having killed the 49 Martyrs
Monks at the monastery also say that the Martyrs were thrown in the well prior
to being interned at the nearby St Marcarius Monastery It is twelve meters
deep and continues to produce fresh water which is regarded as miraculous
Following his enthronement in November of 1971 His Holiness Pope
Shenouda III selected this monastery as his pontifical residence where he
generally spends two or three days a week For this reason it is therefore the
destination of thousands of Copts who visit Wadi Naturn At one point he was
exiled to this monastery for forty months and during this time he ordained as
many as one hundred young men as monks
In recent years four hundred acres of desert land were acquired for the
monastery much of which has been cultivated Three reservoirs for drinking
water a new library a three-story guest house three large units for monastic
cells as well as lecture and conference buildings have been constructed at
the rear of the old monastery This is also the location of the pontifical
residence and the new Church of Saint Shenuda Here the number of monks
has increased to over 160 though many of these monks now serve in the
restored Upper Egyptian monasteries as well as in Coptic churches overseas
St Mary Monastery - El Sorian
Different sources indicate that the monastery was built around the fifth century There are many proofs the most important of which are The old fortress to the right of entrance of the monastery (even though it was repaired) It is well known that King Xenon (474-491 AD) was the one that built these fortresses as a token to his daughter Saint Hillary who entered monastic life in the wilderness of Shiheet and became well known everywhere There is a source in the library of London of the writings of Saint Yacoub El Serougi that is dated back to 603 AD from El Sorian Monastery Putler mentioned that the partitions of the church of St Mary-El Sorian go back to before 700 AD which resembles those in the Church of St Pishoy and the Church of St Mary-El Baramous These churches are considered the oldest in the wilderness until now Brumster mentioned in his book ldquoGuidance to the Monasteries of the Natroun Valleyrdquo that it was one of the monasteries known by the Theotokos These monasteries appeared in the fifth century after the counsel of Ephesus in 431 AD that discredited the Nestorian heresy Afterwards monasteries were built bearing the name of the Theotokos ldquoMother of Godrdquo and so it was called St Mary-El Sorian Monastery beside St Pishoy Monastery in the eastern wilderness Evelyn White mentioned that the monastery became independently run from the eighth century
Why it is Called El Sorian [The Syrian] Since the fourth century people have come from all over to the wilderness of Shiheet to visit and get blessings of the ascetic monks that reached high spiritual levels of asceticism and worship Examples of those are St Arsanius and St Maximus and Dometius who are still placed in St Mary-El Baramos Monastery There are also remnants of the old monasteries about three kilometers southeast of the monastery including the monastery of St John
Kame Abanoub the Ethiopians the Armenians and St John the Short And because people from all over came to worship the Coptic monks welcomed some Syrian monks for a period of time which is why it became famous of the Syrian [El Sorian] Monastery and also to differentiate it from St Mary-El Baramous Monastery St Mary Monastery is not St John Kame Monastery As mentioned above El Sorian Monastery was from the fifth century while the Monastery of St John Kame is from the ninth century and its ruins still exist Prince Omar Tosson built a pillar for each monastery and wrote its name on it Also the scholar Mohaub visited this monastery in 1088 AD When St John Kame Monastery was destroyed because of white ants between 1413 and 1430 AD his monks went to El Sorian Monastery and carried with them the body of St John Kame and their belongings including a marble stone that is still in El Sorian Church and engraved on it in Coptic the dates of the departure of St John Kame and his disciple St Stefanos
El Sorian Monastery in the Twentieth CenturyThe monastery became quite famous among other monasteries especially in the second half of the twentieth century when it was the leader and the initiator of monastic revival under the encouragement of Bishop Theophilus since he became the abbot of the monastery in 1948 most important of which
Monasticism A group of educated individuals entered monastic life and started working whole-heartedly to revive the monastery that group included those who reconstructed St Macarius Monastery St Paul St Mina and St George [El-Rozaykat] in addition to St Pishoy Monastery the head of which is HH Pope Shenouda III All of these monks were part of El Sorian Monastery and they had a great impact on
the revival of the church The majority of the Holy Synod that represents the leadership of the church areeducated monks that were prior to monastic life servants in their old churches and had a great impact on the priesthood from the spiritual social and intellectual standpoint During that
period a great number of monks were ordained compared to the previous period in which the number usually wouldnrsquot exceed more than twenty or forty the number of monks being ordained now is double or triple that number
Reconstruction In the early fifties when Bishop Theophillus presided over the monastery he demolished the cells that were next to
the Southern wall and built a building for the monks that were four stories high with a beautiful faccedilade It was the first modern building in the monastery and other monasteries adopted the same idea In 1988 another three-story building was constructed on top of which a water tower was built Through the encouragement of HH Pope Shenouda III in 1993 another three-story building was constructed next to that There
were two old bell towers around a guesthouse that was at the east side of St Maryrsquos church one of them is still standing and the other one was demolished Bishop Theophilus built instead of it a high tower at the north of the cells of the monks that the visitors of the monastery can see from far away In 1968 the other tower was built and was even higher than the first one HH Pope Shenouda III [who was Bishop of Education at that time] supervised personally on the construction
The Water Tower In 1955 a big water tower was built under which two water closets were built Father Moussa [the late Bishop Andrawous bishop of Damietta] who was a brilliant engineer from Alexandria was the one that designed and supervised the construction of the water tower That was the first concrete water tower built in the wilderness of
Natroun Prior to that there were only towers that were built out of aluminum and their height did not exceed two meters there were no water fountains in the monastery and only an old primitive water closet In 1988 another water tower was built over the cells of the monks with an electricity-operated water pump
The Guest House To the east of El Sorian Church was a beautiful palace which contained a large hall and many guest rooms that was built by Father Maximus in the year 1914 And in 1974 a guest housebuilding was built in its place that was five stories high and a library of the monastery was transferred to the third floor In addition a small rest house was built in the eighties to the west of El Sorian church on top of an old well and next to it was a big
traditional water pump [sakia] for the monasteryrsquos garden which was transformed after that into a library In 1987 and with the encouragement of HH Pope Shenouda III a two-story building for visitors was built to the west of the monastery
Books of the Monastery In 1951 Bishop Theophilus bought a print-shop for the monastery which was the first of its kind in the Egyptian monasteries and the monks of the monastery ran it and produced important books such as Life of the Orthodox Prayer The Book of the Seven Prayers of Famous Church Saints The Life of Saint John Kame The History of El Sorian Monastery Series of the History of the Patriarchs [four parts] The Three Holy Macari St Basil
the Great His Life Asceticism and Laws and many small booklets that were distributed free of charge like The Life of Mar Ephraim the Syrian Psalm The Lord Has Reigned Saint John Chrysostom Saint Augustine Saint George St Mark St Anna Simon Logios the Stonecutter and
Famous Sayings of Saints about Nativity Epiphany and Resurrection For ten years these sayings are still being read in the mornings of these feasts when the monks get together and read one of them And these books that were produced by El Sorian Monastery had a great impact on the spiritual life of a lot of people and even encouraged some of them to seek the monastic life
Retreat House In 1959 the retreat house was built outside the monastery and was the first one to be built in the monasteries Father Antonious El Soriani [HH Pope Shenouda III] was the guiding father of it and it was receiving large numbers of youth The monastery was enlightening the Christian youth because the quiet atmosphere was a chance for them to grow in prayers fastings spiritual readings meditation and attending
midnight praises and enjoying the desert Especially at sunset when nature coupled with the spiritual guidance of the monks a lot of the youth were led to think seriously about their spiritual lives and yearned to repeat the experience and some of them sought the monastic life And so a lot of the current monks used to spend a lot of time in this house which continued to be a living message of the church for all generations to come
- Coptic Museum Cairo
- History
- What to See
- Hanging Church Cairo
- History
- What to See
- St Georges Church Cairo
- History
- What to See
- Festivals and Events
- History
- What to See
- Mount Sinai
- In the Bible
- Authenticity
- What to See
- St Catherines Monastery Sinai
- In the Bible
- Authenticity
- History
- What to See
- St Pauls Monastery
- History
- What to See
- St Antony Monastery ndash Red Sea
- St Bishoy Monastery
- St Mary Monastery - El Sorian
times since then including a major rebuild under Patriarch Abraham in the
10th century
By the 11th century the Hanging Church became the official residence of the
Coptic patriarchs of Alexandria and several Coptic synods were held in the
church The main furnishings - the pulpit and screens - date from the 13th
century
What to See
Entrance to the Hanging Church is via a beautifully-decorated gate on Shara
Mari Girgis Street This leads into an open courtyard flanked by mosaics
from which there are 29 steps to the church At the top of the stairs are three
wooden doors decorated with geometric patterns framed with decorative
carvings in the stone wall
Inside only the section to the right of the sanctuary above the southern
bastion is considered original Nevertheless the Hanging Church remains
one of the most impressive churches in the city remarkable for its marble
pulpit inlaid screens icons and murals The timber roof of the nave recalls
Noahs Ark
The 11th-century marble pulpit surmounts 13 graceful pillars representing
Jesus and the 12 disciples As customary in Coptic churches one of the
pillars is black representing Judas and another is grey for doubting Thomas
Its steps are carved with a shell and a cross
The oldest icon in the Hanging Church dates from the 8th century Many
other artifacts from this church are now displayed in the Coptic Museum
including a lintel showing Christs entry into Jerusalem that dates from the 5th
or 6th century
St Georges Church Cairo
The Church of St George in Coptic Cairo is the principal Greek Orthodox
church of Egypt It is built atop an old Roman tower and adjoins the
Monastery of St George
History
The Church of St George was built in the 10th century but a fire destroyed
the original structure The present church dates only from 1904
What to See
St George is the only round church in Egypt but unlike the original Church of
the Holy Sepulchre and its many imitators (such as Romes Santa Stefano
Rotondo and Londons Temple Church) this is only for practical reasons - it is
built atop the foundations of a Roman round tower
Inside the dark interior is heavy with incense and pierced by sunbeams that
filter through its stained glass windows A (closed) flight of steps leads down
into the old Roman tower once believed to be peopled by devils
Next door the Monastery of St George is now the seat of the Greek
Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria The monastery rarely admits tourists
Confusingly just down the road is another Church of St George and a
Convent of St George the latter of which opens its chapel to visitors (daily
9-4) and has some English-speaking nuns Both of these institutions are
Coptic Orthodox
Festivals and Events
St Georges celebration of the Moulid of Mari Girgis (St Georges Day) on
April 23 is one of the largest Coptic festivals in Cairo - despite the fact that the
church is Greek not Coptic
St Marks Coptic Cathedral Alexandria
St Marks Coptic Cathedral in Alexandria is the seat of the Pope of
Alexandria the head of the Coptic Orthodox Church The cathedral is said to
stand on the site of the church founded by St Mark the Evangelist in 60 AD
History
St Mark the Evangelist (author of the second Gospel) has been connected
with the city of Alexandria since earliest Christian tradition Coptic Christians
believe he arrived in Alexandria around 60 AD and stayed for about seven
years
During this time Mark converted many to Christianity and performed miracles
He is considered the founder of the church in Alexandria and the first Bishop
of Alexandria According to tradition St Mark was arrested during a festival of
Serapis in 68 AD and martyred by being dragged through the streets He was
buried under the church he had founded
In 828 the body of St Mark was stolen from the Alexandrian church by
Venetians to be enshrined in the grand new St Marks Basilica in Venice
However the head of the saint remained in Alexandria and every newly-
appointed Patriarch of Alexandria began his service with holding the holy
head of St Mark in his lap and changing its cloth shroud
The head of St Mark was moved around a great deal over the centuries and
has been lost for over 250 years Some of the relics from the body of St
Mark however were returned to Alexandria from Rome in 1968
What to See
The present St Marks Coptic Cathedral is of recent date but is said to stand
on the site of church founded by St Mark himself
Mount Sinai
Mount Sinai (also called Jebel Musa or Mount Moses) on the Sinai
Peninsula of Egypt is the traditional site where Moses received the Ten
Commandments from God There are some small chapels at the summit from
which there are spectacular sunrise views The starting point for the climb
and an unmissable sight in itself is St Catherines Monastery at the base of
the mountain
In the BibleNow Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law the priest of Midian and he led the flock to the far side of the desert and came to Horeb the mountain of God There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look God called to him from within the bush Moses Moses And Moses said Here I am
Do not come any closer God said Take off your sandals for the place where you are standing is holy ground Then he said I am the God of your father the God of Abraham the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob At this Moses hid his face because he was afraid to look at God The Lord said I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt So now go I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt
Moses said to God Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them The God of your fathers has sent me to you and they ask me What is his name Then what shall I tell them God said to Moses I am who I am This is what you are to say to the Israelites I AM has sent me to you (Exodus 31-14 NIV)
In the third month after the Israelites left Egyptmdashon the very daymdashthey came to the Desert of Sinai After they set out from Rephidim they entered the Desert of Sinai and Israel camped there in the desert in front of the mountain
Then Moses went up to God and the LORD called to him from the mountain and said This is what you are to say to the house of Jacob and what you are to tell the people of Israel You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt and how I carried you on eagles wings and brought you to myself Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession Although the whole earth is mine you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites
And God spoke all these words I am the Lord your God who brought you out of Egypt out of the land of slavery You shall have no other gods before me (Exodus 19 the Ten Commandments are given at Exodus 201-17)
Authenticity
The geographical locations of these biblical events are not known and a wide
variety of theories have been offered by scholars No particular evidence
supports the site on which the monastery is built nor for the peak identified as
Mount Sinai However the attachment of early Christian monks to these sites
is not without significance
What to See
From St Catherines Monastery it is an uphill hike or camel ride to the
summit of Mount Sinai (2285m) This is identified as the mountain where
Moses received the Tablets of the Law from God The main route to the
summit is known as the Path of Moses (Arabic Sikket Sayidna Musa) and is
lined with remains of various chapels This is a very popular place from which
to watch the sunrise which is spectacular
There is both a mosque and a chapel at the summit of Mount Moses The
Chapel of the Holy Trinity was built in 1934 using the remains of the chapel
built by Justinian in the 6th century Justinians chapel itself replaced an
earlier chapel built in 363
Clearly visible from the mountain is the village of St Catherine located
some distance from the Monastery on the El Raha plain It is an old
settlement that has received considerable development in recent years
St Catherines Monastery Sinai
St Catherines Monastery is an Orthodox monastery on the Sinai peninsula
at the foot of Mount Sinai in Egypt One of the oldest Christian monasteries in
the world St Catherines incorporates the burning bush seen by Moses and
contains many valuable icons Above the monastery is Mount Sinai (see
separate article) where Moses received the Ten Commandments from God
Because God spoke to Moses in these places this area is sacred to three
world religions Christianity Islam and Judaism
In the BibleNow Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law the priest of Midian and he led the flock to the far side of the desert and came to Horeb the mountain of God There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look God called to
him from within the bush Moses Moses And Moses said Here I am
Do not come any closer God said Take off your sandals for the place where you are standing is holy ground Then he said I am the God of your father the God of Abraham the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob At this Moses hid his face because he was afraid to look at God The Lord said I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt So now go I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt
Moses said to God Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them The God of your fathers has sent me to you and they ask me What is his name Then what shall I tell them God said to Moses I am who I am This is what you are to say to the Israelites I AM has sent me to you (Exodus 31-14 NIV)
In the third month after the Israelites left Egyptmdashon the very daymdashthey came to the Desert of Sinai After they set out from Rephidim they entered the Desert of Sinai and Israel camped there in the desert in front of the mountain
Then Moses went up to God and the LORD called to him from the mountain and said This is what you are to say to the house of Jacob and what you are to tell the people of Israel You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt and how I carried you on eagles wings and brought you to myself Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession Although the whole earth is mine you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites
And God spoke all these words I am the Lord your God who brought you out of Egypt out of the land of slavery You shall have no other gods before me (Exodus 19 the Ten Commandments are given at Exodus 201-17)
Authenticity
The geographical locations of these biblical events are not known and a wide
variety of theories have been offered by scholars No particular evidence
supports the site on which the monastery is built nor for the peak identified as
Mount Sinai However the attachment of early Christian monks to these sites
is not without significance
History
In the early 4th century St Helena mother of Constantine the Great built the
Chapel of the Burning Bush at the site where Moses is supposed to have
seen the miracle
The fortified walls were built around the chapel by the Byzantine emperor and
great church-builder Justinian (who also commissioned the Hagia Sophia)
starting in 527 The Church of the Transfiguration was completed by
Justinians workers in the 560s around the time of his death
The monasterys actual name is the Monastery of the Transfiguration but it
later became associated with St Catherine of Alexandria a 3rd-century
martyr whose head and hand were brought here for safe keeping in the 10th
century St Catherines Monastery became a major pilgrimage destination in
the Byzantine Era and it still is today
Mount Sinai is also revered by Muslims as Jebel Musa (Mount Moses) the
place where God handed down his Law In 623 a document signed by the
Prophet Muhammad himself the Actiname (Holy Testament) exempted the
Christian monks of St Catherines from the usual taxes and military service
and commanded that Muslims provide the community with every help
In recognition of this gesture the St Catherines monks permitted the
conversion of a small Crusader chapel within the monastery to a mosque
between 1101 and 1106 during the Fatimid Caliphate (909-1171) This was in
regular use until Mameluke rule in the later 13th century when it was
neglected until its restoration in the early 20th century It is still used on
special occasions by the local Muslims
In 2002 the area centering on St Catherines Monastery was declared a
World Heritage Site by UNESCO because of Mt Sinais importance in three
major world religions (Judaism Christianity and Islam) the natural
environment of the area and St Catherines historic architecture and art
What to See
St Catherines Monastery comprises the entire Orthodox Church of Mount
Sinai an autonomous Orthodox Christian church headed by an archbishop
who is also the abbot of the monastery The archbishop is traditionally
consecrated by the Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem
St Catherines Monastery is surrounded on all sides by a massive wall 25 m
wide and 11m high This is the wall provided by Emperor Justinian in the 6th
century It is made of huge dressed granite blocks except for the upper
sections which were restored on orders of Napoleon using smaller
undressed stone blocks Christian symbols such as crosses and monograms
are carved on the wall in various places Until the 20th century access was
through a door high in the outer walls The entrance is now through a smaller
gate (also original) to the left of the main gate
The holiest part of the monastery is the large living shrub that is said to be a
direct descendent of the very burning bush that was seen by Moses The
Chapel of the Burning Bush was built with its altar situated above the roots
of the bush and incorporates the 4th-century chapel built by Empress St
Helena The chapel is dedicated to the Virgin Mary The bust itself was
transplanted to permit the construction of the altar and now grows a few
meters from the chapel It is a rare species of the rose family called Rubus
Sanctus The bush is native to Sinai and extremely long-lived facts that help
lend credibility to the site
The main church of the monastery is the Basilica of the Transfiguration (or
Katholikon) which was built of granite by the Byzantine architect Stephanos
at the same time as the defensive walls The church structure the roof and
the carved cedar doors at the entrance are all originals from 527 AD
Inside the basilica has a broad main nave two side aisles an apse and a
narthex The nave is bordered by massive granite columns with capitals
decorated with Christian symbols Each aisle has three chapels and there is a
chapel on each side of the apse Next to the main altar is a sarcophagus with
the relics of St Catherine (head and hand)
The ceiling marble floor and elaborate iconostasis of the basilica date from
the 18th century The icons mosaics and works of art that decorate the
interior span many centuries The doors of the narthex were added by
Crusaders in the 11th century
The neo-Classical bell tower was built in 1871 by one of the monks
Gregorius It houses nine bells given by the Tsar of Russia
A continual supply of fresh water is provided to the monastery by the Well of
Moses which taps an underground spring According to tradition this stands
on the very spot where Moses met his future wife Zipporah after protecting
her and her sisters from an aggressive group of local shepherds (Exodus
216-21
St Pauls Monastery
St Pauls Monastery (Deir Mar Boulos) in the Eastern Desert of Egypt is an
ancient monastery dedicated to the hermit St Paul of Thebes who moved to
this spot in the wilderness around 250 AD Originally built in the 5th century
the monastery now has three churches and contains many important
manuscripts
History
The life of St Paul of Thebes was recorded early but has always been
intertwined with fabulous legends Born into a wealthy family Paul abandoned
civilization and fled the Decian persecution around 250 AD when he was only
16 years old to become a hermit in the Eastern Desert
Living a life of extreme austerity from until his death at the ripe old age of 113
the hermit is said to have been fed a half-loaf of bread each day by a raven
In the most famous episode of his life Paul was visited by the desert monk St
Anthony around 345 AD Nearing the end of his own life of austerity Anthony
had become tempted by vanity in thinking he was the first of the Desert
Fathers So God led him to meet one who had preceded him
Paul died during Anthonys visit According to one version of the legend
Anthony requested two lions to dig a grave Another version says that before
his death Paul requested the robe of Pope Athanasius be brought to him for
burial then died while Anthony was away on the errand Either way two lions
dug the grave and St Anthony buried the hermit there designating him a
saint
St Pauls Monastery was built around the hermits cave by the 5th century It
suffered from Bedouin raids throughout its history the worst being in 1484
when all the monks were murdered the monastery was plundered and the
Bedouins occupied it for 80 years
Deir Mar Boulos was rebuilt under the patronage of Pope Gabriel VII of
Alexandria (1526-69) then attacked and destroyed again towards the end of
the century The monastery was deserted for 119 years then extensively
reconstructed and repopulated by monks from St Anthonys Monastery under
the patronage of Pope John XVI of Alexandria (1676-1718)
What to See
The monastery that bears St Pauls name is located where he was buried in
a valley south of the St Anthony monastery It has been little changed over
the years preserving its remarkably ancient heritage
The monastery has four churches the most important of which is the
underground Church of St Paul that contains the hermits cave and burial
place Its walls are painted with well-preserved frescoes and the ceiling is
hung with ostrich eggs symbols of the resurrection The larger Church of St
Michael has a gilded icon of John the Baptists severed head
St Pauls possesses many illustrated manuscripts including the Coptic
version of the Divine Liturgy and the Commentary on the Epistle of Saint Paul
to Titus by John Chrysostom
It is possible to hike from St Pauls to St Anthonys Monastery along a trail
across the plateau but this is a demanding trek and should be done with a
guide
St Antony Monastery ndash Red Sea
THE STORY OF MONASTICISM
Monasticism is considered Egyptrsquos greatest gift to the world It is a life of solitude prayer
contemplation charitable deeds and manual labour It is being one with God
where the monastic focuses all their life on being with God and doing His will
Monasticism is built on three basic principles poverty obedience and
chastity Monasticism was founded by the Egyptian Saint Antony who was
granted the title lsquofather of monasticismrsquo
Other important names in monasticism are Saint Macarius and Saint
Pachomius both from Egypt It was Saint Pachomius the Egyptian who began
to constitute monastic rules and innovated the concept of communal monastic
living an innovation that is based on monastic life today Benedictine
Monasticism in the West based its monastic rules on those of Saint
Pachomius Many visitors came from the West in the early years of
monasticism to learn from the simple Egyptian monks People such as Saint
John Chrysostom Saint Jerome Saint John Cassian and Palladius wrote
many books about the lives and sayings of the desert fathers of Egypt as they
experienced them
Monasticism is still thriving in Egypt today thanks to a revival led by His
Holiness Pope Shenouda III There are many inhabited ancient monasteries
and convents in Egypt as well as new monasteries being established abroad
in the Diaspora such as in Europe the USA and Australia
THE CAVE
We know from the lsquoLife of Antonyrsquo that our great hermit when he ventured into
this wilderness to seek greater seclusion discovered a natural cave in the
mountain and loved it and hence made it his home for the remaining 43 years
of his life
Today as in time past this cave within which St Antony dwelt is the life force
and heart beat of the Monastery and in which liturgy is celebrated daily and
thousands of pilgrims each year journey to for spiritual nourishment and
contemplation
From the plateau to the cave is a climb of approximately 1 hour and is today
made accessible by means of concrete steps and hand-railing for support As
one climbs the mountain to which St Antony withdrew one passes the Church
of St Paul the Simple which was constructed over the site of where this
disciple of St Antony once lived St Paul the Simple a 4th century desert
father known as lsquothe Simplersquo due to his meek and simple nature was St
Antonyrsquos faithful disciple Prior to his monastic life he had been married and
caught his wife in the act of adultery Hence he left her and took the decision
to consecrate the rest of his life to monastic living He went to St Antony ndash
who at this time was now 80 years old ndash and asked that he become a monk
St Antony at first refused him on account of his age (St Paul was 60) and
therefore compelled him several times to leave and return to his village
saying he could not survive the harsh ascetical life And yet St Paul was so
persistent that St Antony have him many demanding and arduous tasks all of
which he fulfilled with such humility obedience and simplicity that St Antony
accepted him into his monastic community and called him the Pride of the
Desert and he bore with honour the title lsquothe Simplersquo The solitary life gave St
Paul the Simple the gift of healing and casting out demons a power in which
he even surpassed his teacher St Antony The remains of his cave upon
which is built a church in his honour and is seen on the climb to St Antonyrsquos
cave bears witness to this faithful contemporary of our great hermit About
100 metres further up one reaches a terrace and then St Antonyrsquos blessed
cave
St Antonyrsquos cave is located about 2 km south-east of the Monastery 680
metres above the Red Sea and 276 metres above the Monastery It
comprises 3 parts the terrace the tunnel and the cave The narrow tunnel
connects the outer terrace ndash where one can imagine St Antony would sit and
weave his palm leave baskets ndash with the inner cave where he once dwelt and
is now converted into a small chapel
St Bishoy Monastery
The most eastern surviving Christian monastery in the Wadi el-Natrun of
Egypt is Dier Al Anba Bishoy (Pshoi Bishoi) which was founded by St
Bishoy (Pshoi)
The Monastery of Saint Bishoy is one of the original monasteries of Scetis Its
counterpart monastery is that of the Syrians which was built in the sixth
century by the followers of Severus or the Theodosian monks when concepts
concerning the nature of Christ forced a chrism between many monks in
Egypt
Like the Monastery of Saint Macarius the Monastery of the Romans and the
Monastery of Saint John the Little the Monastery of Saint Bishoy suffered five
sacks by the Berbers Al-Maqrizi who wrote during the fifteenth century
refers specifically to the fourth destruction of the monastery during the
patriarchate of Andronicus (616-2623) The patriarch Benjamin I (623-662) is
said to have rebuilt the monastery after that When the persecution by the
Berbers finally came to an end in the ninth century the bodies of both Saints
Bishoy and Paul of Tammua (Tamweh Tamwa) were returned to the
Monastery of Saint Bishoy
However the monastery was once again pillaged in 1096 which resulted in
its depopulation Then during the reign of patriarch Benjamin II (1327-1339)
considerable restoration of the monastery was undertaken because ants had
destroyed much of the woodwork and the buildings were near collapse
A number of visitors traveled to this monastery during late antiquity and into
more modern times Coppin went there in 1638 and Thevenot visited it in
1657 reporting it as the best of the four Wadi Natrun monasteries Then came
Wansleben in 1672 and Sicard in 1712 Granger made the journey in 1730
Sonnini in 1778 Andreossy in 1799 and Curzon in 1837 In 1839 Tattam is
said to have acquired numerous manuscripts from the monastery and in
1843 Wilkinson discovered thirteen monks in the monastery
However in 1875 when Junkers attempted to visit the monastery he was not
permitted to enter because a European before him had stolen several
manuscripts In 1881 Jullien reported that the monastery had the best water
of any in the Wadi and this was substantiated by Butler in 1883 From these
and other visitors we find that the monastery had twenty monks in 1638 four
in 1712 twelve in 1799 four in 1837 seven in 1875 fourteen in 1896 and
twenty in 1923
The monastery is nearly oblong in shape and surrounded by a defensive wall
The great wall was built in the ninth century and measures about ten meters
high and two meters wide It is one hundred and sixty-six meters on the east
and west and ninety-five meters on the north and south
Originally there were four entrances to the monastery one on each side of the
wall Today there are only two consisting of one on the north and one on the
south The main entrance is a gateway near the western end of the north wall
This gateway which possesses an inner gatehouse and a large carefully built
tower is the best preserved in the Wadi as well as the most complete and
elaborate of its kind of the four remaining monasteries
The southern half of the monastery is occupied by the church and cells of the
monks as well as by a modern patriarchal residence The greater part of the
gardens and the keep are in the northern half
The most interesting building in the monastery is the tower located at the
northwest corner of the monastery Defensive towers or keeps have been a
part of the architecture of Wadi El-Natruns monasteries since the fifth century
This was a time when the Berbers often attacked monasteries in the area
The keep at Saint Bishoy dates to the thirteenth century and is a few years
older than the keep of the Monastery of St Macarius One enters it at the
second floor level by a wooden drawbridge that rests on the roof of the
gatehouseOn the first floor are rooms where food was stored and prepared
One can see traces of an oven a mill for grains a press for grapes as well as
an olive press There is also a well some thirty meters deep
The second floor comprises the living quarters of the monks during the
periods of siege There is also a long corridor and east of this are rooms
which have cupolas supported by brick arches These have now been
transformed into a church dedicated to the Holy Virgin It has a transverse
nave and a triple sanctuary
On the north side of the roof of the tower is the Church of St Michaels one of
five in the monastery The icons on the iconostasis which date to the
eighteenth century have been restored They depict the twelve apostles in
pontifical vestments It is noteworthy that in no other monastery do we find the
Church of Saint Michael so isolated as in the Monastery of Saint Bishoy so it
is probable that at one time the keep had an additional floor like those of the
other monasteries in the Wadi
The other churches really form more of a complex of chapels with the central
and main church dedicated to Saint Bishoy It has been restored and
extended several times but it has been suggested that the most ancient parts
of the church do not predate the fifth attack which occurred between 830 and
848 on the monasteries of Wadi Natrun Indeed nothing remains of the
original church built prior to this and many principal elements of the structure
that we see today probably date from the restoration and remodeling
conducted by Benjamin II around 1330
It has a naos a three-aisled nave including a main center aisle and a western
return aisle a khurus (Choir) and it currently has a tripartite sanctuary (three
alters) The nave has a precious wooden pulpit while the wooden door
separating the two bays of the nave has decorative hexagonal panels with
arabesques and ivory inlays It probably dates to the fourteenth century The
khurus is rectangular in plan and placed transversely in relation to the nave In
the tripartite sanctuary the north one is dedicated to the Holy Virgin and is
separated from the choir by an arched portal It is a particularly long and
narrow room and its structure probably dates to the ninth century The middle
sanctuary is dedicated to Saint Bishoy and is connected with the khurus
through a high portal with ornate wooden panels dating to the Fatimed Period
However its square plan probably dates to the ninth century and its cupola
to the fourteenth The southern sanctuary is dedicated to John the Baptist
and also dates to the time of the renovations made during the fourteenth
century
The church or chapel more properly a parekklesion of St Iskhyrun (Abu
Iskhirun Iskhiron) was apparently added in the eleventh century though the
cupola is part of the renovations made by patriarch Benjamin II It is accessed
from the south side of the khurus of the Church of Saint Bishoy The plan is
almost square and opens on the east into a semi-circular apse which serves
as a sanctuary Here the relics of the holy martyr Saint Iskhyrun are kept
under the altar An icon from the seventeenth century placed on the
iconostasis separating the choir from the sanctuary depicts Iskhyrun on
horseback As is customary a wooden partition separates the nave from the
choir
The baptistery accessed by a narrow passage is located to the north of the
sanctuary of the Church of Saint Iskhyrun The diameter of the stone
baptismal font is ninety-five centimeters Only this monastery and that of al-
Baramus possess baptisteries in the Wadi This is because Coptic families
sometimes wish for their children to be baptized in holy and particularly
venerated places
Remains of wall paintings were recently discovered in the so-called Chapel of
Benjamin which probably date to the second half of the twelfth century The
restoration of the wall paintings in this section of the Monastery is not yet
complete
To the northeast of the main church and accessed from the khurus of that
church through a door set to the left of the tomb of Saint Bishoy is the Church
of the Holy Virgin which is actually dedicated to Benjamin I It features a nave
roofed with a barrel vault The sanctuary almost square in plan is separated
from the nave by a finely worked wooden iconostasis and surmounted by a
cupola This church is used during the winter months for the divine Liturgy
Built in the eleventh or the twelfth century the Church of Saint George is not
used now for services Its entrance is near the southeast corner of the main
church It has two sanctuaries and is roofed with six low cupolas The
monastery contains three refectories The ancient one is situated parallel to
the west end of the main church from which it is separated by a long narrow
vaulted corridor Its entrance is in the middle of the corridor opposite the west
entrance of the church It is a long chamber measuring twenty-seven meters
in length and four and a half meters in width divided into five domed bays by
four transverse arches The central space is roofed with a beautiful
quadripartite vault while the other four have cupolas in which some openings
admit light A masonry table takes up almost the entire length of the hall It is
strangely low only rising thirty-six centimeters Clearly the monks set cross-
legged on the floor Originally monks came here after Sunday liturgy to
celebrate the agape but today the refectory is used as a museum that
exhibits both sacred and secular artifacts
The two other refectories are older The smallest one lies southwest of the
main church At an unknown date it was transformed into the present chapel
of Mari Girgis It consists of a square room with a central pillar from which
spring four arches The third refectory which is now used fro storage lies in
the southeastern corner of the monastery
There is also a bakery and a millhouse in the northeastern corner of the
monastery The latter is the most complete example of its kind in the Wadi
Natrun
Also located on the grounds of the monastery is the Well of the Martyrs which
has been used ever since the time of Anba Bishoy It is said that the Berbers
washed the blood from their swords here after having killed the 49 Martyrs
Monks at the monastery also say that the Martyrs were thrown in the well prior
to being interned at the nearby St Marcarius Monastery It is twelve meters
deep and continues to produce fresh water which is regarded as miraculous
Following his enthronement in November of 1971 His Holiness Pope
Shenouda III selected this monastery as his pontifical residence where he
generally spends two or three days a week For this reason it is therefore the
destination of thousands of Copts who visit Wadi Naturn At one point he was
exiled to this monastery for forty months and during this time he ordained as
many as one hundred young men as monks
In recent years four hundred acres of desert land were acquired for the
monastery much of which has been cultivated Three reservoirs for drinking
water a new library a three-story guest house three large units for monastic
cells as well as lecture and conference buildings have been constructed at
the rear of the old monastery This is also the location of the pontifical
residence and the new Church of Saint Shenuda Here the number of monks
has increased to over 160 though many of these monks now serve in the
restored Upper Egyptian monasteries as well as in Coptic churches overseas
St Mary Monastery - El Sorian
Different sources indicate that the monastery was built around the fifth century There are many proofs the most important of which are The old fortress to the right of entrance of the monastery (even though it was repaired) It is well known that King Xenon (474-491 AD) was the one that built these fortresses as a token to his daughter Saint Hillary who entered monastic life in the wilderness of Shiheet and became well known everywhere There is a source in the library of London of the writings of Saint Yacoub El Serougi that is dated back to 603 AD from El Sorian Monastery Putler mentioned that the partitions of the church of St Mary-El Sorian go back to before 700 AD which resembles those in the Church of St Pishoy and the Church of St Mary-El Baramous These churches are considered the oldest in the wilderness until now Brumster mentioned in his book ldquoGuidance to the Monasteries of the Natroun Valleyrdquo that it was one of the monasteries known by the Theotokos These monasteries appeared in the fifth century after the counsel of Ephesus in 431 AD that discredited the Nestorian heresy Afterwards monasteries were built bearing the name of the Theotokos ldquoMother of Godrdquo and so it was called St Mary-El Sorian Monastery beside St Pishoy Monastery in the eastern wilderness Evelyn White mentioned that the monastery became independently run from the eighth century
Why it is Called El Sorian [The Syrian] Since the fourth century people have come from all over to the wilderness of Shiheet to visit and get blessings of the ascetic monks that reached high spiritual levels of asceticism and worship Examples of those are St Arsanius and St Maximus and Dometius who are still placed in St Mary-El Baramos Monastery There are also remnants of the old monasteries about three kilometers southeast of the monastery including the monastery of St John
Kame Abanoub the Ethiopians the Armenians and St John the Short And because people from all over came to worship the Coptic monks welcomed some Syrian monks for a period of time which is why it became famous of the Syrian [El Sorian] Monastery and also to differentiate it from St Mary-El Baramous Monastery St Mary Monastery is not St John Kame Monastery As mentioned above El Sorian Monastery was from the fifth century while the Monastery of St John Kame is from the ninth century and its ruins still exist Prince Omar Tosson built a pillar for each monastery and wrote its name on it Also the scholar Mohaub visited this monastery in 1088 AD When St John Kame Monastery was destroyed because of white ants between 1413 and 1430 AD his monks went to El Sorian Monastery and carried with them the body of St John Kame and their belongings including a marble stone that is still in El Sorian Church and engraved on it in Coptic the dates of the departure of St John Kame and his disciple St Stefanos
El Sorian Monastery in the Twentieth CenturyThe monastery became quite famous among other monasteries especially in the second half of the twentieth century when it was the leader and the initiator of monastic revival under the encouragement of Bishop Theophilus since he became the abbot of the monastery in 1948 most important of which
Monasticism A group of educated individuals entered monastic life and started working whole-heartedly to revive the monastery that group included those who reconstructed St Macarius Monastery St Paul St Mina and St George [El-Rozaykat] in addition to St Pishoy Monastery the head of which is HH Pope Shenouda III All of these monks were part of El Sorian Monastery and they had a great impact on
the revival of the church The majority of the Holy Synod that represents the leadership of the church areeducated monks that were prior to monastic life servants in their old churches and had a great impact on the priesthood from the spiritual social and intellectual standpoint During that
period a great number of monks were ordained compared to the previous period in which the number usually wouldnrsquot exceed more than twenty or forty the number of monks being ordained now is double or triple that number
Reconstruction In the early fifties when Bishop Theophillus presided over the monastery he demolished the cells that were next to
the Southern wall and built a building for the monks that were four stories high with a beautiful faccedilade It was the first modern building in the monastery and other monasteries adopted the same idea In 1988 another three-story building was constructed on top of which a water tower was built Through the encouragement of HH Pope Shenouda III in 1993 another three-story building was constructed next to that There
were two old bell towers around a guesthouse that was at the east side of St Maryrsquos church one of them is still standing and the other one was demolished Bishop Theophilus built instead of it a high tower at the north of the cells of the monks that the visitors of the monastery can see from far away In 1968 the other tower was built and was even higher than the first one HH Pope Shenouda III [who was Bishop of Education at that time] supervised personally on the construction
The Water Tower In 1955 a big water tower was built under which two water closets were built Father Moussa [the late Bishop Andrawous bishop of Damietta] who was a brilliant engineer from Alexandria was the one that designed and supervised the construction of the water tower That was the first concrete water tower built in the wilderness of
Natroun Prior to that there were only towers that were built out of aluminum and their height did not exceed two meters there were no water fountains in the monastery and only an old primitive water closet In 1988 another water tower was built over the cells of the monks with an electricity-operated water pump
The Guest House To the east of El Sorian Church was a beautiful palace which contained a large hall and many guest rooms that was built by Father Maximus in the year 1914 And in 1974 a guest housebuilding was built in its place that was five stories high and a library of the monastery was transferred to the third floor In addition a small rest house was built in the eighties to the west of El Sorian church on top of an old well and next to it was a big
traditional water pump [sakia] for the monasteryrsquos garden which was transformed after that into a library In 1987 and with the encouragement of HH Pope Shenouda III a two-story building for visitors was built to the west of the monastery
Books of the Monastery In 1951 Bishop Theophilus bought a print-shop for the monastery which was the first of its kind in the Egyptian monasteries and the monks of the monastery ran it and produced important books such as Life of the Orthodox Prayer The Book of the Seven Prayers of Famous Church Saints The Life of Saint John Kame The History of El Sorian Monastery Series of the History of the Patriarchs [four parts] The Three Holy Macari St Basil
the Great His Life Asceticism and Laws and many small booklets that were distributed free of charge like The Life of Mar Ephraim the Syrian Psalm The Lord Has Reigned Saint John Chrysostom Saint Augustine Saint George St Mark St Anna Simon Logios the Stonecutter and
Famous Sayings of Saints about Nativity Epiphany and Resurrection For ten years these sayings are still being read in the mornings of these feasts when the monks get together and read one of them And these books that were produced by El Sorian Monastery had a great impact on the spiritual life of a lot of people and even encouraged some of them to seek the monastic life
Retreat House In 1959 the retreat house was built outside the monastery and was the first one to be built in the monasteries Father Antonious El Soriani [HH Pope Shenouda III] was the guiding father of it and it was receiving large numbers of youth The monastery was enlightening the Christian youth because the quiet atmosphere was a chance for them to grow in prayers fastings spiritual readings meditation and attending
midnight praises and enjoying the desert Especially at sunset when nature coupled with the spiritual guidance of the monks a lot of the youth were led to think seriously about their spiritual lives and yearned to repeat the experience and some of them sought the monastic life And so a lot of the current monks used to spend a lot of time in this house which continued to be a living message of the church for all generations to come
- Coptic Museum Cairo
- History
- What to See
- Hanging Church Cairo
- History
- What to See
- St Georges Church Cairo
- History
- What to See
- Festivals and Events
- History
- What to See
- Mount Sinai
- In the Bible
- Authenticity
- What to See
- St Catherines Monastery Sinai
- In the Bible
- Authenticity
- History
- What to See
- St Pauls Monastery
- History
- What to See
- St Antony Monastery ndash Red Sea
- St Bishoy Monastery
- St Mary Monastery - El Sorian
St Georges Church Cairo
The Church of St George in Coptic Cairo is the principal Greek Orthodox
church of Egypt It is built atop an old Roman tower and adjoins the
Monastery of St George
History
The Church of St George was built in the 10th century but a fire destroyed
the original structure The present church dates only from 1904
What to See
St George is the only round church in Egypt but unlike the original Church of
the Holy Sepulchre and its many imitators (such as Romes Santa Stefano
Rotondo and Londons Temple Church) this is only for practical reasons - it is
built atop the foundations of a Roman round tower
Inside the dark interior is heavy with incense and pierced by sunbeams that
filter through its stained glass windows A (closed) flight of steps leads down
into the old Roman tower once believed to be peopled by devils
Next door the Monastery of St George is now the seat of the Greek
Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria The monastery rarely admits tourists
Confusingly just down the road is another Church of St George and a
Convent of St George the latter of which opens its chapel to visitors (daily
9-4) and has some English-speaking nuns Both of these institutions are
Coptic Orthodox
Festivals and Events
St Georges celebration of the Moulid of Mari Girgis (St Georges Day) on
April 23 is one of the largest Coptic festivals in Cairo - despite the fact that the
church is Greek not Coptic
St Marks Coptic Cathedral Alexandria
St Marks Coptic Cathedral in Alexandria is the seat of the Pope of
Alexandria the head of the Coptic Orthodox Church The cathedral is said to
stand on the site of the church founded by St Mark the Evangelist in 60 AD
History
St Mark the Evangelist (author of the second Gospel) has been connected
with the city of Alexandria since earliest Christian tradition Coptic Christians
believe he arrived in Alexandria around 60 AD and stayed for about seven
years
During this time Mark converted many to Christianity and performed miracles
He is considered the founder of the church in Alexandria and the first Bishop
of Alexandria According to tradition St Mark was arrested during a festival of
Serapis in 68 AD and martyred by being dragged through the streets He was
buried under the church he had founded
In 828 the body of St Mark was stolen from the Alexandrian church by
Venetians to be enshrined in the grand new St Marks Basilica in Venice
However the head of the saint remained in Alexandria and every newly-
appointed Patriarch of Alexandria began his service with holding the holy
head of St Mark in his lap and changing its cloth shroud
The head of St Mark was moved around a great deal over the centuries and
has been lost for over 250 years Some of the relics from the body of St
Mark however were returned to Alexandria from Rome in 1968
What to See
The present St Marks Coptic Cathedral is of recent date but is said to stand
on the site of church founded by St Mark himself
Mount Sinai
Mount Sinai (also called Jebel Musa or Mount Moses) on the Sinai
Peninsula of Egypt is the traditional site where Moses received the Ten
Commandments from God There are some small chapels at the summit from
which there are spectacular sunrise views The starting point for the climb
and an unmissable sight in itself is St Catherines Monastery at the base of
the mountain
In the BibleNow Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law the priest of Midian and he led the flock to the far side of the desert and came to Horeb the mountain of God There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look God called to him from within the bush Moses Moses And Moses said Here I am
Do not come any closer God said Take off your sandals for the place where you are standing is holy ground Then he said I am the God of your father the God of Abraham the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob At this Moses hid his face because he was afraid to look at God The Lord said I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt So now go I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt
Moses said to God Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them The God of your fathers has sent me to you and they ask me What is his name Then what shall I tell them God said to Moses I am who I am This is what you are to say to the Israelites I AM has sent me to you (Exodus 31-14 NIV)
In the third month after the Israelites left Egyptmdashon the very daymdashthey came to the Desert of Sinai After they set out from Rephidim they entered the Desert of Sinai and Israel camped there in the desert in front of the mountain
Then Moses went up to God and the LORD called to him from the mountain and said This is what you are to say to the house of Jacob and what you are to tell the people of Israel You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt and how I carried you on eagles wings and brought you to myself Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession Although the whole earth is mine you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites
And God spoke all these words I am the Lord your God who brought you out of Egypt out of the land of slavery You shall have no other gods before me (Exodus 19 the Ten Commandments are given at Exodus 201-17)
Authenticity
The geographical locations of these biblical events are not known and a wide
variety of theories have been offered by scholars No particular evidence
supports the site on which the monastery is built nor for the peak identified as
Mount Sinai However the attachment of early Christian monks to these sites
is not without significance
What to See
From St Catherines Monastery it is an uphill hike or camel ride to the
summit of Mount Sinai (2285m) This is identified as the mountain where
Moses received the Tablets of the Law from God The main route to the
summit is known as the Path of Moses (Arabic Sikket Sayidna Musa) and is
lined with remains of various chapels This is a very popular place from which
to watch the sunrise which is spectacular
There is both a mosque and a chapel at the summit of Mount Moses The
Chapel of the Holy Trinity was built in 1934 using the remains of the chapel
built by Justinian in the 6th century Justinians chapel itself replaced an
earlier chapel built in 363
Clearly visible from the mountain is the village of St Catherine located
some distance from the Monastery on the El Raha plain It is an old
settlement that has received considerable development in recent years
St Catherines Monastery Sinai
St Catherines Monastery is an Orthodox monastery on the Sinai peninsula
at the foot of Mount Sinai in Egypt One of the oldest Christian monasteries in
the world St Catherines incorporates the burning bush seen by Moses and
contains many valuable icons Above the monastery is Mount Sinai (see
separate article) where Moses received the Ten Commandments from God
Because God spoke to Moses in these places this area is sacred to three
world religions Christianity Islam and Judaism
In the BibleNow Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law the priest of Midian and he led the flock to the far side of the desert and came to Horeb the mountain of God There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look God called to
him from within the bush Moses Moses And Moses said Here I am
Do not come any closer God said Take off your sandals for the place where you are standing is holy ground Then he said I am the God of your father the God of Abraham the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob At this Moses hid his face because he was afraid to look at God The Lord said I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt So now go I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt
Moses said to God Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them The God of your fathers has sent me to you and they ask me What is his name Then what shall I tell them God said to Moses I am who I am This is what you are to say to the Israelites I AM has sent me to you (Exodus 31-14 NIV)
In the third month after the Israelites left Egyptmdashon the very daymdashthey came to the Desert of Sinai After they set out from Rephidim they entered the Desert of Sinai and Israel camped there in the desert in front of the mountain
Then Moses went up to God and the LORD called to him from the mountain and said This is what you are to say to the house of Jacob and what you are to tell the people of Israel You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt and how I carried you on eagles wings and brought you to myself Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession Although the whole earth is mine you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites
And God spoke all these words I am the Lord your God who brought you out of Egypt out of the land of slavery You shall have no other gods before me (Exodus 19 the Ten Commandments are given at Exodus 201-17)
Authenticity
The geographical locations of these biblical events are not known and a wide
variety of theories have been offered by scholars No particular evidence
supports the site on which the monastery is built nor for the peak identified as
Mount Sinai However the attachment of early Christian monks to these sites
is not without significance
History
In the early 4th century St Helena mother of Constantine the Great built the
Chapel of the Burning Bush at the site where Moses is supposed to have
seen the miracle
The fortified walls were built around the chapel by the Byzantine emperor and
great church-builder Justinian (who also commissioned the Hagia Sophia)
starting in 527 The Church of the Transfiguration was completed by
Justinians workers in the 560s around the time of his death
The monasterys actual name is the Monastery of the Transfiguration but it
later became associated with St Catherine of Alexandria a 3rd-century
martyr whose head and hand were brought here for safe keeping in the 10th
century St Catherines Monastery became a major pilgrimage destination in
the Byzantine Era and it still is today
Mount Sinai is also revered by Muslims as Jebel Musa (Mount Moses) the
place where God handed down his Law In 623 a document signed by the
Prophet Muhammad himself the Actiname (Holy Testament) exempted the
Christian monks of St Catherines from the usual taxes and military service
and commanded that Muslims provide the community with every help
In recognition of this gesture the St Catherines monks permitted the
conversion of a small Crusader chapel within the monastery to a mosque
between 1101 and 1106 during the Fatimid Caliphate (909-1171) This was in
regular use until Mameluke rule in the later 13th century when it was
neglected until its restoration in the early 20th century It is still used on
special occasions by the local Muslims
In 2002 the area centering on St Catherines Monastery was declared a
World Heritage Site by UNESCO because of Mt Sinais importance in three
major world religions (Judaism Christianity and Islam) the natural
environment of the area and St Catherines historic architecture and art
What to See
St Catherines Monastery comprises the entire Orthodox Church of Mount
Sinai an autonomous Orthodox Christian church headed by an archbishop
who is also the abbot of the monastery The archbishop is traditionally
consecrated by the Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem
St Catherines Monastery is surrounded on all sides by a massive wall 25 m
wide and 11m high This is the wall provided by Emperor Justinian in the 6th
century It is made of huge dressed granite blocks except for the upper
sections which were restored on orders of Napoleon using smaller
undressed stone blocks Christian symbols such as crosses and monograms
are carved on the wall in various places Until the 20th century access was
through a door high in the outer walls The entrance is now through a smaller
gate (also original) to the left of the main gate
The holiest part of the monastery is the large living shrub that is said to be a
direct descendent of the very burning bush that was seen by Moses The
Chapel of the Burning Bush was built with its altar situated above the roots
of the bush and incorporates the 4th-century chapel built by Empress St
Helena The chapel is dedicated to the Virgin Mary The bust itself was
transplanted to permit the construction of the altar and now grows a few
meters from the chapel It is a rare species of the rose family called Rubus
Sanctus The bush is native to Sinai and extremely long-lived facts that help
lend credibility to the site
The main church of the monastery is the Basilica of the Transfiguration (or
Katholikon) which was built of granite by the Byzantine architect Stephanos
at the same time as the defensive walls The church structure the roof and
the carved cedar doors at the entrance are all originals from 527 AD
Inside the basilica has a broad main nave two side aisles an apse and a
narthex The nave is bordered by massive granite columns with capitals
decorated with Christian symbols Each aisle has three chapels and there is a
chapel on each side of the apse Next to the main altar is a sarcophagus with
the relics of St Catherine (head and hand)
The ceiling marble floor and elaborate iconostasis of the basilica date from
the 18th century The icons mosaics and works of art that decorate the
interior span many centuries The doors of the narthex were added by
Crusaders in the 11th century
The neo-Classical bell tower was built in 1871 by one of the monks
Gregorius It houses nine bells given by the Tsar of Russia
A continual supply of fresh water is provided to the monastery by the Well of
Moses which taps an underground spring According to tradition this stands
on the very spot where Moses met his future wife Zipporah after protecting
her and her sisters from an aggressive group of local shepherds (Exodus
216-21
St Pauls Monastery
St Pauls Monastery (Deir Mar Boulos) in the Eastern Desert of Egypt is an
ancient monastery dedicated to the hermit St Paul of Thebes who moved to
this spot in the wilderness around 250 AD Originally built in the 5th century
the monastery now has three churches and contains many important
manuscripts
History
The life of St Paul of Thebes was recorded early but has always been
intertwined with fabulous legends Born into a wealthy family Paul abandoned
civilization and fled the Decian persecution around 250 AD when he was only
16 years old to become a hermit in the Eastern Desert
Living a life of extreme austerity from until his death at the ripe old age of 113
the hermit is said to have been fed a half-loaf of bread each day by a raven
In the most famous episode of his life Paul was visited by the desert monk St
Anthony around 345 AD Nearing the end of his own life of austerity Anthony
had become tempted by vanity in thinking he was the first of the Desert
Fathers So God led him to meet one who had preceded him
Paul died during Anthonys visit According to one version of the legend
Anthony requested two lions to dig a grave Another version says that before
his death Paul requested the robe of Pope Athanasius be brought to him for
burial then died while Anthony was away on the errand Either way two lions
dug the grave and St Anthony buried the hermit there designating him a
saint
St Pauls Monastery was built around the hermits cave by the 5th century It
suffered from Bedouin raids throughout its history the worst being in 1484
when all the monks were murdered the monastery was plundered and the
Bedouins occupied it for 80 years
Deir Mar Boulos was rebuilt under the patronage of Pope Gabriel VII of
Alexandria (1526-69) then attacked and destroyed again towards the end of
the century The monastery was deserted for 119 years then extensively
reconstructed and repopulated by monks from St Anthonys Monastery under
the patronage of Pope John XVI of Alexandria (1676-1718)
What to See
The monastery that bears St Pauls name is located where he was buried in
a valley south of the St Anthony monastery It has been little changed over
the years preserving its remarkably ancient heritage
The monastery has four churches the most important of which is the
underground Church of St Paul that contains the hermits cave and burial
place Its walls are painted with well-preserved frescoes and the ceiling is
hung with ostrich eggs symbols of the resurrection The larger Church of St
Michael has a gilded icon of John the Baptists severed head
St Pauls possesses many illustrated manuscripts including the Coptic
version of the Divine Liturgy and the Commentary on the Epistle of Saint Paul
to Titus by John Chrysostom
It is possible to hike from St Pauls to St Anthonys Monastery along a trail
across the plateau but this is a demanding trek and should be done with a
guide
St Antony Monastery ndash Red Sea
THE STORY OF MONASTICISM
Monasticism is considered Egyptrsquos greatest gift to the world It is a life of solitude prayer
contemplation charitable deeds and manual labour It is being one with God
where the monastic focuses all their life on being with God and doing His will
Monasticism is built on three basic principles poverty obedience and
chastity Monasticism was founded by the Egyptian Saint Antony who was
granted the title lsquofather of monasticismrsquo
Other important names in monasticism are Saint Macarius and Saint
Pachomius both from Egypt It was Saint Pachomius the Egyptian who began
to constitute monastic rules and innovated the concept of communal monastic
living an innovation that is based on monastic life today Benedictine
Monasticism in the West based its monastic rules on those of Saint
Pachomius Many visitors came from the West in the early years of
monasticism to learn from the simple Egyptian monks People such as Saint
John Chrysostom Saint Jerome Saint John Cassian and Palladius wrote
many books about the lives and sayings of the desert fathers of Egypt as they
experienced them
Monasticism is still thriving in Egypt today thanks to a revival led by His
Holiness Pope Shenouda III There are many inhabited ancient monasteries
and convents in Egypt as well as new monasteries being established abroad
in the Diaspora such as in Europe the USA and Australia
THE CAVE
We know from the lsquoLife of Antonyrsquo that our great hermit when he ventured into
this wilderness to seek greater seclusion discovered a natural cave in the
mountain and loved it and hence made it his home for the remaining 43 years
of his life
Today as in time past this cave within which St Antony dwelt is the life force
and heart beat of the Monastery and in which liturgy is celebrated daily and
thousands of pilgrims each year journey to for spiritual nourishment and
contemplation
From the plateau to the cave is a climb of approximately 1 hour and is today
made accessible by means of concrete steps and hand-railing for support As
one climbs the mountain to which St Antony withdrew one passes the Church
of St Paul the Simple which was constructed over the site of where this
disciple of St Antony once lived St Paul the Simple a 4th century desert
father known as lsquothe Simplersquo due to his meek and simple nature was St
Antonyrsquos faithful disciple Prior to his monastic life he had been married and
caught his wife in the act of adultery Hence he left her and took the decision
to consecrate the rest of his life to monastic living He went to St Antony ndash
who at this time was now 80 years old ndash and asked that he become a monk
St Antony at first refused him on account of his age (St Paul was 60) and
therefore compelled him several times to leave and return to his village
saying he could not survive the harsh ascetical life And yet St Paul was so
persistent that St Antony have him many demanding and arduous tasks all of
which he fulfilled with such humility obedience and simplicity that St Antony
accepted him into his monastic community and called him the Pride of the
Desert and he bore with honour the title lsquothe Simplersquo The solitary life gave St
Paul the Simple the gift of healing and casting out demons a power in which
he even surpassed his teacher St Antony The remains of his cave upon
which is built a church in his honour and is seen on the climb to St Antonyrsquos
cave bears witness to this faithful contemporary of our great hermit About
100 metres further up one reaches a terrace and then St Antonyrsquos blessed
cave
St Antonyrsquos cave is located about 2 km south-east of the Monastery 680
metres above the Red Sea and 276 metres above the Monastery It
comprises 3 parts the terrace the tunnel and the cave The narrow tunnel
connects the outer terrace ndash where one can imagine St Antony would sit and
weave his palm leave baskets ndash with the inner cave where he once dwelt and
is now converted into a small chapel
St Bishoy Monastery
The most eastern surviving Christian monastery in the Wadi el-Natrun of
Egypt is Dier Al Anba Bishoy (Pshoi Bishoi) which was founded by St
Bishoy (Pshoi)
The Monastery of Saint Bishoy is one of the original monasteries of Scetis Its
counterpart monastery is that of the Syrians which was built in the sixth
century by the followers of Severus or the Theodosian monks when concepts
concerning the nature of Christ forced a chrism between many monks in
Egypt
Like the Monastery of Saint Macarius the Monastery of the Romans and the
Monastery of Saint John the Little the Monastery of Saint Bishoy suffered five
sacks by the Berbers Al-Maqrizi who wrote during the fifteenth century
refers specifically to the fourth destruction of the monastery during the
patriarchate of Andronicus (616-2623) The patriarch Benjamin I (623-662) is
said to have rebuilt the monastery after that When the persecution by the
Berbers finally came to an end in the ninth century the bodies of both Saints
Bishoy and Paul of Tammua (Tamweh Tamwa) were returned to the
Monastery of Saint Bishoy
However the monastery was once again pillaged in 1096 which resulted in
its depopulation Then during the reign of patriarch Benjamin II (1327-1339)
considerable restoration of the monastery was undertaken because ants had
destroyed much of the woodwork and the buildings were near collapse
A number of visitors traveled to this monastery during late antiquity and into
more modern times Coppin went there in 1638 and Thevenot visited it in
1657 reporting it as the best of the four Wadi Natrun monasteries Then came
Wansleben in 1672 and Sicard in 1712 Granger made the journey in 1730
Sonnini in 1778 Andreossy in 1799 and Curzon in 1837 In 1839 Tattam is
said to have acquired numerous manuscripts from the monastery and in
1843 Wilkinson discovered thirteen monks in the monastery
However in 1875 when Junkers attempted to visit the monastery he was not
permitted to enter because a European before him had stolen several
manuscripts In 1881 Jullien reported that the monastery had the best water
of any in the Wadi and this was substantiated by Butler in 1883 From these
and other visitors we find that the monastery had twenty monks in 1638 four
in 1712 twelve in 1799 four in 1837 seven in 1875 fourteen in 1896 and
twenty in 1923
The monastery is nearly oblong in shape and surrounded by a defensive wall
The great wall was built in the ninth century and measures about ten meters
high and two meters wide It is one hundred and sixty-six meters on the east
and west and ninety-five meters on the north and south
Originally there were four entrances to the monastery one on each side of the
wall Today there are only two consisting of one on the north and one on the
south The main entrance is a gateway near the western end of the north wall
This gateway which possesses an inner gatehouse and a large carefully built
tower is the best preserved in the Wadi as well as the most complete and
elaborate of its kind of the four remaining monasteries
The southern half of the monastery is occupied by the church and cells of the
monks as well as by a modern patriarchal residence The greater part of the
gardens and the keep are in the northern half
The most interesting building in the monastery is the tower located at the
northwest corner of the monastery Defensive towers or keeps have been a
part of the architecture of Wadi El-Natruns monasteries since the fifth century
This was a time when the Berbers often attacked monasteries in the area
The keep at Saint Bishoy dates to the thirteenth century and is a few years
older than the keep of the Monastery of St Macarius One enters it at the
second floor level by a wooden drawbridge that rests on the roof of the
gatehouseOn the first floor are rooms where food was stored and prepared
One can see traces of an oven a mill for grains a press for grapes as well as
an olive press There is also a well some thirty meters deep
The second floor comprises the living quarters of the monks during the
periods of siege There is also a long corridor and east of this are rooms
which have cupolas supported by brick arches These have now been
transformed into a church dedicated to the Holy Virgin It has a transverse
nave and a triple sanctuary
On the north side of the roof of the tower is the Church of St Michaels one of
five in the monastery The icons on the iconostasis which date to the
eighteenth century have been restored They depict the twelve apostles in
pontifical vestments It is noteworthy that in no other monastery do we find the
Church of Saint Michael so isolated as in the Monastery of Saint Bishoy so it
is probable that at one time the keep had an additional floor like those of the
other monasteries in the Wadi
The other churches really form more of a complex of chapels with the central
and main church dedicated to Saint Bishoy It has been restored and
extended several times but it has been suggested that the most ancient parts
of the church do not predate the fifth attack which occurred between 830 and
848 on the monasteries of Wadi Natrun Indeed nothing remains of the
original church built prior to this and many principal elements of the structure
that we see today probably date from the restoration and remodeling
conducted by Benjamin II around 1330
It has a naos a three-aisled nave including a main center aisle and a western
return aisle a khurus (Choir) and it currently has a tripartite sanctuary (three
alters) The nave has a precious wooden pulpit while the wooden door
separating the two bays of the nave has decorative hexagonal panels with
arabesques and ivory inlays It probably dates to the fourteenth century The
khurus is rectangular in plan and placed transversely in relation to the nave In
the tripartite sanctuary the north one is dedicated to the Holy Virgin and is
separated from the choir by an arched portal It is a particularly long and
narrow room and its structure probably dates to the ninth century The middle
sanctuary is dedicated to Saint Bishoy and is connected with the khurus
through a high portal with ornate wooden panels dating to the Fatimed Period
However its square plan probably dates to the ninth century and its cupola
to the fourteenth The southern sanctuary is dedicated to John the Baptist
and also dates to the time of the renovations made during the fourteenth
century
The church or chapel more properly a parekklesion of St Iskhyrun (Abu
Iskhirun Iskhiron) was apparently added in the eleventh century though the
cupola is part of the renovations made by patriarch Benjamin II It is accessed
from the south side of the khurus of the Church of Saint Bishoy The plan is
almost square and opens on the east into a semi-circular apse which serves
as a sanctuary Here the relics of the holy martyr Saint Iskhyrun are kept
under the altar An icon from the seventeenth century placed on the
iconostasis separating the choir from the sanctuary depicts Iskhyrun on
horseback As is customary a wooden partition separates the nave from the
choir
The baptistery accessed by a narrow passage is located to the north of the
sanctuary of the Church of Saint Iskhyrun The diameter of the stone
baptismal font is ninety-five centimeters Only this monastery and that of al-
Baramus possess baptisteries in the Wadi This is because Coptic families
sometimes wish for their children to be baptized in holy and particularly
venerated places
Remains of wall paintings were recently discovered in the so-called Chapel of
Benjamin which probably date to the second half of the twelfth century The
restoration of the wall paintings in this section of the Monastery is not yet
complete
To the northeast of the main church and accessed from the khurus of that
church through a door set to the left of the tomb of Saint Bishoy is the Church
of the Holy Virgin which is actually dedicated to Benjamin I It features a nave
roofed with a barrel vault The sanctuary almost square in plan is separated
from the nave by a finely worked wooden iconostasis and surmounted by a
cupola This church is used during the winter months for the divine Liturgy
Built in the eleventh or the twelfth century the Church of Saint George is not
used now for services Its entrance is near the southeast corner of the main
church It has two sanctuaries and is roofed with six low cupolas The
monastery contains three refectories The ancient one is situated parallel to
the west end of the main church from which it is separated by a long narrow
vaulted corridor Its entrance is in the middle of the corridor opposite the west
entrance of the church It is a long chamber measuring twenty-seven meters
in length and four and a half meters in width divided into five domed bays by
four transverse arches The central space is roofed with a beautiful
quadripartite vault while the other four have cupolas in which some openings
admit light A masonry table takes up almost the entire length of the hall It is
strangely low only rising thirty-six centimeters Clearly the monks set cross-
legged on the floor Originally monks came here after Sunday liturgy to
celebrate the agape but today the refectory is used as a museum that
exhibits both sacred and secular artifacts
The two other refectories are older The smallest one lies southwest of the
main church At an unknown date it was transformed into the present chapel
of Mari Girgis It consists of a square room with a central pillar from which
spring four arches The third refectory which is now used fro storage lies in
the southeastern corner of the monastery
There is also a bakery and a millhouse in the northeastern corner of the
monastery The latter is the most complete example of its kind in the Wadi
Natrun
Also located on the grounds of the monastery is the Well of the Martyrs which
has been used ever since the time of Anba Bishoy It is said that the Berbers
washed the blood from their swords here after having killed the 49 Martyrs
Monks at the monastery also say that the Martyrs were thrown in the well prior
to being interned at the nearby St Marcarius Monastery It is twelve meters
deep and continues to produce fresh water which is regarded as miraculous
Following his enthronement in November of 1971 His Holiness Pope
Shenouda III selected this monastery as his pontifical residence where he
generally spends two or three days a week For this reason it is therefore the
destination of thousands of Copts who visit Wadi Naturn At one point he was
exiled to this monastery for forty months and during this time he ordained as
many as one hundred young men as monks
In recent years four hundred acres of desert land were acquired for the
monastery much of which has been cultivated Three reservoirs for drinking
water a new library a three-story guest house three large units for monastic
cells as well as lecture and conference buildings have been constructed at
the rear of the old monastery This is also the location of the pontifical
residence and the new Church of Saint Shenuda Here the number of monks
has increased to over 160 though many of these monks now serve in the
restored Upper Egyptian monasteries as well as in Coptic churches overseas
St Mary Monastery - El Sorian
Different sources indicate that the monastery was built around the fifth century There are many proofs the most important of which are The old fortress to the right of entrance of the monastery (even though it was repaired) It is well known that King Xenon (474-491 AD) was the one that built these fortresses as a token to his daughter Saint Hillary who entered monastic life in the wilderness of Shiheet and became well known everywhere There is a source in the library of London of the writings of Saint Yacoub El Serougi that is dated back to 603 AD from El Sorian Monastery Putler mentioned that the partitions of the church of St Mary-El Sorian go back to before 700 AD which resembles those in the Church of St Pishoy and the Church of St Mary-El Baramous These churches are considered the oldest in the wilderness until now Brumster mentioned in his book ldquoGuidance to the Monasteries of the Natroun Valleyrdquo that it was one of the monasteries known by the Theotokos These monasteries appeared in the fifth century after the counsel of Ephesus in 431 AD that discredited the Nestorian heresy Afterwards monasteries were built bearing the name of the Theotokos ldquoMother of Godrdquo and so it was called St Mary-El Sorian Monastery beside St Pishoy Monastery in the eastern wilderness Evelyn White mentioned that the monastery became independently run from the eighth century
Why it is Called El Sorian [The Syrian] Since the fourth century people have come from all over to the wilderness of Shiheet to visit and get blessings of the ascetic monks that reached high spiritual levels of asceticism and worship Examples of those are St Arsanius and St Maximus and Dometius who are still placed in St Mary-El Baramos Monastery There are also remnants of the old monasteries about three kilometers southeast of the monastery including the monastery of St John
Kame Abanoub the Ethiopians the Armenians and St John the Short And because people from all over came to worship the Coptic monks welcomed some Syrian monks for a period of time which is why it became famous of the Syrian [El Sorian] Monastery and also to differentiate it from St Mary-El Baramous Monastery St Mary Monastery is not St John Kame Monastery As mentioned above El Sorian Monastery was from the fifth century while the Monastery of St John Kame is from the ninth century and its ruins still exist Prince Omar Tosson built a pillar for each monastery and wrote its name on it Also the scholar Mohaub visited this monastery in 1088 AD When St John Kame Monastery was destroyed because of white ants between 1413 and 1430 AD his monks went to El Sorian Monastery and carried with them the body of St John Kame and their belongings including a marble stone that is still in El Sorian Church and engraved on it in Coptic the dates of the departure of St John Kame and his disciple St Stefanos
El Sorian Monastery in the Twentieth CenturyThe monastery became quite famous among other monasteries especially in the second half of the twentieth century when it was the leader and the initiator of monastic revival under the encouragement of Bishop Theophilus since he became the abbot of the monastery in 1948 most important of which
Monasticism A group of educated individuals entered monastic life and started working whole-heartedly to revive the monastery that group included those who reconstructed St Macarius Monastery St Paul St Mina and St George [El-Rozaykat] in addition to St Pishoy Monastery the head of which is HH Pope Shenouda III All of these monks were part of El Sorian Monastery and they had a great impact on
the revival of the church The majority of the Holy Synod that represents the leadership of the church areeducated monks that were prior to monastic life servants in their old churches and had a great impact on the priesthood from the spiritual social and intellectual standpoint During that
period a great number of monks were ordained compared to the previous period in which the number usually wouldnrsquot exceed more than twenty or forty the number of monks being ordained now is double or triple that number
Reconstruction In the early fifties when Bishop Theophillus presided over the monastery he demolished the cells that were next to
the Southern wall and built a building for the monks that were four stories high with a beautiful faccedilade It was the first modern building in the monastery and other monasteries adopted the same idea In 1988 another three-story building was constructed on top of which a water tower was built Through the encouragement of HH Pope Shenouda III in 1993 another three-story building was constructed next to that There
were two old bell towers around a guesthouse that was at the east side of St Maryrsquos church one of them is still standing and the other one was demolished Bishop Theophilus built instead of it a high tower at the north of the cells of the monks that the visitors of the monastery can see from far away In 1968 the other tower was built and was even higher than the first one HH Pope Shenouda III [who was Bishop of Education at that time] supervised personally on the construction
The Water Tower In 1955 a big water tower was built under which two water closets were built Father Moussa [the late Bishop Andrawous bishop of Damietta] who was a brilliant engineer from Alexandria was the one that designed and supervised the construction of the water tower That was the first concrete water tower built in the wilderness of
Natroun Prior to that there were only towers that were built out of aluminum and their height did not exceed two meters there were no water fountains in the monastery and only an old primitive water closet In 1988 another water tower was built over the cells of the monks with an electricity-operated water pump
The Guest House To the east of El Sorian Church was a beautiful palace which contained a large hall and many guest rooms that was built by Father Maximus in the year 1914 And in 1974 a guest housebuilding was built in its place that was five stories high and a library of the monastery was transferred to the third floor In addition a small rest house was built in the eighties to the west of El Sorian church on top of an old well and next to it was a big
traditional water pump [sakia] for the monasteryrsquos garden which was transformed after that into a library In 1987 and with the encouragement of HH Pope Shenouda III a two-story building for visitors was built to the west of the monastery
Books of the Monastery In 1951 Bishop Theophilus bought a print-shop for the monastery which was the first of its kind in the Egyptian monasteries and the monks of the monastery ran it and produced important books such as Life of the Orthodox Prayer The Book of the Seven Prayers of Famous Church Saints The Life of Saint John Kame The History of El Sorian Monastery Series of the History of the Patriarchs [four parts] The Three Holy Macari St Basil
the Great His Life Asceticism and Laws and many small booklets that were distributed free of charge like The Life of Mar Ephraim the Syrian Psalm The Lord Has Reigned Saint John Chrysostom Saint Augustine Saint George St Mark St Anna Simon Logios the Stonecutter and
Famous Sayings of Saints about Nativity Epiphany and Resurrection For ten years these sayings are still being read in the mornings of these feasts when the monks get together and read one of them And these books that were produced by El Sorian Monastery had a great impact on the spiritual life of a lot of people and even encouraged some of them to seek the monastic life
Retreat House In 1959 the retreat house was built outside the monastery and was the first one to be built in the monasteries Father Antonious El Soriani [HH Pope Shenouda III] was the guiding father of it and it was receiving large numbers of youth The monastery was enlightening the Christian youth because the quiet atmosphere was a chance for them to grow in prayers fastings spiritual readings meditation and attending
midnight praises and enjoying the desert Especially at sunset when nature coupled with the spiritual guidance of the monks a lot of the youth were led to think seriously about their spiritual lives and yearned to repeat the experience and some of them sought the monastic life And so a lot of the current monks used to spend a lot of time in this house which continued to be a living message of the church for all generations to come
- Coptic Museum Cairo
- History
- What to See
- Hanging Church Cairo
- History
- What to See
- St Georges Church Cairo
- History
- What to See
- Festivals and Events
- History
- What to See
- Mount Sinai
- In the Bible
- Authenticity
- What to See
- St Catherines Monastery Sinai
- In the Bible
- Authenticity
- History
- What to See
- St Pauls Monastery
- History
- What to See
- St Antony Monastery ndash Red Sea
- St Bishoy Monastery
- St Mary Monastery - El Sorian
9-4) and has some English-speaking nuns Both of these institutions are
Coptic Orthodox
Festivals and Events
St Georges celebration of the Moulid of Mari Girgis (St Georges Day) on
April 23 is one of the largest Coptic festivals in Cairo - despite the fact that the
church is Greek not Coptic
St Marks Coptic Cathedral Alexandria
St Marks Coptic Cathedral in Alexandria is the seat of the Pope of
Alexandria the head of the Coptic Orthodox Church The cathedral is said to
stand on the site of the church founded by St Mark the Evangelist in 60 AD
History
St Mark the Evangelist (author of the second Gospel) has been connected
with the city of Alexandria since earliest Christian tradition Coptic Christians
believe he arrived in Alexandria around 60 AD and stayed for about seven
years
During this time Mark converted many to Christianity and performed miracles
He is considered the founder of the church in Alexandria and the first Bishop
of Alexandria According to tradition St Mark was arrested during a festival of
Serapis in 68 AD and martyred by being dragged through the streets He was
buried under the church he had founded
In 828 the body of St Mark was stolen from the Alexandrian church by
Venetians to be enshrined in the grand new St Marks Basilica in Venice
However the head of the saint remained in Alexandria and every newly-
appointed Patriarch of Alexandria began his service with holding the holy
head of St Mark in his lap and changing its cloth shroud
The head of St Mark was moved around a great deal over the centuries and
has been lost for over 250 years Some of the relics from the body of St
Mark however were returned to Alexandria from Rome in 1968
What to See
The present St Marks Coptic Cathedral is of recent date but is said to stand
on the site of church founded by St Mark himself
Mount Sinai
Mount Sinai (also called Jebel Musa or Mount Moses) on the Sinai
Peninsula of Egypt is the traditional site where Moses received the Ten
Commandments from God There are some small chapels at the summit from
which there are spectacular sunrise views The starting point for the climb
and an unmissable sight in itself is St Catherines Monastery at the base of
the mountain
In the BibleNow Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law the priest of Midian and he led the flock to the far side of the desert and came to Horeb the mountain of God There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look God called to him from within the bush Moses Moses And Moses said Here I am
Do not come any closer God said Take off your sandals for the place where you are standing is holy ground Then he said I am the God of your father the God of Abraham the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob At this Moses hid his face because he was afraid to look at God The Lord said I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt So now go I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt
Moses said to God Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them The God of your fathers has sent me to you and they ask me What is his name Then what shall I tell them God said to Moses I am who I am This is what you are to say to the Israelites I AM has sent me to you (Exodus 31-14 NIV)
In the third month after the Israelites left Egyptmdashon the very daymdashthey came to the Desert of Sinai After they set out from Rephidim they entered the Desert of Sinai and Israel camped there in the desert in front of the mountain
Then Moses went up to God and the LORD called to him from the mountain and said This is what you are to say to the house of Jacob and what you are to tell the people of Israel You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt and how I carried you on eagles wings and brought you to myself Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession Although the whole earth is mine you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites
And God spoke all these words I am the Lord your God who brought you out of Egypt out of the land of slavery You shall have no other gods before me (Exodus 19 the Ten Commandments are given at Exodus 201-17)
Authenticity
The geographical locations of these biblical events are not known and a wide
variety of theories have been offered by scholars No particular evidence
supports the site on which the monastery is built nor for the peak identified as
Mount Sinai However the attachment of early Christian monks to these sites
is not without significance
What to See
From St Catherines Monastery it is an uphill hike or camel ride to the
summit of Mount Sinai (2285m) This is identified as the mountain where
Moses received the Tablets of the Law from God The main route to the
summit is known as the Path of Moses (Arabic Sikket Sayidna Musa) and is
lined with remains of various chapels This is a very popular place from which
to watch the sunrise which is spectacular
There is both a mosque and a chapel at the summit of Mount Moses The
Chapel of the Holy Trinity was built in 1934 using the remains of the chapel
built by Justinian in the 6th century Justinians chapel itself replaced an
earlier chapel built in 363
Clearly visible from the mountain is the village of St Catherine located
some distance from the Monastery on the El Raha plain It is an old
settlement that has received considerable development in recent years
St Catherines Monastery Sinai
St Catherines Monastery is an Orthodox monastery on the Sinai peninsula
at the foot of Mount Sinai in Egypt One of the oldest Christian monasteries in
the world St Catherines incorporates the burning bush seen by Moses and
contains many valuable icons Above the monastery is Mount Sinai (see
separate article) where Moses received the Ten Commandments from God
Because God spoke to Moses in these places this area is sacred to three
world religions Christianity Islam and Judaism
In the BibleNow Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law the priest of Midian and he led the flock to the far side of the desert and came to Horeb the mountain of God There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look God called to
him from within the bush Moses Moses And Moses said Here I am
Do not come any closer God said Take off your sandals for the place where you are standing is holy ground Then he said I am the God of your father the God of Abraham the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob At this Moses hid his face because he was afraid to look at God The Lord said I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt So now go I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt
Moses said to God Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them The God of your fathers has sent me to you and they ask me What is his name Then what shall I tell them God said to Moses I am who I am This is what you are to say to the Israelites I AM has sent me to you (Exodus 31-14 NIV)
In the third month after the Israelites left Egyptmdashon the very daymdashthey came to the Desert of Sinai After they set out from Rephidim they entered the Desert of Sinai and Israel camped there in the desert in front of the mountain
Then Moses went up to God and the LORD called to him from the mountain and said This is what you are to say to the house of Jacob and what you are to tell the people of Israel You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt and how I carried you on eagles wings and brought you to myself Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession Although the whole earth is mine you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites
And God spoke all these words I am the Lord your God who brought you out of Egypt out of the land of slavery You shall have no other gods before me (Exodus 19 the Ten Commandments are given at Exodus 201-17)
Authenticity
The geographical locations of these biblical events are not known and a wide
variety of theories have been offered by scholars No particular evidence
supports the site on which the monastery is built nor for the peak identified as
Mount Sinai However the attachment of early Christian monks to these sites
is not without significance
History
In the early 4th century St Helena mother of Constantine the Great built the
Chapel of the Burning Bush at the site where Moses is supposed to have
seen the miracle
The fortified walls were built around the chapel by the Byzantine emperor and
great church-builder Justinian (who also commissioned the Hagia Sophia)
starting in 527 The Church of the Transfiguration was completed by
Justinians workers in the 560s around the time of his death
The monasterys actual name is the Monastery of the Transfiguration but it
later became associated with St Catherine of Alexandria a 3rd-century
martyr whose head and hand were brought here for safe keeping in the 10th
century St Catherines Monastery became a major pilgrimage destination in
the Byzantine Era and it still is today
Mount Sinai is also revered by Muslims as Jebel Musa (Mount Moses) the
place where God handed down his Law In 623 a document signed by the
Prophet Muhammad himself the Actiname (Holy Testament) exempted the
Christian monks of St Catherines from the usual taxes and military service
and commanded that Muslims provide the community with every help
In recognition of this gesture the St Catherines monks permitted the
conversion of a small Crusader chapel within the monastery to a mosque
between 1101 and 1106 during the Fatimid Caliphate (909-1171) This was in
regular use until Mameluke rule in the later 13th century when it was
neglected until its restoration in the early 20th century It is still used on
special occasions by the local Muslims
In 2002 the area centering on St Catherines Monastery was declared a
World Heritage Site by UNESCO because of Mt Sinais importance in three
major world religions (Judaism Christianity and Islam) the natural
environment of the area and St Catherines historic architecture and art
What to See
St Catherines Monastery comprises the entire Orthodox Church of Mount
Sinai an autonomous Orthodox Christian church headed by an archbishop
who is also the abbot of the monastery The archbishop is traditionally
consecrated by the Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem
St Catherines Monastery is surrounded on all sides by a massive wall 25 m
wide and 11m high This is the wall provided by Emperor Justinian in the 6th
century It is made of huge dressed granite blocks except for the upper
sections which were restored on orders of Napoleon using smaller
undressed stone blocks Christian symbols such as crosses and monograms
are carved on the wall in various places Until the 20th century access was
through a door high in the outer walls The entrance is now through a smaller
gate (also original) to the left of the main gate
The holiest part of the monastery is the large living shrub that is said to be a
direct descendent of the very burning bush that was seen by Moses The
Chapel of the Burning Bush was built with its altar situated above the roots
of the bush and incorporates the 4th-century chapel built by Empress St
Helena The chapel is dedicated to the Virgin Mary The bust itself was
transplanted to permit the construction of the altar and now grows a few
meters from the chapel It is a rare species of the rose family called Rubus
Sanctus The bush is native to Sinai and extremely long-lived facts that help
lend credibility to the site
The main church of the monastery is the Basilica of the Transfiguration (or
Katholikon) which was built of granite by the Byzantine architect Stephanos
at the same time as the defensive walls The church structure the roof and
the carved cedar doors at the entrance are all originals from 527 AD
Inside the basilica has a broad main nave two side aisles an apse and a
narthex The nave is bordered by massive granite columns with capitals
decorated with Christian symbols Each aisle has three chapels and there is a
chapel on each side of the apse Next to the main altar is a sarcophagus with
the relics of St Catherine (head and hand)
The ceiling marble floor and elaborate iconostasis of the basilica date from
the 18th century The icons mosaics and works of art that decorate the
interior span many centuries The doors of the narthex were added by
Crusaders in the 11th century
The neo-Classical bell tower was built in 1871 by one of the monks
Gregorius It houses nine bells given by the Tsar of Russia
A continual supply of fresh water is provided to the monastery by the Well of
Moses which taps an underground spring According to tradition this stands
on the very spot where Moses met his future wife Zipporah after protecting
her and her sisters from an aggressive group of local shepherds (Exodus
216-21
St Pauls Monastery
St Pauls Monastery (Deir Mar Boulos) in the Eastern Desert of Egypt is an
ancient monastery dedicated to the hermit St Paul of Thebes who moved to
this spot in the wilderness around 250 AD Originally built in the 5th century
the monastery now has three churches and contains many important
manuscripts
History
The life of St Paul of Thebes was recorded early but has always been
intertwined with fabulous legends Born into a wealthy family Paul abandoned
civilization and fled the Decian persecution around 250 AD when he was only
16 years old to become a hermit in the Eastern Desert
Living a life of extreme austerity from until his death at the ripe old age of 113
the hermit is said to have been fed a half-loaf of bread each day by a raven
In the most famous episode of his life Paul was visited by the desert monk St
Anthony around 345 AD Nearing the end of his own life of austerity Anthony
had become tempted by vanity in thinking he was the first of the Desert
Fathers So God led him to meet one who had preceded him
Paul died during Anthonys visit According to one version of the legend
Anthony requested two lions to dig a grave Another version says that before
his death Paul requested the robe of Pope Athanasius be brought to him for
burial then died while Anthony was away on the errand Either way two lions
dug the grave and St Anthony buried the hermit there designating him a
saint
St Pauls Monastery was built around the hermits cave by the 5th century It
suffered from Bedouin raids throughout its history the worst being in 1484
when all the monks were murdered the monastery was plundered and the
Bedouins occupied it for 80 years
Deir Mar Boulos was rebuilt under the patronage of Pope Gabriel VII of
Alexandria (1526-69) then attacked and destroyed again towards the end of
the century The monastery was deserted for 119 years then extensively
reconstructed and repopulated by monks from St Anthonys Monastery under
the patronage of Pope John XVI of Alexandria (1676-1718)
What to See
The monastery that bears St Pauls name is located where he was buried in
a valley south of the St Anthony monastery It has been little changed over
the years preserving its remarkably ancient heritage
The monastery has four churches the most important of which is the
underground Church of St Paul that contains the hermits cave and burial
place Its walls are painted with well-preserved frescoes and the ceiling is
hung with ostrich eggs symbols of the resurrection The larger Church of St
Michael has a gilded icon of John the Baptists severed head
St Pauls possesses many illustrated manuscripts including the Coptic
version of the Divine Liturgy and the Commentary on the Epistle of Saint Paul
to Titus by John Chrysostom
It is possible to hike from St Pauls to St Anthonys Monastery along a trail
across the plateau but this is a demanding trek and should be done with a
guide
St Antony Monastery ndash Red Sea
THE STORY OF MONASTICISM
Monasticism is considered Egyptrsquos greatest gift to the world It is a life of solitude prayer
contemplation charitable deeds and manual labour It is being one with God
where the monastic focuses all their life on being with God and doing His will
Monasticism is built on three basic principles poverty obedience and
chastity Monasticism was founded by the Egyptian Saint Antony who was
granted the title lsquofather of monasticismrsquo
Other important names in monasticism are Saint Macarius and Saint
Pachomius both from Egypt It was Saint Pachomius the Egyptian who began
to constitute monastic rules and innovated the concept of communal monastic
living an innovation that is based on monastic life today Benedictine
Monasticism in the West based its monastic rules on those of Saint
Pachomius Many visitors came from the West in the early years of
monasticism to learn from the simple Egyptian monks People such as Saint
John Chrysostom Saint Jerome Saint John Cassian and Palladius wrote
many books about the lives and sayings of the desert fathers of Egypt as they
experienced them
Monasticism is still thriving in Egypt today thanks to a revival led by His
Holiness Pope Shenouda III There are many inhabited ancient monasteries
and convents in Egypt as well as new monasteries being established abroad
in the Diaspora such as in Europe the USA and Australia
THE CAVE
We know from the lsquoLife of Antonyrsquo that our great hermit when he ventured into
this wilderness to seek greater seclusion discovered a natural cave in the
mountain and loved it and hence made it his home for the remaining 43 years
of his life
Today as in time past this cave within which St Antony dwelt is the life force
and heart beat of the Monastery and in which liturgy is celebrated daily and
thousands of pilgrims each year journey to for spiritual nourishment and
contemplation
From the plateau to the cave is a climb of approximately 1 hour and is today
made accessible by means of concrete steps and hand-railing for support As
one climbs the mountain to which St Antony withdrew one passes the Church
of St Paul the Simple which was constructed over the site of where this
disciple of St Antony once lived St Paul the Simple a 4th century desert
father known as lsquothe Simplersquo due to his meek and simple nature was St
Antonyrsquos faithful disciple Prior to his monastic life he had been married and
caught his wife in the act of adultery Hence he left her and took the decision
to consecrate the rest of his life to monastic living He went to St Antony ndash
who at this time was now 80 years old ndash and asked that he become a monk
St Antony at first refused him on account of his age (St Paul was 60) and
therefore compelled him several times to leave and return to his village
saying he could not survive the harsh ascetical life And yet St Paul was so
persistent that St Antony have him many demanding and arduous tasks all of
which he fulfilled with such humility obedience and simplicity that St Antony
accepted him into his monastic community and called him the Pride of the
Desert and he bore with honour the title lsquothe Simplersquo The solitary life gave St
Paul the Simple the gift of healing and casting out demons a power in which
he even surpassed his teacher St Antony The remains of his cave upon
which is built a church in his honour and is seen on the climb to St Antonyrsquos
cave bears witness to this faithful contemporary of our great hermit About
100 metres further up one reaches a terrace and then St Antonyrsquos blessed
cave
St Antonyrsquos cave is located about 2 km south-east of the Monastery 680
metres above the Red Sea and 276 metres above the Monastery It
comprises 3 parts the terrace the tunnel and the cave The narrow tunnel
connects the outer terrace ndash where one can imagine St Antony would sit and
weave his palm leave baskets ndash with the inner cave where he once dwelt and
is now converted into a small chapel
St Bishoy Monastery
The most eastern surviving Christian monastery in the Wadi el-Natrun of
Egypt is Dier Al Anba Bishoy (Pshoi Bishoi) which was founded by St
Bishoy (Pshoi)
The Monastery of Saint Bishoy is one of the original monasteries of Scetis Its
counterpart monastery is that of the Syrians which was built in the sixth
century by the followers of Severus or the Theodosian monks when concepts
concerning the nature of Christ forced a chrism between many monks in
Egypt
Like the Monastery of Saint Macarius the Monastery of the Romans and the
Monastery of Saint John the Little the Monastery of Saint Bishoy suffered five
sacks by the Berbers Al-Maqrizi who wrote during the fifteenth century
refers specifically to the fourth destruction of the monastery during the
patriarchate of Andronicus (616-2623) The patriarch Benjamin I (623-662) is
said to have rebuilt the monastery after that When the persecution by the
Berbers finally came to an end in the ninth century the bodies of both Saints
Bishoy and Paul of Tammua (Tamweh Tamwa) were returned to the
Monastery of Saint Bishoy
However the monastery was once again pillaged in 1096 which resulted in
its depopulation Then during the reign of patriarch Benjamin II (1327-1339)
considerable restoration of the monastery was undertaken because ants had
destroyed much of the woodwork and the buildings were near collapse
A number of visitors traveled to this monastery during late antiquity and into
more modern times Coppin went there in 1638 and Thevenot visited it in
1657 reporting it as the best of the four Wadi Natrun monasteries Then came
Wansleben in 1672 and Sicard in 1712 Granger made the journey in 1730
Sonnini in 1778 Andreossy in 1799 and Curzon in 1837 In 1839 Tattam is
said to have acquired numerous manuscripts from the monastery and in
1843 Wilkinson discovered thirteen monks in the monastery
However in 1875 when Junkers attempted to visit the monastery he was not
permitted to enter because a European before him had stolen several
manuscripts In 1881 Jullien reported that the monastery had the best water
of any in the Wadi and this was substantiated by Butler in 1883 From these
and other visitors we find that the monastery had twenty monks in 1638 four
in 1712 twelve in 1799 four in 1837 seven in 1875 fourteen in 1896 and
twenty in 1923
The monastery is nearly oblong in shape and surrounded by a defensive wall
The great wall was built in the ninth century and measures about ten meters
high and two meters wide It is one hundred and sixty-six meters on the east
and west and ninety-five meters on the north and south
Originally there were four entrances to the monastery one on each side of the
wall Today there are only two consisting of one on the north and one on the
south The main entrance is a gateway near the western end of the north wall
This gateway which possesses an inner gatehouse and a large carefully built
tower is the best preserved in the Wadi as well as the most complete and
elaborate of its kind of the four remaining monasteries
The southern half of the monastery is occupied by the church and cells of the
monks as well as by a modern patriarchal residence The greater part of the
gardens and the keep are in the northern half
The most interesting building in the monastery is the tower located at the
northwest corner of the monastery Defensive towers or keeps have been a
part of the architecture of Wadi El-Natruns monasteries since the fifth century
This was a time when the Berbers often attacked monasteries in the area
The keep at Saint Bishoy dates to the thirteenth century and is a few years
older than the keep of the Monastery of St Macarius One enters it at the
second floor level by a wooden drawbridge that rests on the roof of the
gatehouseOn the first floor are rooms where food was stored and prepared
One can see traces of an oven a mill for grains a press for grapes as well as
an olive press There is also a well some thirty meters deep
The second floor comprises the living quarters of the monks during the
periods of siege There is also a long corridor and east of this are rooms
which have cupolas supported by brick arches These have now been
transformed into a church dedicated to the Holy Virgin It has a transverse
nave and a triple sanctuary
On the north side of the roof of the tower is the Church of St Michaels one of
five in the monastery The icons on the iconostasis which date to the
eighteenth century have been restored They depict the twelve apostles in
pontifical vestments It is noteworthy that in no other monastery do we find the
Church of Saint Michael so isolated as in the Monastery of Saint Bishoy so it
is probable that at one time the keep had an additional floor like those of the
other monasteries in the Wadi
The other churches really form more of a complex of chapels with the central
and main church dedicated to Saint Bishoy It has been restored and
extended several times but it has been suggested that the most ancient parts
of the church do not predate the fifth attack which occurred between 830 and
848 on the monasteries of Wadi Natrun Indeed nothing remains of the
original church built prior to this and many principal elements of the structure
that we see today probably date from the restoration and remodeling
conducted by Benjamin II around 1330
It has a naos a three-aisled nave including a main center aisle and a western
return aisle a khurus (Choir) and it currently has a tripartite sanctuary (three
alters) The nave has a precious wooden pulpit while the wooden door
separating the two bays of the nave has decorative hexagonal panels with
arabesques and ivory inlays It probably dates to the fourteenth century The
khurus is rectangular in plan and placed transversely in relation to the nave In
the tripartite sanctuary the north one is dedicated to the Holy Virgin and is
separated from the choir by an arched portal It is a particularly long and
narrow room and its structure probably dates to the ninth century The middle
sanctuary is dedicated to Saint Bishoy and is connected with the khurus
through a high portal with ornate wooden panels dating to the Fatimed Period
However its square plan probably dates to the ninth century and its cupola
to the fourteenth The southern sanctuary is dedicated to John the Baptist
and also dates to the time of the renovations made during the fourteenth
century
The church or chapel more properly a parekklesion of St Iskhyrun (Abu
Iskhirun Iskhiron) was apparently added in the eleventh century though the
cupola is part of the renovations made by patriarch Benjamin II It is accessed
from the south side of the khurus of the Church of Saint Bishoy The plan is
almost square and opens on the east into a semi-circular apse which serves
as a sanctuary Here the relics of the holy martyr Saint Iskhyrun are kept
under the altar An icon from the seventeenth century placed on the
iconostasis separating the choir from the sanctuary depicts Iskhyrun on
horseback As is customary a wooden partition separates the nave from the
choir
The baptistery accessed by a narrow passage is located to the north of the
sanctuary of the Church of Saint Iskhyrun The diameter of the stone
baptismal font is ninety-five centimeters Only this monastery and that of al-
Baramus possess baptisteries in the Wadi This is because Coptic families
sometimes wish for their children to be baptized in holy and particularly
venerated places
Remains of wall paintings were recently discovered in the so-called Chapel of
Benjamin which probably date to the second half of the twelfth century The
restoration of the wall paintings in this section of the Monastery is not yet
complete
To the northeast of the main church and accessed from the khurus of that
church through a door set to the left of the tomb of Saint Bishoy is the Church
of the Holy Virgin which is actually dedicated to Benjamin I It features a nave
roofed with a barrel vault The sanctuary almost square in plan is separated
from the nave by a finely worked wooden iconostasis and surmounted by a
cupola This church is used during the winter months for the divine Liturgy
Built in the eleventh or the twelfth century the Church of Saint George is not
used now for services Its entrance is near the southeast corner of the main
church It has two sanctuaries and is roofed with six low cupolas The
monastery contains three refectories The ancient one is situated parallel to
the west end of the main church from which it is separated by a long narrow
vaulted corridor Its entrance is in the middle of the corridor opposite the west
entrance of the church It is a long chamber measuring twenty-seven meters
in length and four and a half meters in width divided into five domed bays by
four transverse arches The central space is roofed with a beautiful
quadripartite vault while the other four have cupolas in which some openings
admit light A masonry table takes up almost the entire length of the hall It is
strangely low only rising thirty-six centimeters Clearly the monks set cross-
legged on the floor Originally monks came here after Sunday liturgy to
celebrate the agape but today the refectory is used as a museum that
exhibits both sacred and secular artifacts
The two other refectories are older The smallest one lies southwest of the
main church At an unknown date it was transformed into the present chapel
of Mari Girgis It consists of a square room with a central pillar from which
spring four arches The third refectory which is now used fro storage lies in
the southeastern corner of the monastery
There is also a bakery and a millhouse in the northeastern corner of the
monastery The latter is the most complete example of its kind in the Wadi
Natrun
Also located on the grounds of the monastery is the Well of the Martyrs which
has been used ever since the time of Anba Bishoy It is said that the Berbers
washed the blood from their swords here after having killed the 49 Martyrs
Monks at the monastery also say that the Martyrs were thrown in the well prior
to being interned at the nearby St Marcarius Monastery It is twelve meters
deep and continues to produce fresh water which is regarded as miraculous
Following his enthronement in November of 1971 His Holiness Pope
Shenouda III selected this monastery as his pontifical residence where he
generally spends two or three days a week For this reason it is therefore the
destination of thousands of Copts who visit Wadi Naturn At one point he was
exiled to this monastery for forty months and during this time he ordained as
many as one hundred young men as monks
In recent years four hundred acres of desert land were acquired for the
monastery much of which has been cultivated Three reservoirs for drinking
water a new library a three-story guest house three large units for monastic
cells as well as lecture and conference buildings have been constructed at
the rear of the old monastery This is also the location of the pontifical
residence and the new Church of Saint Shenuda Here the number of monks
has increased to over 160 though many of these monks now serve in the
restored Upper Egyptian monasteries as well as in Coptic churches overseas
St Mary Monastery - El Sorian
Different sources indicate that the monastery was built around the fifth century There are many proofs the most important of which are The old fortress to the right of entrance of the monastery (even though it was repaired) It is well known that King Xenon (474-491 AD) was the one that built these fortresses as a token to his daughter Saint Hillary who entered monastic life in the wilderness of Shiheet and became well known everywhere There is a source in the library of London of the writings of Saint Yacoub El Serougi that is dated back to 603 AD from El Sorian Monastery Putler mentioned that the partitions of the church of St Mary-El Sorian go back to before 700 AD which resembles those in the Church of St Pishoy and the Church of St Mary-El Baramous These churches are considered the oldest in the wilderness until now Brumster mentioned in his book ldquoGuidance to the Monasteries of the Natroun Valleyrdquo that it was one of the monasteries known by the Theotokos These monasteries appeared in the fifth century after the counsel of Ephesus in 431 AD that discredited the Nestorian heresy Afterwards monasteries were built bearing the name of the Theotokos ldquoMother of Godrdquo and so it was called St Mary-El Sorian Monastery beside St Pishoy Monastery in the eastern wilderness Evelyn White mentioned that the monastery became independently run from the eighth century
Why it is Called El Sorian [The Syrian] Since the fourth century people have come from all over to the wilderness of Shiheet to visit and get blessings of the ascetic monks that reached high spiritual levels of asceticism and worship Examples of those are St Arsanius and St Maximus and Dometius who are still placed in St Mary-El Baramos Monastery There are also remnants of the old monasteries about three kilometers southeast of the monastery including the monastery of St John
Kame Abanoub the Ethiopians the Armenians and St John the Short And because people from all over came to worship the Coptic monks welcomed some Syrian monks for a period of time which is why it became famous of the Syrian [El Sorian] Monastery and also to differentiate it from St Mary-El Baramous Monastery St Mary Monastery is not St John Kame Monastery As mentioned above El Sorian Monastery was from the fifth century while the Monastery of St John Kame is from the ninth century and its ruins still exist Prince Omar Tosson built a pillar for each monastery and wrote its name on it Also the scholar Mohaub visited this monastery in 1088 AD When St John Kame Monastery was destroyed because of white ants between 1413 and 1430 AD his monks went to El Sorian Monastery and carried with them the body of St John Kame and their belongings including a marble stone that is still in El Sorian Church and engraved on it in Coptic the dates of the departure of St John Kame and his disciple St Stefanos
El Sorian Monastery in the Twentieth CenturyThe monastery became quite famous among other monasteries especially in the second half of the twentieth century when it was the leader and the initiator of monastic revival under the encouragement of Bishop Theophilus since he became the abbot of the monastery in 1948 most important of which
Monasticism A group of educated individuals entered monastic life and started working whole-heartedly to revive the monastery that group included those who reconstructed St Macarius Monastery St Paul St Mina and St George [El-Rozaykat] in addition to St Pishoy Monastery the head of which is HH Pope Shenouda III All of these monks were part of El Sorian Monastery and they had a great impact on
the revival of the church The majority of the Holy Synod that represents the leadership of the church areeducated monks that were prior to monastic life servants in their old churches and had a great impact on the priesthood from the spiritual social and intellectual standpoint During that
period a great number of monks were ordained compared to the previous period in which the number usually wouldnrsquot exceed more than twenty or forty the number of monks being ordained now is double or triple that number
Reconstruction In the early fifties when Bishop Theophillus presided over the monastery he demolished the cells that were next to
the Southern wall and built a building for the monks that were four stories high with a beautiful faccedilade It was the first modern building in the monastery and other monasteries adopted the same idea In 1988 another three-story building was constructed on top of which a water tower was built Through the encouragement of HH Pope Shenouda III in 1993 another three-story building was constructed next to that There
were two old bell towers around a guesthouse that was at the east side of St Maryrsquos church one of them is still standing and the other one was demolished Bishop Theophilus built instead of it a high tower at the north of the cells of the monks that the visitors of the monastery can see from far away In 1968 the other tower was built and was even higher than the first one HH Pope Shenouda III [who was Bishop of Education at that time] supervised personally on the construction
The Water Tower In 1955 a big water tower was built under which two water closets were built Father Moussa [the late Bishop Andrawous bishop of Damietta] who was a brilliant engineer from Alexandria was the one that designed and supervised the construction of the water tower That was the first concrete water tower built in the wilderness of
Natroun Prior to that there were only towers that were built out of aluminum and their height did not exceed two meters there were no water fountains in the monastery and only an old primitive water closet In 1988 another water tower was built over the cells of the monks with an electricity-operated water pump
The Guest House To the east of El Sorian Church was a beautiful palace which contained a large hall and many guest rooms that was built by Father Maximus in the year 1914 And in 1974 a guest housebuilding was built in its place that was five stories high and a library of the monastery was transferred to the third floor In addition a small rest house was built in the eighties to the west of El Sorian church on top of an old well and next to it was a big
traditional water pump [sakia] for the monasteryrsquos garden which was transformed after that into a library In 1987 and with the encouragement of HH Pope Shenouda III a two-story building for visitors was built to the west of the monastery
Books of the Monastery In 1951 Bishop Theophilus bought a print-shop for the monastery which was the first of its kind in the Egyptian monasteries and the monks of the monastery ran it and produced important books such as Life of the Orthodox Prayer The Book of the Seven Prayers of Famous Church Saints The Life of Saint John Kame The History of El Sorian Monastery Series of the History of the Patriarchs [four parts] The Three Holy Macari St Basil
the Great His Life Asceticism and Laws and many small booklets that were distributed free of charge like The Life of Mar Ephraim the Syrian Psalm The Lord Has Reigned Saint John Chrysostom Saint Augustine Saint George St Mark St Anna Simon Logios the Stonecutter and
Famous Sayings of Saints about Nativity Epiphany and Resurrection For ten years these sayings are still being read in the mornings of these feasts when the monks get together and read one of them And these books that were produced by El Sorian Monastery had a great impact on the spiritual life of a lot of people and even encouraged some of them to seek the monastic life
Retreat House In 1959 the retreat house was built outside the monastery and was the first one to be built in the monasteries Father Antonious El Soriani [HH Pope Shenouda III] was the guiding father of it and it was receiving large numbers of youth The monastery was enlightening the Christian youth because the quiet atmosphere was a chance for them to grow in prayers fastings spiritual readings meditation and attending
midnight praises and enjoying the desert Especially at sunset when nature coupled with the spiritual guidance of the monks a lot of the youth were led to think seriously about their spiritual lives and yearned to repeat the experience and some of them sought the monastic life And so a lot of the current monks used to spend a lot of time in this house which continued to be a living message of the church for all generations to come
- Coptic Museum Cairo
- History
- What to See
- Hanging Church Cairo
- History
- What to See
- St Georges Church Cairo
- History
- What to See
- Festivals and Events
- History
- What to See
- Mount Sinai
- In the Bible
- Authenticity
- What to See
- St Catherines Monastery Sinai
- In the Bible
- Authenticity
- History
- What to See
- St Pauls Monastery
- History
- What to See
- St Antony Monastery ndash Red Sea
- St Bishoy Monastery
- St Mary Monastery - El Sorian
History
St Mark the Evangelist (author of the second Gospel) has been connected
with the city of Alexandria since earliest Christian tradition Coptic Christians
believe he arrived in Alexandria around 60 AD and stayed for about seven
years
During this time Mark converted many to Christianity and performed miracles
He is considered the founder of the church in Alexandria and the first Bishop
of Alexandria According to tradition St Mark was arrested during a festival of
Serapis in 68 AD and martyred by being dragged through the streets He was
buried under the church he had founded
In 828 the body of St Mark was stolen from the Alexandrian church by
Venetians to be enshrined in the grand new St Marks Basilica in Venice
However the head of the saint remained in Alexandria and every newly-
appointed Patriarch of Alexandria began his service with holding the holy
head of St Mark in his lap and changing its cloth shroud
The head of St Mark was moved around a great deal over the centuries and
has been lost for over 250 years Some of the relics from the body of St
Mark however were returned to Alexandria from Rome in 1968
What to See
The present St Marks Coptic Cathedral is of recent date but is said to stand
on the site of church founded by St Mark himself
Mount Sinai
Mount Sinai (also called Jebel Musa or Mount Moses) on the Sinai
Peninsula of Egypt is the traditional site where Moses received the Ten
Commandments from God There are some small chapels at the summit from
which there are spectacular sunrise views The starting point for the climb
and an unmissable sight in itself is St Catherines Monastery at the base of
the mountain
In the BibleNow Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law the priest of Midian and he led the flock to the far side of the desert and came to Horeb the mountain of God There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look God called to him from within the bush Moses Moses And Moses said Here I am
Do not come any closer God said Take off your sandals for the place where you are standing is holy ground Then he said I am the God of your father the God of Abraham the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob At this Moses hid his face because he was afraid to look at God The Lord said I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt So now go I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt
Moses said to God Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them The God of your fathers has sent me to you and they ask me What is his name Then what shall I tell them God said to Moses I am who I am This is what you are to say to the Israelites I AM has sent me to you (Exodus 31-14 NIV)
In the third month after the Israelites left Egyptmdashon the very daymdashthey came to the Desert of Sinai After they set out from Rephidim they entered the Desert of Sinai and Israel camped there in the desert in front of the mountain
Then Moses went up to God and the LORD called to him from the mountain and said This is what you are to say to the house of Jacob and what you are to tell the people of Israel You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt and how I carried you on eagles wings and brought you to myself Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession Although the whole earth is mine you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites
And God spoke all these words I am the Lord your God who brought you out of Egypt out of the land of slavery You shall have no other gods before me (Exodus 19 the Ten Commandments are given at Exodus 201-17)
Authenticity
The geographical locations of these biblical events are not known and a wide
variety of theories have been offered by scholars No particular evidence
supports the site on which the monastery is built nor for the peak identified as
Mount Sinai However the attachment of early Christian monks to these sites
is not without significance
What to See
From St Catherines Monastery it is an uphill hike or camel ride to the
summit of Mount Sinai (2285m) This is identified as the mountain where
Moses received the Tablets of the Law from God The main route to the
summit is known as the Path of Moses (Arabic Sikket Sayidna Musa) and is
lined with remains of various chapels This is a very popular place from which
to watch the sunrise which is spectacular
There is both a mosque and a chapel at the summit of Mount Moses The
Chapel of the Holy Trinity was built in 1934 using the remains of the chapel
built by Justinian in the 6th century Justinians chapel itself replaced an
earlier chapel built in 363
Clearly visible from the mountain is the village of St Catherine located
some distance from the Monastery on the El Raha plain It is an old
settlement that has received considerable development in recent years
St Catherines Monastery Sinai
St Catherines Monastery is an Orthodox monastery on the Sinai peninsula
at the foot of Mount Sinai in Egypt One of the oldest Christian monasteries in
the world St Catherines incorporates the burning bush seen by Moses and
contains many valuable icons Above the monastery is Mount Sinai (see
separate article) where Moses received the Ten Commandments from God
Because God spoke to Moses in these places this area is sacred to three
world religions Christianity Islam and Judaism
In the BibleNow Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law the priest of Midian and he led the flock to the far side of the desert and came to Horeb the mountain of God There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look God called to
him from within the bush Moses Moses And Moses said Here I am
Do not come any closer God said Take off your sandals for the place where you are standing is holy ground Then he said I am the God of your father the God of Abraham the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob At this Moses hid his face because he was afraid to look at God The Lord said I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt So now go I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt
Moses said to God Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them The God of your fathers has sent me to you and they ask me What is his name Then what shall I tell them God said to Moses I am who I am This is what you are to say to the Israelites I AM has sent me to you (Exodus 31-14 NIV)
In the third month after the Israelites left Egyptmdashon the very daymdashthey came to the Desert of Sinai After they set out from Rephidim they entered the Desert of Sinai and Israel camped there in the desert in front of the mountain
Then Moses went up to God and the LORD called to him from the mountain and said This is what you are to say to the house of Jacob and what you are to tell the people of Israel You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt and how I carried you on eagles wings and brought you to myself Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession Although the whole earth is mine you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites
And God spoke all these words I am the Lord your God who brought you out of Egypt out of the land of slavery You shall have no other gods before me (Exodus 19 the Ten Commandments are given at Exodus 201-17)
Authenticity
The geographical locations of these biblical events are not known and a wide
variety of theories have been offered by scholars No particular evidence
supports the site on which the monastery is built nor for the peak identified as
Mount Sinai However the attachment of early Christian monks to these sites
is not without significance
History
In the early 4th century St Helena mother of Constantine the Great built the
Chapel of the Burning Bush at the site where Moses is supposed to have
seen the miracle
The fortified walls were built around the chapel by the Byzantine emperor and
great church-builder Justinian (who also commissioned the Hagia Sophia)
starting in 527 The Church of the Transfiguration was completed by
Justinians workers in the 560s around the time of his death
The monasterys actual name is the Monastery of the Transfiguration but it
later became associated with St Catherine of Alexandria a 3rd-century
martyr whose head and hand were brought here for safe keeping in the 10th
century St Catherines Monastery became a major pilgrimage destination in
the Byzantine Era and it still is today
Mount Sinai is also revered by Muslims as Jebel Musa (Mount Moses) the
place where God handed down his Law In 623 a document signed by the
Prophet Muhammad himself the Actiname (Holy Testament) exempted the
Christian monks of St Catherines from the usual taxes and military service
and commanded that Muslims provide the community with every help
In recognition of this gesture the St Catherines monks permitted the
conversion of a small Crusader chapel within the monastery to a mosque
between 1101 and 1106 during the Fatimid Caliphate (909-1171) This was in
regular use until Mameluke rule in the later 13th century when it was
neglected until its restoration in the early 20th century It is still used on
special occasions by the local Muslims
In 2002 the area centering on St Catherines Monastery was declared a
World Heritage Site by UNESCO because of Mt Sinais importance in three
major world religions (Judaism Christianity and Islam) the natural
environment of the area and St Catherines historic architecture and art
What to See
St Catherines Monastery comprises the entire Orthodox Church of Mount
Sinai an autonomous Orthodox Christian church headed by an archbishop
who is also the abbot of the monastery The archbishop is traditionally
consecrated by the Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem
St Catherines Monastery is surrounded on all sides by a massive wall 25 m
wide and 11m high This is the wall provided by Emperor Justinian in the 6th
century It is made of huge dressed granite blocks except for the upper
sections which were restored on orders of Napoleon using smaller
undressed stone blocks Christian symbols such as crosses and monograms
are carved on the wall in various places Until the 20th century access was
through a door high in the outer walls The entrance is now through a smaller
gate (also original) to the left of the main gate
The holiest part of the monastery is the large living shrub that is said to be a
direct descendent of the very burning bush that was seen by Moses The
Chapel of the Burning Bush was built with its altar situated above the roots
of the bush and incorporates the 4th-century chapel built by Empress St
Helena The chapel is dedicated to the Virgin Mary The bust itself was
transplanted to permit the construction of the altar and now grows a few
meters from the chapel It is a rare species of the rose family called Rubus
Sanctus The bush is native to Sinai and extremely long-lived facts that help
lend credibility to the site
The main church of the monastery is the Basilica of the Transfiguration (or
Katholikon) which was built of granite by the Byzantine architect Stephanos
at the same time as the defensive walls The church structure the roof and
the carved cedar doors at the entrance are all originals from 527 AD
Inside the basilica has a broad main nave two side aisles an apse and a
narthex The nave is bordered by massive granite columns with capitals
decorated with Christian symbols Each aisle has three chapels and there is a
chapel on each side of the apse Next to the main altar is a sarcophagus with
the relics of St Catherine (head and hand)
The ceiling marble floor and elaborate iconostasis of the basilica date from
the 18th century The icons mosaics and works of art that decorate the
interior span many centuries The doors of the narthex were added by
Crusaders in the 11th century
The neo-Classical bell tower was built in 1871 by one of the monks
Gregorius It houses nine bells given by the Tsar of Russia
A continual supply of fresh water is provided to the monastery by the Well of
Moses which taps an underground spring According to tradition this stands
on the very spot where Moses met his future wife Zipporah after protecting
her and her sisters from an aggressive group of local shepherds (Exodus
216-21
St Pauls Monastery
St Pauls Monastery (Deir Mar Boulos) in the Eastern Desert of Egypt is an
ancient monastery dedicated to the hermit St Paul of Thebes who moved to
this spot in the wilderness around 250 AD Originally built in the 5th century
the monastery now has three churches and contains many important
manuscripts
History
The life of St Paul of Thebes was recorded early but has always been
intertwined with fabulous legends Born into a wealthy family Paul abandoned
civilization and fled the Decian persecution around 250 AD when he was only
16 years old to become a hermit in the Eastern Desert
Living a life of extreme austerity from until his death at the ripe old age of 113
the hermit is said to have been fed a half-loaf of bread each day by a raven
In the most famous episode of his life Paul was visited by the desert monk St
Anthony around 345 AD Nearing the end of his own life of austerity Anthony
had become tempted by vanity in thinking he was the first of the Desert
Fathers So God led him to meet one who had preceded him
Paul died during Anthonys visit According to one version of the legend
Anthony requested two lions to dig a grave Another version says that before
his death Paul requested the robe of Pope Athanasius be brought to him for
burial then died while Anthony was away on the errand Either way two lions
dug the grave and St Anthony buried the hermit there designating him a
saint
St Pauls Monastery was built around the hermits cave by the 5th century It
suffered from Bedouin raids throughout its history the worst being in 1484
when all the monks were murdered the monastery was plundered and the
Bedouins occupied it for 80 years
Deir Mar Boulos was rebuilt under the patronage of Pope Gabriel VII of
Alexandria (1526-69) then attacked and destroyed again towards the end of
the century The monastery was deserted for 119 years then extensively
reconstructed and repopulated by monks from St Anthonys Monastery under
the patronage of Pope John XVI of Alexandria (1676-1718)
What to See
The monastery that bears St Pauls name is located where he was buried in
a valley south of the St Anthony monastery It has been little changed over
the years preserving its remarkably ancient heritage
The monastery has four churches the most important of which is the
underground Church of St Paul that contains the hermits cave and burial
place Its walls are painted with well-preserved frescoes and the ceiling is
hung with ostrich eggs symbols of the resurrection The larger Church of St
Michael has a gilded icon of John the Baptists severed head
St Pauls possesses many illustrated manuscripts including the Coptic
version of the Divine Liturgy and the Commentary on the Epistle of Saint Paul
to Titus by John Chrysostom
It is possible to hike from St Pauls to St Anthonys Monastery along a trail
across the plateau but this is a demanding trek and should be done with a
guide
St Antony Monastery ndash Red Sea
THE STORY OF MONASTICISM
Monasticism is considered Egyptrsquos greatest gift to the world It is a life of solitude prayer
contemplation charitable deeds and manual labour It is being one with God
where the monastic focuses all their life on being with God and doing His will
Monasticism is built on three basic principles poverty obedience and
chastity Monasticism was founded by the Egyptian Saint Antony who was
granted the title lsquofather of monasticismrsquo
Other important names in monasticism are Saint Macarius and Saint
Pachomius both from Egypt It was Saint Pachomius the Egyptian who began
to constitute monastic rules and innovated the concept of communal monastic
living an innovation that is based on monastic life today Benedictine
Monasticism in the West based its monastic rules on those of Saint
Pachomius Many visitors came from the West in the early years of
monasticism to learn from the simple Egyptian monks People such as Saint
John Chrysostom Saint Jerome Saint John Cassian and Palladius wrote
many books about the lives and sayings of the desert fathers of Egypt as they
experienced them
Monasticism is still thriving in Egypt today thanks to a revival led by His
Holiness Pope Shenouda III There are many inhabited ancient monasteries
and convents in Egypt as well as new monasteries being established abroad
in the Diaspora such as in Europe the USA and Australia
THE CAVE
We know from the lsquoLife of Antonyrsquo that our great hermit when he ventured into
this wilderness to seek greater seclusion discovered a natural cave in the
mountain and loved it and hence made it his home for the remaining 43 years
of his life
Today as in time past this cave within which St Antony dwelt is the life force
and heart beat of the Monastery and in which liturgy is celebrated daily and
thousands of pilgrims each year journey to for spiritual nourishment and
contemplation
From the plateau to the cave is a climb of approximately 1 hour and is today
made accessible by means of concrete steps and hand-railing for support As
one climbs the mountain to which St Antony withdrew one passes the Church
of St Paul the Simple which was constructed over the site of where this
disciple of St Antony once lived St Paul the Simple a 4th century desert
father known as lsquothe Simplersquo due to his meek and simple nature was St
Antonyrsquos faithful disciple Prior to his monastic life he had been married and
caught his wife in the act of adultery Hence he left her and took the decision
to consecrate the rest of his life to monastic living He went to St Antony ndash
who at this time was now 80 years old ndash and asked that he become a monk
St Antony at first refused him on account of his age (St Paul was 60) and
therefore compelled him several times to leave and return to his village
saying he could not survive the harsh ascetical life And yet St Paul was so
persistent that St Antony have him many demanding and arduous tasks all of
which he fulfilled with such humility obedience and simplicity that St Antony
accepted him into his monastic community and called him the Pride of the
Desert and he bore with honour the title lsquothe Simplersquo The solitary life gave St
Paul the Simple the gift of healing and casting out demons a power in which
he even surpassed his teacher St Antony The remains of his cave upon
which is built a church in his honour and is seen on the climb to St Antonyrsquos
cave bears witness to this faithful contemporary of our great hermit About
100 metres further up one reaches a terrace and then St Antonyrsquos blessed
cave
St Antonyrsquos cave is located about 2 km south-east of the Monastery 680
metres above the Red Sea and 276 metres above the Monastery It
comprises 3 parts the terrace the tunnel and the cave The narrow tunnel
connects the outer terrace ndash where one can imagine St Antony would sit and
weave his palm leave baskets ndash with the inner cave where he once dwelt and
is now converted into a small chapel
St Bishoy Monastery
The most eastern surviving Christian monastery in the Wadi el-Natrun of
Egypt is Dier Al Anba Bishoy (Pshoi Bishoi) which was founded by St
Bishoy (Pshoi)
The Monastery of Saint Bishoy is one of the original monasteries of Scetis Its
counterpart monastery is that of the Syrians which was built in the sixth
century by the followers of Severus or the Theodosian monks when concepts
concerning the nature of Christ forced a chrism between many monks in
Egypt
Like the Monastery of Saint Macarius the Monastery of the Romans and the
Monastery of Saint John the Little the Monastery of Saint Bishoy suffered five
sacks by the Berbers Al-Maqrizi who wrote during the fifteenth century
refers specifically to the fourth destruction of the monastery during the
patriarchate of Andronicus (616-2623) The patriarch Benjamin I (623-662) is
said to have rebuilt the monastery after that When the persecution by the
Berbers finally came to an end in the ninth century the bodies of both Saints
Bishoy and Paul of Tammua (Tamweh Tamwa) were returned to the
Monastery of Saint Bishoy
However the monastery was once again pillaged in 1096 which resulted in
its depopulation Then during the reign of patriarch Benjamin II (1327-1339)
considerable restoration of the monastery was undertaken because ants had
destroyed much of the woodwork and the buildings were near collapse
A number of visitors traveled to this monastery during late antiquity and into
more modern times Coppin went there in 1638 and Thevenot visited it in
1657 reporting it as the best of the four Wadi Natrun monasteries Then came
Wansleben in 1672 and Sicard in 1712 Granger made the journey in 1730
Sonnini in 1778 Andreossy in 1799 and Curzon in 1837 In 1839 Tattam is
said to have acquired numerous manuscripts from the monastery and in
1843 Wilkinson discovered thirteen monks in the monastery
However in 1875 when Junkers attempted to visit the monastery he was not
permitted to enter because a European before him had stolen several
manuscripts In 1881 Jullien reported that the monastery had the best water
of any in the Wadi and this was substantiated by Butler in 1883 From these
and other visitors we find that the monastery had twenty monks in 1638 four
in 1712 twelve in 1799 four in 1837 seven in 1875 fourteen in 1896 and
twenty in 1923
The monastery is nearly oblong in shape and surrounded by a defensive wall
The great wall was built in the ninth century and measures about ten meters
high and two meters wide It is one hundred and sixty-six meters on the east
and west and ninety-five meters on the north and south
Originally there were four entrances to the monastery one on each side of the
wall Today there are only two consisting of one on the north and one on the
south The main entrance is a gateway near the western end of the north wall
This gateway which possesses an inner gatehouse and a large carefully built
tower is the best preserved in the Wadi as well as the most complete and
elaborate of its kind of the four remaining monasteries
The southern half of the monastery is occupied by the church and cells of the
monks as well as by a modern patriarchal residence The greater part of the
gardens and the keep are in the northern half
The most interesting building in the monastery is the tower located at the
northwest corner of the monastery Defensive towers or keeps have been a
part of the architecture of Wadi El-Natruns monasteries since the fifth century
This was a time when the Berbers often attacked monasteries in the area
The keep at Saint Bishoy dates to the thirteenth century and is a few years
older than the keep of the Monastery of St Macarius One enters it at the
second floor level by a wooden drawbridge that rests on the roof of the
gatehouseOn the first floor are rooms where food was stored and prepared
One can see traces of an oven a mill for grains a press for grapes as well as
an olive press There is also a well some thirty meters deep
The second floor comprises the living quarters of the monks during the
periods of siege There is also a long corridor and east of this are rooms
which have cupolas supported by brick arches These have now been
transformed into a church dedicated to the Holy Virgin It has a transverse
nave and a triple sanctuary
On the north side of the roof of the tower is the Church of St Michaels one of
five in the monastery The icons on the iconostasis which date to the
eighteenth century have been restored They depict the twelve apostles in
pontifical vestments It is noteworthy that in no other monastery do we find the
Church of Saint Michael so isolated as in the Monastery of Saint Bishoy so it
is probable that at one time the keep had an additional floor like those of the
other monasteries in the Wadi
The other churches really form more of a complex of chapels with the central
and main church dedicated to Saint Bishoy It has been restored and
extended several times but it has been suggested that the most ancient parts
of the church do not predate the fifth attack which occurred between 830 and
848 on the monasteries of Wadi Natrun Indeed nothing remains of the
original church built prior to this and many principal elements of the structure
that we see today probably date from the restoration and remodeling
conducted by Benjamin II around 1330
It has a naos a three-aisled nave including a main center aisle and a western
return aisle a khurus (Choir) and it currently has a tripartite sanctuary (three
alters) The nave has a precious wooden pulpit while the wooden door
separating the two bays of the nave has decorative hexagonal panels with
arabesques and ivory inlays It probably dates to the fourteenth century The
khurus is rectangular in plan and placed transversely in relation to the nave In
the tripartite sanctuary the north one is dedicated to the Holy Virgin and is
separated from the choir by an arched portal It is a particularly long and
narrow room and its structure probably dates to the ninth century The middle
sanctuary is dedicated to Saint Bishoy and is connected with the khurus
through a high portal with ornate wooden panels dating to the Fatimed Period
However its square plan probably dates to the ninth century and its cupola
to the fourteenth The southern sanctuary is dedicated to John the Baptist
and also dates to the time of the renovations made during the fourteenth
century
The church or chapel more properly a parekklesion of St Iskhyrun (Abu
Iskhirun Iskhiron) was apparently added in the eleventh century though the
cupola is part of the renovations made by patriarch Benjamin II It is accessed
from the south side of the khurus of the Church of Saint Bishoy The plan is
almost square and opens on the east into a semi-circular apse which serves
as a sanctuary Here the relics of the holy martyr Saint Iskhyrun are kept
under the altar An icon from the seventeenth century placed on the
iconostasis separating the choir from the sanctuary depicts Iskhyrun on
horseback As is customary a wooden partition separates the nave from the
choir
The baptistery accessed by a narrow passage is located to the north of the
sanctuary of the Church of Saint Iskhyrun The diameter of the stone
baptismal font is ninety-five centimeters Only this monastery and that of al-
Baramus possess baptisteries in the Wadi This is because Coptic families
sometimes wish for their children to be baptized in holy and particularly
venerated places
Remains of wall paintings were recently discovered in the so-called Chapel of
Benjamin which probably date to the second half of the twelfth century The
restoration of the wall paintings in this section of the Monastery is not yet
complete
To the northeast of the main church and accessed from the khurus of that
church through a door set to the left of the tomb of Saint Bishoy is the Church
of the Holy Virgin which is actually dedicated to Benjamin I It features a nave
roofed with a barrel vault The sanctuary almost square in plan is separated
from the nave by a finely worked wooden iconostasis and surmounted by a
cupola This church is used during the winter months for the divine Liturgy
Built in the eleventh or the twelfth century the Church of Saint George is not
used now for services Its entrance is near the southeast corner of the main
church It has two sanctuaries and is roofed with six low cupolas The
monastery contains three refectories The ancient one is situated parallel to
the west end of the main church from which it is separated by a long narrow
vaulted corridor Its entrance is in the middle of the corridor opposite the west
entrance of the church It is a long chamber measuring twenty-seven meters
in length and four and a half meters in width divided into five domed bays by
four transverse arches The central space is roofed with a beautiful
quadripartite vault while the other four have cupolas in which some openings
admit light A masonry table takes up almost the entire length of the hall It is
strangely low only rising thirty-six centimeters Clearly the monks set cross-
legged on the floor Originally monks came here after Sunday liturgy to
celebrate the agape but today the refectory is used as a museum that
exhibits both sacred and secular artifacts
The two other refectories are older The smallest one lies southwest of the
main church At an unknown date it was transformed into the present chapel
of Mari Girgis It consists of a square room with a central pillar from which
spring four arches The third refectory which is now used fro storage lies in
the southeastern corner of the monastery
There is also a bakery and a millhouse in the northeastern corner of the
monastery The latter is the most complete example of its kind in the Wadi
Natrun
Also located on the grounds of the monastery is the Well of the Martyrs which
has been used ever since the time of Anba Bishoy It is said that the Berbers
washed the blood from their swords here after having killed the 49 Martyrs
Monks at the monastery also say that the Martyrs were thrown in the well prior
to being interned at the nearby St Marcarius Monastery It is twelve meters
deep and continues to produce fresh water which is regarded as miraculous
Following his enthronement in November of 1971 His Holiness Pope
Shenouda III selected this monastery as his pontifical residence where he
generally spends two or three days a week For this reason it is therefore the
destination of thousands of Copts who visit Wadi Naturn At one point he was
exiled to this monastery for forty months and during this time he ordained as
many as one hundred young men as monks
In recent years four hundred acres of desert land were acquired for the
monastery much of which has been cultivated Three reservoirs for drinking
water a new library a three-story guest house three large units for monastic
cells as well as lecture and conference buildings have been constructed at
the rear of the old monastery This is also the location of the pontifical
residence and the new Church of Saint Shenuda Here the number of monks
has increased to over 160 though many of these monks now serve in the
restored Upper Egyptian monasteries as well as in Coptic churches overseas
St Mary Monastery - El Sorian
Different sources indicate that the monastery was built around the fifth century There are many proofs the most important of which are The old fortress to the right of entrance of the monastery (even though it was repaired) It is well known that King Xenon (474-491 AD) was the one that built these fortresses as a token to his daughter Saint Hillary who entered monastic life in the wilderness of Shiheet and became well known everywhere There is a source in the library of London of the writings of Saint Yacoub El Serougi that is dated back to 603 AD from El Sorian Monastery Putler mentioned that the partitions of the church of St Mary-El Sorian go back to before 700 AD which resembles those in the Church of St Pishoy and the Church of St Mary-El Baramous These churches are considered the oldest in the wilderness until now Brumster mentioned in his book ldquoGuidance to the Monasteries of the Natroun Valleyrdquo that it was one of the monasteries known by the Theotokos These monasteries appeared in the fifth century after the counsel of Ephesus in 431 AD that discredited the Nestorian heresy Afterwards monasteries were built bearing the name of the Theotokos ldquoMother of Godrdquo and so it was called St Mary-El Sorian Monastery beside St Pishoy Monastery in the eastern wilderness Evelyn White mentioned that the monastery became independently run from the eighth century
Why it is Called El Sorian [The Syrian] Since the fourth century people have come from all over to the wilderness of Shiheet to visit and get blessings of the ascetic monks that reached high spiritual levels of asceticism and worship Examples of those are St Arsanius and St Maximus and Dometius who are still placed in St Mary-El Baramos Monastery There are also remnants of the old monasteries about three kilometers southeast of the monastery including the monastery of St John
Kame Abanoub the Ethiopians the Armenians and St John the Short And because people from all over came to worship the Coptic monks welcomed some Syrian monks for a period of time which is why it became famous of the Syrian [El Sorian] Monastery and also to differentiate it from St Mary-El Baramous Monastery St Mary Monastery is not St John Kame Monastery As mentioned above El Sorian Monastery was from the fifth century while the Monastery of St John Kame is from the ninth century and its ruins still exist Prince Omar Tosson built a pillar for each monastery and wrote its name on it Also the scholar Mohaub visited this monastery in 1088 AD When St John Kame Monastery was destroyed because of white ants between 1413 and 1430 AD his monks went to El Sorian Monastery and carried with them the body of St John Kame and their belongings including a marble stone that is still in El Sorian Church and engraved on it in Coptic the dates of the departure of St John Kame and his disciple St Stefanos
El Sorian Monastery in the Twentieth CenturyThe monastery became quite famous among other monasteries especially in the second half of the twentieth century when it was the leader and the initiator of monastic revival under the encouragement of Bishop Theophilus since he became the abbot of the monastery in 1948 most important of which
Monasticism A group of educated individuals entered monastic life and started working whole-heartedly to revive the monastery that group included those who reconstructed St Macarius Monastery St Paul St Mina and St George [El-Rozaykat] in addition to St Pishoy Monastery the head of which is HH Pope Shenouda III All of these monks were part of El Sorian Monastery and they had a great impact on
the revival of the church The majority of the Holy Synod that represents the leadership of the church areeducated monks that were prior to monastic life servants in their old churches and had a great impact on the priesthood from the spiritual social and intellectual standpoint During that
period a great number of monks were ordained compared to the previous period in which the number usually wouldnrsquot exceed more than twenty or forty the number of monks being ordained now is double or triple that number
Reconstruction In the early fifties when Bishop Theophillus presided over the monastery he demolished the cells that were next to
the Southern wall and built a building for the monks that were four stories high with a beautiful faccedilade It was the first modern building in the monastery and other monasteries adopted the same idea In 1988 another three-story building was constructed on top of which a water tower was built Through the encouragement of HH Pope Shenouda III in 1993 another three-story building was constructed next to that There
were two old bell towers around a guesthouse that was at the east side of St Maryrsquos church one of them is still standing and the other one was demolished Bishop Theophilus built instead of it a high tower at the north of the cells of the monks that the visitors of the monastery can see from far away In 1968 the other tower was built and was even higher than the first one HH Pope Shenouda III [who was Bishop of Education at that time] supervised personally on the construction
The Water Tower In 1955 a big water tower was built under which two water closets were built Father Moussa [the late Bishop Andrawous bishop of Damietta] who was a brilliant engineer from Alexandria was the one that designed and supervised the construction of the water tower That was the first concrete water tower built in the wilderness of
Natroun Prior to that there were only towers that were built out of aluminum and their height did not exceed two meters there were no water fountains in the monastery and only an old primitive water closet In 1988 another water tower was built over the cells of the monks with an electricity-operated water pump
The Guest House To the east of El Sorian Church was a beautiful palace which contained a large hall and many guest rooms that was built by Father Maximus in the year 1914 And in 1974 a guest housebuilding was built in its place that was five stories high and a library of the monastery was transferred to the third floor In addition a small rest house was built in the eighties to the west of El Sorian church on top of an old well and next to it was a big
traditional water pump [sakia] for the monasteryrsquos garden which was transformed after that into a library In 1987 and with the encouragement of HH Pope Shenouda III a two-story building for visitors was built to the west of the monastery
Books of the Monastery In 1951 Bishop Theophilus bought a print-shop for the monastery which was the first of its kind in the Egyptian monasteries and the monks of the monastery ran it and produced important books such as Life of the Orthodox Prayer The Book of the Seven Prayers of Famous Church Saints The Life of Saint John Kame The History of El Sorian Monastery Series of the History of the Patriarchs [four parts] The Three Holy Macari St Basil
the Great His Life Asceticism and Laws and many small booklets that were distributed free of charge like The Life of Mar Ephraim the Syrian Psalm The Lord Has Reigned Saint John Chrysostom Saint Augustine Saint George St Mark St Anna Simon Logios the Stonecutter and
Famous Sayings of Saints about Nativity Epiphany and Resurrection For ten years these sayings are still being read in the mornings of these feasts when the monks get together and read one of them And these books that were produced by El Sorian Monastery had a great impact on the spiritual life of a lot of people and even encouraged some of them to seek the monastic life
Retreat House In 1959 the retreat house was built outside the monastery and was the first one to be built in the monasteries Father Antonious El Soriani [HH Pope Shenouda III] was the guiding father of it and it was receiving large numbers of youth The monastery was enlightening the Christian youth because the quiet atmosphere was a chance for them to grow in prayers fastings spiritual readings meditation and attending
midnight praises and enjoying the desert Especially at sunset when nature coupled with the spiritual guidance of the monks a lot of the youth were led to think seriously about their spiritual lives and yearned to repeat the experience and some of them sought the monastic life And so a lot of the current monks used to spend a lot of time in this house which continued to be a living message of the church for all generations to come
- Coptic Museum Cairo
- History
- What to See
- Hanging Church Cairo
- History
- What to See
- St Georges Church Cairo
- History
- What to See
- Festivals and Events
- History
- What to See
- Mount Sinai
- In the Bible
- Authenticity
- What to See
- St Catherines Monastery Sinai
- In the Bible
- Authenticity
- History
- What to See
- St Pauls Monastery
- History
- What to See
- St Antony Monastery ndash Red Sea
- St Bishoy Monastery
- St Mary Monastery - El Sorian
Mount Sinai
Mount Sinai (also called Jebel Musa or Mount Moses) on the Sinai
Peninsula of Egypt is the traditional site where Moses received the Ten
Commandments from God There are some small chapels at the summit from
which there are spectacular sunrise views The starting point for the climb
and an unmissable sight in itself is St Catherines Monastery at the base of
the mountain
In the BibleNow Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law the priest of Midian and he led the flock to the far side of the desert and came to Horeb the mountain of God There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look God called to him from within the bush Moses Moses And Moses said Here I am
Do not come any closer God said Take off your sandals for the place where you are standing is holy ground Then he said I am the God of your father the God of Abraham the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob At this Moses hid his face because he was afraid to look at God The Lord said I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt So now go I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt
Moses said to God Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them The God of your fathers has sent me to you and they ask me What is his name Then what shall I tell them God said to Moses I am who I am This is what you are to say to the Israelites I AM has sent me to you (Exodus 31-14 NIV)
In the third month after the Israelites left Egyptmdashon the very daymdashthey came to the Desert of Sinai After they set out from Rephidim they entered the Desert of Sinai and Israel camped there in the desert in front of the mountain
Then Moses went up to God and the LORD called to him from the mountain and said This is what you are to say to the house of Jacob and what you are to tell the people of Israel You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt and how I carried you on eagles wings and brought you to myself Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession Although the whole earth is mine you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites
And God spoke all these words I am the Lord your God who brought you out of Egypt out of the land of slavery You shall have no other gods before me (Exodus 19 the Ten Commandments are given at Exodus 201-17)
Authenticity
The geographical locations of these biblical events are not known and a wide
variety of theories have been offered by scholars No particular evidence
supports the site on which the monastery is built nor for the peak identified as
Mount Sinai However the attachment of early Christian monks to these sites
is not without significance
What to See
From St Catherines Monastery it is an uphill hike or camel ride to the
summit of Mount Sinai (2285m) This is identified as the mountain where
Moses received the Tablets of the Law from God The main route to the
summit is known as the Path of Moses (Arabic Sikket Sayidna Musa) and is
lined with remains of various chapels This is a very popular place from which
to watch the sunrise which is spectacular
There is both a mosque and a chapel at the summit of Mount Moses The
Chapel of the Holy Trinity was built in 1934 using the remains of the chapel
built by Justinian in the 6th century Justinians chapel itself replaced an
earlier chapel built in 363
Clearly visible from the mountain is the village of St Catherine located
some distance from the Monastery on the El Raha plain It is an old
settlement that has received considerable development in recent years
St Catherines Monastery Sinai
St Catherines Monastery is an Orthodox monastery on the Sinai peninsula
at the foot of Mount Sinai in Egypt One of the oldest Christian monasteries in
the world St Catherines incorporates the burning bush seen by Moses and
contains many valuable icons Above the monastery is Mount Sinai (see
separate article) where Moses received the Ten Commandments from God
Because God spoke to Moses in these places this area is sacred to three
world religions Christianity Islam and Judaism
In the BibleNow Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law the priest of Midian and he led the flock to the far side of the desert and came to Horeb the mountain of God There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look God called to
him from within the bush Moses Moses And Moses said Here I am
Do not come any closer God said Take off your sandals for the place where you are standing is holy ground Then he said I am the God of your father the God of Abraham the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob At this Moses hid his face because he was afraid to look at God The Lord said I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt So now go I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt
Moses said to God Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them The God of your fathers has sent me to you and they ask me What is his name Then what shall I tell them God said to Moses I am who I am This is what you are to say to the Israelites I AM has sent me to you (Exodus 31-14 NIV)
In the third month after the Israelites left Egyptmdashon the very daymdashthey came to the Desert of Sinai After they set out from Rephidim they entered the Desert of Sinai and Israel camped there in the desert in front of the mountain
Then Moses went up to God and the LORD called to him from the mountain and said This is what you are to say to the house of Jacob and what you are to tell the people of Israel You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt and how I carried you on eagles wings and brought you to myself Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession Although the whole earth is mine you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites
And God spoke all these words I am the Lord your God who brought you out of Egypt out of the land of slavery You shall have no other gods before me (Exodus 19 the Ten Commandments are given at Exodus 201-17)
Authenticity
The geographical locations of these biblical events are not known and a wide
variety of theories have been offered by scholars No particular evidence
supports the site on which the monastery is built nor for the peak identified as
Mount Sinai However the attachment of early Christian monks to these sites
is not without significance
History
In the early 4th century St Helena mother of Constantine the Great built the
Chapel of the Burning Bush at the site where Moses is supposed to have
seen the miracle
The fortified walls were built around the chapel by the Byzantine emperor and
great church-builder Justinian (who also commissioned the Hagia Sophia)
starting in 527 The Church of the Transfiguration was completed by
Justinians workers in the 560s around the time of his death
The monasterys actual name is the Monastery of the Transfiguration but it
later became associated with St Catherine of Alexandria a 3rd-century
martyr whose head and hand were brought here for safe keeping in the 10th
century St Catherines Monastery became a major pilgrimage destination in
the Byzantine Era and it still is today
Mount Sinai is also revered by Muslims as Jebel Musa (Mount Moses) the
place where God handed down his Law In 623 a document signed by the
Prophet Muhammad himself the Actiname (Holy Testament) exempted the
Christian monks of St Catherines from the usual taxes and military service
and commanded that Muslims provide the community with every help
In recognition of this gesture the St Catherines monks permitted the
conversion of a small Crusader chapel within the monastery to a mosque
between 1101 and 1106 during the Fatimid Caliphate (909-1171) This was in
regular use until Mameluke rule in the later 13th century when it was
neglected until its restoration in the early 20th century It is still used on
special occasions by the local Muslims
In 2002 the area centering on St Catherines Monastery was declared a
World Heritage Site by UNESCO because of Mt Sinais importance in three
major world religions (Judaism Christianity and Islam) the natural
environment of the area and St Catherines historic architecture and art
What to See
St Catherines Monastery comprises the entire Orthodox Church of Mount
Sinai an autonomous Orthodox Christian church headed by an archbishop
who is also the abbot of the monastery The archbishop is traditionally
consecrated by the Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem
St Catherines Monastery is surrounded on all sides by a massive wall 25 m
wide and 11m high This is the wall provided by Emperor Justinian in the 6th
century It is made of huge dressed granite blocks except for the upper
sections which were restored on orders of Napoleon using smaller
undressed stone blocks Christian symbols such as crosses and monograms
are carved on the wall in various places Until the 20th century access was
through a door high in the outer walls The entrance is now through a smaller
gate (also original) to the left of the main gate
The holiest part of the monastery is the large living shrub that is said to be a
direct descendent of the very burning bush that was seen by Moses The
Chapel of the Burning Bush was built with its altar situated above the roots
of the bush and incorporates the 4th-century chapel built by Empress St
Helena The chapel is dedicated to the Virgin Mary The bust itself was
transplanted to permit the construction of the altar and now grows a few
meters from the chapel It is a rare species of the rose family called Rubus
Sanctus The bush is native to Sinai and extremely long-lived facts that help
lend credibility to the site
The main church of the monastery is the Basilica of the Transfiguration (or
Katholikon) which was built of granite by the Byzantine architect Stephanos
at the same time as the defensive walls The church structure the roof and
the carved cedar doors at the entrance are all originals from 527 AD
Inside the basilica has a broad main nave two side aisles an apse and a
narthex The nave is bordered by massive granite columns with capitals
decorated with Christian symbols Each aisle has three chapels and there is a
chapel on each side of the apse Next to the main altar is a sarcophagus with
the relics of St Catherine (head and hand)
The ceiling marble floor and elaborate iconostasis of the basilica date from
the 18th century The icons mosaics and works of art that decorate the
interior span many centuries The doors of the narthex were added by
Crusaders in the 11th century
The neo-Classical bell tower was built in 1871 by one of the monks
Gregorius It houses nine bells given by the Tsar of Russia
A continual supply of fresh water is provided to the monastery by the Well of
Moses which taps an underground spring According to tradition this stands
on the very spot where Moses met his future wife Zipporah after protecting
her and her sisters from an aggressive group of local shepherds (Exodus
216-21
St Pauls Monastery
St Pauls Monastery (Deir Mar Boulos) in the Eastern Desert of Egypt is an
ancient monastery dedicated to the hermit St Paul of Thebes who moved to
this spot in the wilderness around 250 AD Originally built in the 5th century
the monastery now has three churches and contains many important
manuscripts
History
The life of St Paul of Thebes was recorded early but has always been
intertwined with fabulous legends Born into a wealthy family Paul abandoned
civilization and fled the Decian persecution around 250 AD when he was only
16 years old to become a hermit in the Eastern Desert
Living a life of extreme austerity from until his death at the ripe old age of 113
the hermit is said to have been fed a half-loaf of bread each day by a raven
In the most famous episode of his life Paul was visited by the desert monk St
Anthony around 345 AD Nearing the end of his own life of austerity Anthony
had become tempted by vanity in thinking he was the first of the Desert
Fathers So God led him to meet one who had preceded him
Paul died during Anthonys visit According to one version of the legend
Anthony requested two lions to dig a grave Another version says that before
his death Paul requested the robe of Pope Athanasius be brought to him for
burial then died while Anthony was away on the errand Either way two lions
dug the grave and St Anthony buried the hermit there designating him a
saint
St Pauls Monastery was built around the hermits cave by the 5th century It
suffered from Bedouin raids throughout its history the worst being in 1484
when all the monks were murdered the monastery was plundered and the
Bedouins occupied it for 80 years
Deir Mar Boulos was rebuilt under the patronage of Pope Gabriel VII of
Alexandria (1526-69) then attacked and destroyed again towards the end of
the century The monastery was deserted for 119 years then extensively
reconstructed and repopulated by monks from St Anthonys Monastery under
the patronage of Pope John XVI of Alexandria (1676-1718)
What to See
The monastery that bears St Pauls name is located where he was buried in
a valley south of the St Anthony monastery It has been little changed over
the years preserving its remarkably ancient heritage
The monastery has four churches the most important of which is the
underground Church of St Paul that contains the hermits cave and burial
place Its walls are painted with well-preserved frescoes and the ceiling is
hung with ostrich eggs symbols of the resurrection The larger Church of St
Michael has a gilded icon of John the Baptists severed head
St Pauls possesses many illustrated manuscripts including the Coptic
version of the Divine Liturgy and the Commentary on the Epistle of Saint Paul
to Titus by John Chrysostom
It is possible to hike from St Pauls to St Anthonys Monastery along a trail
across the plateau but this is a demanding trek and should be done with a
guide
St Antony Monastery ndash Red Sea
THE STORY OF MONASTICISM
Monasticism is considered Egyptrsquos greatest gift to the world It is a life of solitude prayer
contemplation charitable deeds and manual labour It is being one with God
where the monastic focuses all their life on being with God and doing His will
Monasticism is built on three basic principles poverty obedience and
chastity Monasticism was founded by the Egyptian Saint Antony who was
granted the title lsquofather of monasticismrsquo
Other important names in monasticism are Saint Macarius and Saint
Pachomius both from Egypt It was Saint Pachomius the Egyptian who began
to constitute monastic rules and innovated the concept of communal monastic
living an innovation that is based on monastic life today Benedictine
Monasticism in the West based its monastic rules on those of Saint
Pachomius Many visitors came from the West in the early years of
monasticism to learn from the simple Egyptian monks People such as Saint
John Chrysostom Saint Jerome Saint John Cassian and Palladius wrote
many books about the lives and sayings of the desert fathers of Egypt as they
experienced them
Monasticism is still thriving in Egypt today thanks to a revival led by His
Holiness Pope Shenouda III There are many inhabited ancient monasteries
and convents in Egypt as well as new monasteries being established abroad
in the Diaspora such as in Europe the USA and Australia
THE CAVE
We know from the lsquoLife of Antonyrsquo that our great hermit when he ventured into
this wilderness to seek greater seclusion discovered a natural cave in the
mountain and loved it and hence made it his home for the remaining 43 years
of his life
Today as in time past this cave within which St Antony dwelt is the life force
and heart beat of the Monastery and in which liturgy is celebrated daily and
thousands of pilgrims each year journey to for spiritual nourishment and
contemplation
From the plateau to the cave is a climb of approximately 1 hour and is today
made accessible by means of concrete steps and hand-railing for support As
one climbs the mountain to which St Antony withdrew one passes the Church
of St Paul the Simple which was constructed over the site of where this
disciple of St Antony once lived St Paul the Simple a 4th century desert
father known as lsquothe Simplersquo due to his meek and simple nature was St
Antonyrsquos faithful disciple Prior to his monastic life he had been married and
caught his wife in the act of adultery Hence he left her and took the decision
to consecrate the rest of his life to monastic living He went to St Antony ndash
who at this time was now 80 years old ndash and asked that he become a monk
St Antony at first refused him on account of his age (St Paul was 60) and
therefore compelled him several times to leave and return to his village
saying he could not survive the harsh ascetical life And yet St Paul was so
persistent that St Antony have him many demanding and arduous tasks all of
which he fulfilled with such humility obedience and simplicity that St Antony
accepted him into his monastic community and called him the Pride of the
Desert and he bore with honour the title lsquothe Simplersquo The solitary life gave St
Paul the Simple the gift of healing and casting out demons a power in which
he even surpassed his teacher St Antony The remains of his cave upon
which is built a church in his honour and is seen on the climb to St Antonyrsquos
cave bears witness to this faithful contemporary of our great hermit About
100 metres further up one reaches a terrace and then St Antonyrsquos blessed
cave
St Antonyrsquos cave is located about 2 km south-east of the Monastery 680
metres above the Red Sea and 276 metres above the Monastery It
comprises 3 parts the terrace the tunnel and the cave The narrow tunnel
connects the outer terrace ndash where one can imagine St Antony would sit and
weave his palm leave baskets ndash with the inner cave where he once dwelt and
is now converted into a small chapel
St Bishoy Monastery
The most eastern surviving Christian monastery in the Wadi el-Natrun of
Egypt is Dier Al Anba Bishoy (Pshoi Bishoi) which was founded by St
Bishoy (Pshoi)
The Monastery of Saint Bishoy is one of the original monasteries of Scetis Its
counterpart monastery is that of the Syrians which was built in the sixth
century by the followers of Severus or the Theodosian monks when concepts
concerning the nature of Christ forced a chrism between many monks in
Egypt
Like the Monastery of Saint Macarius the Monastery of the Romans and the
Monastery of Saint John the Little the Monastery of Saint Bishoy suffered five
sacks by the Berbers Al-Maqrizi who wrote during the fifteenth century
refers specifically to the fourth destruction of the monastery during the
patriarchate of Andronicus (616-2623) The patriarch Benjamin I (623-662) is
said to have rebuilt the monastery after that When the persecution by the
Berbers finally came to an end in the ninth century the bodies of both Saints
Bishoy and Paul of Tammua (Tamweh Tamwa) were returned to the
Monastery of Saint Bishoy
However the monastery was once again pillaged in 1096 which resulted in
its depopulation Then during the reign of patriarch Benjamin II (1327-1339)
considerable restoration of the monastery was undertaken because ants had
destroyed much of the woodwork and the buildings were near collapse
A number of visitors traveled to this monastery during late antiquity and into
more modern times Coppin went there in 1638 and Thevenot visited it in
1657 reporting it as the best of the four Wadi Natrun monasteries Then came
Wansleben in 1672 and Sicard in 1712 Granger made the journey in 1730
Sonnini in 1778 Andreossy in 1799 and Curzon in 1837 In 1839 Tattam is
said to have acquired numerous manuscripts from the monastery and in
1843 Wilkinson discovered thirteen monks in the monastery
However in 1875 when Junkers attempted to visit the monastery he was not
permitted to enter because a European before him had stolen several
manuscripts In 1881 Jullien reported that the monastery had the best water
of any in the Wadi and this was substantiated by Butler in 1883 From these
and other visitors we find that the monastery had twenty monks in 1638 four
in 1712 twelve in 1799 four in 1837 seven in 1875 fourteen in 1896 and
twenty in 1923
The monastery is nearly oblong in shape and surrounded by a defensive wall
The great wall was built in the ninth century and measures about ten meters
high and two meters wide It is one hundred and sixty-six meters on the east
and west and ninety-five meters on the north and south
Originally there were four entrances to the monastery one on each side of the
wall Today there are only two consisting of one on the north and one on the
south The main entrance is a gateway near the western end of the north wall
This gateway which possesses an inner gatehouse and a large carefully built
tower is the best preserved in the Wadi as well as the most complete and
elaborate of its kind of the four remaining monasteries
The southern half of the monastery is occupied by the church and cells of the
monks as well as by a modern patriarchal residence The greater part of the
gardens and the keep are in the northern half
The most interesting building in the monastery is the tower located at the
northwest corner of the monastery Defensive towers or keeps have been a
part of the architecture of Wadi El-Natruns monasteries since the fifth century
This was a time when the Berbers often attacked monasteries in the area
The keep at Saint Bishoy dates to the thirteenth century and is a few years
older than the keep of the Monastery of St Macarius One enters it at the
second floor level by a wooden drawbridge that rests on the roof of the
gatehouseOn the first floor are rooms where food was stored and prepared
One can see traces of an oven a mill for grains a press for grapes as well as
an olive press There is also a well some thirty meters deep
The second floor comprises the living quarters of the monks during the
periods of siege There is also a long corridor and east of this are rooms
which have cupolas supported by brick arches These have now been
transformed into a church dedicated to the Holy Virgin It has a transverse
nave and a triple sanctuary
On the north side of the roof of the tower is the Church of St Michaels one of
five in the monastery The icons on the iconostasis which date to the
eighteenth century have been restored They depict the twelve apostles in
pontifical vestments It is noteworthy that in no other monastery do we find the
Church of Saint Michael so isolated as in the Monastery of Saint Bishoy so it
is probable that at one time the keep had an additional floor like those of the
other monasteries in the Wadi
The other churches really form more of a complex of chapels with the central
and main church dedicated to Saint Bishoy It has been restored and
extended several times but it has been suggested that the most ancient parts
of the church do not predate the fifth attack which occurred between 830 and
848 on the monasteries of Wadi Natrun Indeed nothing remains of the
original church built prior to this and many principal elements of the structure
that we see today probably date from the restoration and remodeling
conducted by Benjamin II around 1330
It has a naos a three-aisled nave including a main center aisle and a western
return aisle a khurus (Choir) and it currently has a tripartite sanctuary (three
alters) The nave has a precious wooden pulpit while the wooden door
separating the two bays of the nave has decorative hexagonal panels with
arabesques and ivory inlays It probably dates to the fourteenth century The
khurus is rectangular in plan and placed transversely in relation to the nave In
the tripartite sanctuary the north one is dedicated to the Holy Virgin and is
separated from the choir by an arched portal It is a particularly long and
narrow room and its structure probably dates to the ninth century The middle
sanctuary is dedicated to Saint Bishoy and is connected with the khurus
through a high portal with ornate wooden panels dating to the Fatimed Period
However its square plan probably dates to the ninth century and its cupola
to the fourteenth The southern sanctuary is dedicated to John the Baptist
and also dates to the time of the renovations made during the fourteenth
century
The church or chapel more properly a parekklesion of St Iskhyrun (Abu
Iskhirun Iskhiron) was apparently added in the eleventh century though the
cupola is part of the renovations made by patriarch Benjamin II It is accessed
from the south side of the khurus of the Church of Saint Bishoy The plan is
almost square and opens on the east into a semi-circular apse which serves
as a sanctuary Here the relics of the holy martyr Saint Iskhyrun are kept
under the altar An icon from the seventeenth century placed on the
iconostasis separating the choir from the sanctuary depicts Iskhyrun on
horseback As is customary a wooden partition separates the nave from the
choir
The baptistery accessed by a narrow passage is located to the north of the
sanctuary of the Church of Saint Iskhyrun The diameter of the stone
baptismal font is ninety-five centimeters Only this monastery and that of al-
Baramus possess baptisteries in the Wadi This is because Coptic families
sometimes wish for their children to be baptized in holy and particularly
venerated places
Remains of wall paintings were recently discovered in the so-called Chapel of
Benjamin which probably date to the second half of the twelfth century The
restoration of the wall paintings in this section of the Monastery is not yet
complete
To the northeast of the main church and accessed from the khurus of that
church through a door set to the left of the tomb of Saint Bishoy is the Church
of the Holy Virgin which is actually dedicated to Benjamin I It features a nave
roofed with a barrel vault The sanctuary almost square in plan is separated
from the nave by a finely worked wooden iconostasis and surmounted by a
cupola This church is used during the winter months for the divine Liturgy
Built in the eleventh or the twelfth century the Church of Saint George is not
used now for services Its entrance is near the southeast corner of the main
church It has two sanctuaries and is roofed with six low cupolas The
monastery contains three refectories The ancient one is situated parallel to
the west end of the main church from which it is separated by a long narrow
vaulted corridor Its entrance is in the middle of the corridor opposite the west
entrance of the church It is a long chamber measuring twenty-seven meters
in length and four and a half meters in width divided into five domed bays by
four transverse arches The central space is roofed with a beautiful
quadripartite vault while the other four have cupolas in which some openings
admit light A masonry table takes up almost the entire length of the hall It is
strangely low only rising thirty-six centimeters Clearly the monks set cross-
legged on the floor Originally monks came here after Sunday liturgy to
celebrate the agape but today the refectory is used as a museum that
exhibits both sacred and secular artifacts
The two other refectories are older The smallest one lies southwest of the
main church At an unknown date it was transformed into the present chapel
of Mari Girgis It consists of a square room with a central pillar from which
spring four arches The third refectory which is now used fro storage lies in
the southeastern corner of the monastery
There is also a bakery and a millhouse in the northeastern corner of the
monastery The latter is the most complete example of its kind in the Wadi
Natrun
Also located on the grounds of the monastery is the Well of the Martyrs which
has been used ever since the time of Anba Bishoy It is said that the Berbers
washed the blood from their swords here after having killed the 49 Martyrs
Monks at the monastery also say that the Martyrs were thrown in the well prior
to being interned at the nearby St Marcarius Monastery It is twelve meters
deep and continues to produce fresh water which is regarded as miraculous
Following his enthronement in November of 1971 His Holiness Pope
Shenouda III selected this monastery as his pontifical residence where he
generally spends two or three days a week For this reason it is therefore the
destination of thousands of Copts who visit Wadi Naturn At one point he was
exiled to this monastery for forty months and during this time he ordained as
many as one hundred young men as monks
In recent years four hundred acres of desert land were acquired for the
monastery much of which has been cultivated Three reservoirs for drinking
water a new library a three-story guest house three large units for monastic
cells as well as lecture and conference buildings have been constructed at
the rear of the old monastery This is also the location of the pontifical
residence and the new Church of Saint Shenuda Here the number of monks
has increased to over 160 though many of these monks now serve in the
restored Upper Egyptian monasteries as well as in Coptic churches overseas
St Mary Monastery - El Sorian
Different sources indicate that the monastery was built around the fifth century There are many proofs the most important of which are The old fortress to the right of entrance of the monastery (even though it was repaired) It is well known that King Xenon (474-491 AD) was the one that built these fortresses as a token to his daughter Saint Hillary who entered monastic life in the wilderness of Shiheet and became well known everywhere There is a source in the library of London of the writings of Saint Yacoub El Serougi that is dated back to 603 AD from El Sorian Monastery Putler mentioned that the partitions of the church of St Mary-El Sorian go back to before 700 AD which resembles those in the Church of St Pishoy and the Church of St Mary-El Baramous These churches are considered the oldest in the wilderness until now Brumster mentioned in his book ldquoGuidance to the Monasteries of the Natroun Valleyrdquo that it was one of the monasteries known by the Theotokos These monasteries appeared in the fifth century after the counsel of Ephesus in 431 AD that discredited the Nestorian heresy Afterwards monasteries were built bearing the name of the Theotokos ldquoMother of Godrdquo and so it was called St Mary-El Sorian Monastery beside St Pishoy Monastery in the eastern wilderness Evelyn White mentioned that the monastery became independently run from the eighth century
Why it is Called El Sorian [The Syrian] Since the fourth century people have come from all over to the wilderness of Shiheet to visit and get blessings of the ascetic monks that reached high spiritual levels of asceticism and worship Examples of those are St Arsanius and St Maximus and Dometius who are still placed in St Mary-El Baramos Monastery There are also remnants of the old monasteries about three kilometers southeast of the monastery including the monastery of St John
Kame Abanoub the Ethiopians the Armenians and St John the Short And because people from all over came to worship the Coptic monks welcomed some Syrian monks for a period of time which is why it became famous of the Syrian [El Sorian] Monastery and also to differentiate it from St Mary-El Baramous Monastery St Mary Monastery is not St John Kame Monastery As mentioned above El Sorian Monastery was from the fifth century while the Monastery of St John Kame is from the ninth century and its ruins still exist Prince Omar Tosson built a pillar for each monastery and wrote its name on it Also the scholar Mohaub visited this monastery in 1088 AD When St John Kame Monastery was destroyed because of white ants between 1413 and 1430 AD his monks went to El Sorian Monastery and carried with them the body of St John Kame and their belongings including a marble stone that is still in El Sorian Church and engraved on it in Coptic the dates of the departure of St John Kame and his disciple St Stefanos
El Sorian Monastery in the Twentieth CenturyThe monastery became quite famous among other monasteries especially in the second half of the twentieth century when it was the leader and the initiator of monastic revival under the encouragement of Bishop Theophilus since he became the abbot of the monastery in 1948 most important of which
Monasticism A group of educated individuals entered monastic life and started working whole-heartedly to revive the monastery that group included those who reconstructed St Macarius Monastery St Paul St Mina and St George [El-Rozaykat] in addition to St Pishoy Monastery the head of which is HH Pope Shenouda III All of these monks were part of El Sorian Monastery and they had a great impact on
the revival of the church The majority of the Holy Synod that represents the leadership of the church areeducated monks that were prior to monastic life servants in their old churches and had a great impact on the priesthood from the spiritual social and intellectual standpoint During that
period a great number of monks were ordained compared to the previous period in which the number usually wouldnrsquot exceed more than twenty or forty the number of monks being ordained now is double or triple that number
Reconstruction In the early fifties when Bishop Theophillus presided over the monastery he demolished the cells that were next to
the Southern wall and built a building for the monks that were four stories high with a beautiful faccedilade It was the first modern building in the monastery and other monasteries adopted the same idea In 1988 another three-story building was constructed on top of which a water tower was built Through the encouragement of HH Pope Shenouda III in 1993 another three-story building was constructed next to that There
were two old bell towers around a guesthouse that was at the east side of St Maryrsquos church one of them is still standing and the other one was demolished Bishop Theophilus built instead of it a high tower at the north of the cells of the monks that the visitors of the monastery can see from far away In 1968 the other tower was built and was even higher than the first one HH Pope Shenouda III [who was Bishop of Education at that time] supervised personally on the construction
The Water Tower In 1955 a big water tower was built under which two water closets were built Father Moussa [the late Bishop Andrawous bishop of Damietta] who was a brilliant engineer from Alexandria was the one that designed and supervised the construction of the water tower That was the first concrete water tower built in the wilderness of
Natroun Prior to that there were only towers that were built out of aluminum and their height did not exceed two meters there were no water fountains in the monastery and only an old primitive water closet In 1988 another water tower was built over the cells of the monks with an electricity-operated water pump
The Guest House To the east of El Sorian Church was a beautiful palace which contained a large hall and many guest rooms that was built by Father Maximus in the year 1914 And in 1974 a guest housebuilding was built in its place that was five stories high and a library of the monastery was transferred to the third floor In addition a small rest house was built in the eighties to the west of El Sorian church on top of an old well and next to it was a big
traditional water pump [sakia] for the monasteryrsquos garden which was transformed after that into a library In 1987 and with the encouragement of HH Pope Shenouda III a two-story building for visitors was built to the west of the monastery
Books of the Monastery In 1951 Bishop Theophilus bought a print-shop for the monastery which was the first of its kind in the Egyptian monasteries and the monks of the monastery ran it and produced important books such as Life of the Orthodox Prayer The Book of the Seven Prayers of Famous Church Saints The Life of Saint John Kame The History of El Sorian Monastery Series of the History of the Patriarchs [four parts] The Three Holy Macari St Basil
the Great His Life Asceticism and Laws and many small booklets that were distributed free of charge like The Life of Mar Ephraim the Syrian Psalm The Lord Has Reigned Saint John Chrysostom Saint Augustine Saint George St Mark St Anna Simon Logios the Stonecutter and
Famous Sayings of Saints about Nativity Epiphany and Resurrection For ten years these sayings are still being read in the mornings of these feasts when the monks get together and read one of them And these books that were produced by El Sorian Monastery had a great impact on the spiritual life of a lot of people and even encouraged some of them to seek the monastic life
Retreat House In 1959 the retreat house was built outside the monastery and was the first one to be built in the monasteries Father Antonious El Soriani [HH Pope Shenouda III] was the guiding father of it and it was receiving large numbers of youth The monastery was enlightening the Christian youth because the quiet atmosphere was a chance for them to grow in prayers fastings spiritual readings meditation and attending
midnight praises and enjoying the desert Especially at sunset when nature coupled with the spiritual guidance of the monks a lot of the youth were led to think seriously about their spiritual lives and yearned to repeat the experience and some of them sought the monastic life And so a lot of the current monks used to spend a lot of time in this house which continued to be a living message of the church for all generations to come
- Coptic Museum Cairo
- History
- What to See
- Hanging Church Cairo
- History
- What to See
- St Georges Church Cairo
- History
- What to See
- Festivals and Events
- History
- What to See
- Mount Sinai
- In the Bible
- Authenticity
- What to See
- St Catherines Monastery Sinai
- In the Bible
- Authenticity
- History
- What to See
- St Pauls Monastery
- History
- What to See
- St Antony Monastery ndash Red Sea
- St Bishoy Monastery
- St Mary Monastery - El Sorian
Moses said to God Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them The God of your fathers has sent me to you and they ask me What is his name Then what shall I tell them God said to Moses I am who I am This is what you are to say to the Israelites I AM has sent me to you (Exodus 31-14 NIV)
In the third month after the Israelites left Egyptmdashon the very daymdashthey came to the Desert of Sinai After they set out from Rephidim they entered the Desert of Sinai and Israel camped there in the desert in front of the mountain
Then Moses went up to God and the LORD called to him from the mountain and said This is what you are to say to the house of Jacob and what you are to tell the people of Israel You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt and how I carried you on eagles wings and brought you to myself Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession Although the whole earth is mine you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites
And God spoke all these words I am the Lord your God who brought you out of Egypt out of the land of slavery You shall have no other gods before me (Exodus 19 the Ten Commandments are given at Exodus 201-17)
Authenticity
The geographical locations of these biblical events are not known and a wide
variety of theories have been offered by scholars No particular evidence
supports the site on which the monastery is built nor for the peak identified as
Mount Sinai However the attachment of early Christian monks to these sites
is not without significance
What to See
From St Catherines Monastery it is an uphill hike or camel ride to the
summit of Mount Sinai (2285m) This is identified as the mountain where
Moses received the Tablets of the Law from God The main route to the
summit is known as the Path of Moses (Arabic Sikket Sayidna Musa) and is
lined with remains of various chapels This is a very popular place from which
to watch the sunrise which is spectacular
There is both a mosque and a chapel at the summit of Mount Moses The
Chapel of the Holy Trinity was built in 1934 using the remains of the chapel
built by Justinian in the 6th century Justinians chapel itself replaced an
earlier chapel built in 363
Clearly visible from the mountain is the village of St Catherine located
some distance from the Monastery on the El Raha plain It is an old
settlement that has received considerable development in recent years
St Catherines Monastery Sinai
St Catherines Monastery is an Orthodox monastery on the Sinai peninsula
at the foot of Mount Sinai in Egypt One of the oldest Christian monasteries in
the world St Catherines incorporates the burning bush seen by Moses and
contains many valuable icons Above the monastery is Mount Sinai (see
separate article) where Moses received the Ten Commandments from God
Because God spoke to Moses in these places this area is sacred to three
world religions Christianity Islam and Judaism
In the BibleNow Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law the priest of Midian and he led the flock to the far side of the desert and came to Horeb the mountain of God There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look God called to
him from within the bush Moses Moses And Moses said Here I am
Do not come any closer God said Take off your sandals for the place where you are standing is holy ground Then he said I am the God of your father the God of Abraham the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob At this Moses hid his face because he was afraid to look at God The Lord said I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt So now go I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt
Moses said to God Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them The God of your fathers has sent me to you and they ask me What is his name Then what shall I tell them God said to Moses I am who I am This is what you are to say to the Israelites I AM has sent me to you (Exodus 31-14 NIV)
In the third month after the Israelites left Egyptmdashon the very daymdashthey came to the Desert of Sinai After they set out from Rephidim they entered the Desert of Sinai and Israel camped there in the desert in front of the mountain
Then Moses went up to God and the LORD called to him from the mountain and said This is what you are to say to the house of Jacob and what you are to tell the people of Israel You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt and how I carried you on eagles wings and brought you to myself Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession Although the whole earth is mine you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites
And God spoke all these words I am the Lord your God who brought you out of Egypt out of the land of slavery You shall have no other gods before me (Exodus 19 the Ten Commandments are given at Exodus 201-17)
Authenticity
The geographical locations of these biblical events are not known and a wide
variety of theories have been offered by scholars No particular evidence
supports the site on which the monastery is built nor for the peak identified as
Mount Sinai However the attachment of early Christian monks to these sites
is not without significance
History
In the early 4th century St Helena mother of Constantine the Great built the
Chapel of the Burning Bush at the site where Moses is supposed to have
seen the miracle
The fortified walls were built around the chapel by the Byzantine emperor and
great church-builder Justinian (who also commissioned the Hagia Sophia)
starting in 527 The Church of the Transfiguration was completed by
Justinians workers in the 560s around the time of his death
The monasterys actual name is the Monastery of the Transfiguration but it
later became associated with St Catherine of Alexandria a 3rd-century
martyr whose head and hand were brought here for safe keeping in the 10th
century St Catherines Monastery became a major pilgrimage destination in
the Byzantine Era and it still is today
Mount Sinai is also revered by Muslims as Jebel Musa (Mount Moses) the
place where God handed down his Law In 623 a document signed by the
Prophet Muhammad himself the Actiname (Holy Testament) exempted the
Christian monks of St Catherines from the usual taxes and military service
and commanded that Muslims provide the community with every help
In recognition of this gesture the St Catherines monks permitted the
conversion of a small Crusader chapel within the monastery to a mosque
between 1101 and 1106 during the Fatimid Caliphate (909-1171) This was in
regular use until Mameluke rule in the later 13th century when it was
neglected until its restoration in the early 20th century It is still used on
special occasions by the local Muslims
In 2002 the area centering on St Catherines Monastery was declared a
World Heritage Site by UNESCO because of Mt Sinais importance in three
major world religions (Judaism Christianity and Islam) the natural
environment of the area and St Catherines historic architecture and art
What to See
St Catherines Monastery comprises the entire Orthodox Church of Mount
Sinai an autonomous Orthodox Christian church headed by an archbishop
who is also the abbot of the monastery The archbishop is traditionally
consecrated by the Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem
St Catherines Monastery is surrounded on all sides by a massive wall 25 m
wide and 11m high This is the wall provided by Emperor Justinian in the 6th
century It is made of huge dressed granite blocks except for the upper
sections which were restored on orders of Napoleon using smaller
undressed stone blocks Christian symbols such as crosses and monograms
are carved on the wall in various places Until the 20th century access was
through a door high in the outer walls The entrance is now through a smaller
gate (also original) to the left of the main gate
The holiest part of the monastery is the large living shrub that is said to be a
direct descendent of the very burning bush that was seen by Moses The
Chapel of the Burning Bush was built with its altar situated above the roots
of the bush and incorporates the 4th-century chapel built by Empress St
Helena The chapel is dedicated to the Virgin Mary The bust itself was
transplanted to permit the construction of the altar and now grows a few
meters from the chapel It is a rare species of the rose family called Rubus
Sanctus The bush is native to Sinai and extremely long-lived facts that help
lend credibility to the site
The main church of the monastery is the Basilica of the Transfiguration (or
Katholikon) which was built of granite by the Byzantine architect Stephanos
at the same time as the defensive walls The church structure the roof and
the carved cedar doors at the entrance are all originals from 527 AD
Inside the basilica has a broad main nave two side aisles an apse and a
narthex The nave is bordered by massive granite columns with capitals
decorated with Christian symbols Each aisle has three chapels and there is a
chapel on each side of the apse Next to the main altar is a sarcophagus with
the relics of St Catherine (head and hand)
The ceiling marble floor and elaborate iconostasis of the basilica date from
the 18th century The icons mosaics and works of art that decorate the
interior span many centuries The doors of the narthex were added by
Crusaders in the 11th century
The neo-Classical bell tower was built in 1871 by one of the monks
Gregorius It houses nine bells given by the Tsar of Russia
A continual supply of fresh water is provided to the monastery by the Well of
Moses which taps an underground spring According to tradition this stands
on the very spot where Moses met his future wife Zipporah after protecting
her and her sisters from an aggressive group of local shepherds (Exodus
216-21
St Pauls Monastery
St Pauls Monastery (Deir Mar Boulos) in the Eastern Desert of Egypt is an
ancient monastery dedicated to the hermit St Paul of Thebes who moved to
this spot in the wilderness around 250 AD Originally built in the 5th century
the monastery now has three churches and contains many important
manuscripts
History
The life of St Paul of Thebes was recorded early but has always been
intertwined with fabulous legends Born into a wealthy family Paul abandoned
civilization and fled the Decian persecution around 250 AD when he was only
16 years old to become a hermit in the Eastern Desert
Living a life of extreme austerity from until his death at the ripe old age of 113
the hermit is said to have been fed a half-loaf of bread each day by a raven
In the most famous episode of his life Paul was visited by the desert monk St
Anthony around 345 AD Nearing the end of his own life of austerity Anthony
had become tempted by vanity in thinking he was the first of the Desert
Fathers So God led him to meet one who had preceded him
Paul died during Anthonys visit According to one version of the legend
Anthony requested two lions to dig a grave Another version says that before
his death Paul requested the robe of Pope Athanasius be brought to him for
burial then died while Anthony was away on the errand Either way two lions
dug the grave and St Anthony buried the hermit there designating him a
saint
St Pauls Monastery was built around the hermits cave by the 5th century It
suffered from Bedouin raids throughout its history the worst being in 1484
when all the monks were murdered the monastery was plundered and the
Bedouins occupied it for 80 years
Deir Mar Boulos was rebuilt under the patronage of Pope Gabriel VII of
Alexandria (1526-69) then attacked and destroyed again towards the end of
the century The monastery was deserted for 119 years then extensively
reconstructed and repopulated by monks from St Anthonys Monastery under
the patronage of Pope John XVI of Alexandria (1676-1718)
What to See
The monastery that bears St Pauls name is located where he was buried in
a valley south of the St Anthony monastery It has been little changed over
the years preserving its remarkably ancient heritage
The monastery has four churches the most important of which is the
underground Church of St Paul that contains the hermits cave and burial
place Its walls are painted with well-preserved frescoes and the ceiling is
hung with ostrich eggs symbols of the resurrection The larger Church of St
Michael has a gilded icon of John the Baptists severed head
St Pauls possesses many illustrated manuscripts including the Coptic
version of the Divine Liturgy and the Commentary on the Epistle of Saint Paul
to Titus by John Chrysostom
It is possible to hike from St Pauls to St Anthonys Monastery along a trail
across the plateau but this is a demanding trek and should be done with a
guide
St Antony Monastery ndash Red Sea
THE STORY OF MONASTICISM
Monasticism is considered Egyptrsquos greatest gift to the world It is a life of solitude prayer
contemplation charitable deeds and manual labour It is being one with God
where the monastic focuses all their life on being with God and doing His will
Monasticism is built on three basic principles poverty obedience and
chastity Monasticism was founded by the Egyptian Saint Antony who was
granted the title lsquofather of monasticismrsquo
Other important names in monasticism are Saint Macarius and Saint
Pachomius both from Egypt It was Saint Pachomius the Egyptian who began
to constitute monastic rules and innovated the concept of communal monastic
living an innovation that is based on monastic life today Benedictine
Monasticism in the West based its monastic rules on those of Saint
Pachomius Many visitors came from the West in the early years of
monasticism to learn from the simple Egyptian monks People such as Saint
John Chrysostom Saint Jerome Saint John Cassian and Palladius wrote
many books about the lives and sayings of the desert fathers of Egypt as they
experienced them
Monasticism is still thriving in Egypt today thanks to a revival led by His
Holiness Pope Shenouda III There are many inhabited ancient monasteries
and convents in Egypt as well as new monasteries being established abroad
in the Diaspora such as in Europe the USA and Australia
THE CAVE
We know from the lsquoLife of Antonyrsquo that our great hermit when he ventured into
this wilderness to seek greater seclusion discovered a natural cave in the
mountain and loved it and hence made it his home for the remaining 43 years
of his life
Today as in time past this cave within which St Antony dwelt is the life force
and heart beat of the Monastery and in which liturgy is celebrated daily and
thousands of pilgrims each year journey to for spiritual nourishment and
contemplation
From the plateau to the cave is a climb of approximately 1 hour and is today
made accessible by means of concrete steps and hand-railing for support As
one climbs the mountain to which St Antony withdrew one passes the Church
of St Paul the Simple which was constructed over the site of where this
disciple of St Antony once lived St Paul the Simple a 4th century desert
father known as lsquothe Simplersquo due to his meek and simple nature was St
Antonyrsquos faithful disciple Prior to his monastic life he had been married and
caught his wife in the act of adultery Hence he left her and took the decision
to consecrate the rest of his life to monastic living He went to St Antony ndash
who at this time was now 80 years old ndash and asked that he become a monk
St Antony at first refused him on account of his age (St Paul was 60) and
therefore compelled him several times to leave and return to his village
saying he could not survive the harsh ascetical life And yet St Paul was so
persistent that St Antony have him many demanding and arduous tasks all of
which he fulfilled with such humility obedience and simplicity that St Antony
accepted him into his monastic community and called him the Pride of the
Desert and he bore with honour the title lsquothe Simplersquo The solitary life gave St
Paul the Simple the gift of healing and casting out demons a power in which
he even surpassed his teacher St Antony The remains of his cave upon
which is built a church in his honour and is seen on the climb to St Antonyrsquos
cave bears witness to this faithful contemporary of our great hermit About
100 metres further up one reaches a terrace and then St Antonyrsquos blessed
cave
St Antonyrsquos cave is located about 2 km south-east of the Monastery 680
metres above the Red Sea and 276 metres above the Monastery It
comprises 3 parts the terrace the tunnel and the cave The narrow tunnel
connects the outer terrace ndash where one can imagine St Antony would sit and
weave his palm leave baskets ndash with the inner cave where he once dwelt and
is now converted into a small chapel
St Bishoy Monastery
The most eastern surviving Christian monastery in the Wadi el-Natrun of
Egypt is Dier Al Anba Bishoy (Pshoi Bishoi) which was founded by St
Bishoy (Pshoi)
The Monastery of Saint Bishoy is one of the original monasteries of Scetis Its
counterpart monastery is that of the Syrians which was built in the sixth
century by the followers of Severus or the Theodosian monks when concepts
concerning the nature of Christ forced a chrism between many monks in
Egypt
Like the Monastery of Saint Macarius the Monastery of the Romans and the
Monastery of Saint John the Little the Monastery of Saint Bishoy suffered five
sacks by the Berbers Al-Maqrizi who wrote during the fifteenth century
refers specifically to the fourth destruction of the monastery during the
patriarchate of Andronicus (616-2623) The patriarch Benjamin I (623-662) is
said to have rebuilt the monastery after that When the persecution by the
Berbers finally came to an end in the ninth century the bodies of both Saints
Bishoy and Paul of Tammua (Tamweh Tamwa) were returned to the
Monastery of Saint Bishoy
However the monastery was once again pillaged in 1096 which resulted in
its depopulation Then during the reign of patriarch Benjamin II (1327-1339)
considerable restoration of the monastery was undertaken because ants had
destroyed much of the woodwork and the buildings were near collapse
A number of visitors traveled to this monastery during late antiquity and into
more modern times Coppin went there in 1638 and Thevenot visited it in
1657 reporting it as the best of the four Wadi Natrun monasteries Then came
Wansleben in 1672 and Sicard in 1712 Granger made the journey in 1730
Sonnini in 1778 Andreossy in 1799 and Curzon in 1837 In 1839 Tattam is
said to have acquired numerous manuscripts from the monastery and in
1843 Wilkinson discovered thirteen monks in the monastery
However in 1875 when Junkers attempted to visit the monastery he was not
permitted to enter because a European before him had stolen several
manuscripts In 1881 Jullien reported that the monastery had the best water
of any in the Wadi and this was substantiated by Butler in 1883 From these
and other visitors we find that the monastery had twenty monks in 1638 four
in 1712 twelve in 1799 four in 1837 seven in 1875 fourteen in 1896 and
twenty in 1923
The monastery is nearly oblong in shape and surrounded by a defensive wall
The great wall was built in the ninth century and measures about ten meters
high and two meters wide It is one hundred and sixty-six meters on the east
and west and ninety-five meters on the north and south
Originally there were four entrances to the monastery one on each side of the
wall Today there are only two consisting of one on the north and one on the
south The main entrance is a gateway near the western end of the north wall
This gateway which possesses an inner gatehouse and a large carefully built
tower is the best preserved in the Wadi as well as the most complete and
elaborate of its kind of the four remaining monasteries
The southern half of the monastery is occupied by the church and cells of the
monks as well as by a modern patriarchal residence The greater part of the
gardens and the keep are in the northern half
The most interesting building in the monastery is the tower located at the
northwest corner of the monastery Defensive towers or keeps have been a
part of the architecture of Wadi El-Natruns monasteries since the fifth century
This was a time when the Berbers often attacked monasteries in the area
The keep at Saint Bishoy dates to the thirteenth century and is a few years
older than the keep of the Monastery of St Macarius One enters it at the
second floor level by a wooden drawbridge that rests on the roof of the
gatehouseOn the first floor are rooms where food was stored and prepared
One can see traces of an oven a mill for grains a press for grapes as well as
an olive press There is also a well some thirty meters deep
The second floor comprises the living quarters of the monks during the
periods of siege There is also a long corridor and east of this are rooms
which have cupolas supported by brick arches These have now been
transformed into a church dedicated to the Holy Virgin It has a transverse
nave and a triple sanctuary
On the north side of the roof of the tower is the Church of St Michaels one of
five in the monastery The icons on the iconostasis which date to the
eighteenth century have been restored They depict the twelve apostles in
pontifical vestments It is noteworthy that in no other monastery do we find the
Church of Saint Michael so isolated as in the Monastery of Saint Bishoy so it
is probable that at one time the keep had an additional floor like those of the
other monasteries in the Wadi
The other churches really form more of a complex of chapels with the central
and main church dedicated to Saint Bishoy It has been restored and
extended several times but it has been suggested that the most ancient parts
of the church do not predate the fifth attack which occurred between 830 and
848 on the monasteries of Wadi Natrun Indeed nothing remains of the
original church built prior to this and many principal elements of the structure
that we see today probably date from the restoration and remodeling
conducted by Benjamin II around 1330
It has a naos a three-aisled nave including a main center aisle and a western
return aisle a khurus (Choir) and it currently has a tripartite sanctuary (three
alters) The nave has a precious wooden pulpit while the wooden door
separating the two bays of the nave has decorative hexagonal panels with
arabesques and ivory inlays It probably dates to the fourteenth century The
khurus is rectangular in plan and placed transversely in relation to the nave In
the tripartite sanctuary the north one is dedicated to the Holy Virgin and is
separated from the choir by an arched portal It is a particularly long and
narrow room and its structure probably dates to the ninth century The middle
sanctuary is dedicated to Saint Bishoy and is connected with the khurus
through a high portal with ornate wooden panels dating to the Fatimed Period
However its square plan probably dates to the ninth century and its cupola
to the fourteenth The southern sanctuary is dedicated to John the Baptist
and also dates to the time of the renovations made during the fourteenth
century
The church or chapel more properly a parekklesion of St Iskhyrun (Abu
Iskhirun Iskhiron) was apparently added in the eleventh century though the
cupola is part of the renovations made by patriarch Benjamin II It is accessed
from the south side of the khurus of the Church of Saint Bishoy The plan is
almost square and opens on the east into a semi-circular apse which serves
as a sanctuary Here the relics of the holy martyr Saint Iskhyrun are kept
under the altar An icon from the seventeenth century placed on the
iconostasis separating the choir from the sanctuary depicts Iskhyrun on
horseback As is customary a wooden partition separates the nave from the
choir
The baptistery accessed by a narrow passage is located to the north of the
sanctuary of the Church of Saint Iskhyrun The diameter of the stone
baptismal font is ninety-five centimeters Only this monastery and that of al-
Baramus possess baptisteries in the Wadi This is because Coptic families
sometimes wish for their children to be baptized in holy and particularly
venerated places
Remains of wall paintings were recently discovered in the so-called Chapel of
Benjamin which probably date to the second half of the twelfth century The
restoration of the wall paintings in this section of the Monastery is not yet
complete
To the northeast of the main church and accessed from the khurus of that
church through a door set to the left of the tomb of Saint Bishoy is the Church
of the Holy Virgin which is actually dedicated to Benjamin I It features a nave
roofed with a barrel vault The sanctuary almost square in plan is separated
from the nave by a finely worked wooden iconostasis and surmounted by a
cupola This church is used during the winter months for the divine Liturgy
Built in the eleventh or the twelfth century the Church of Saint George is not
used now for services Its entrance is near the southeast corner of the main
church It has two sanctuaries and is roofed with six low cupolas The
monastery contains three refectories The ancient one is situated parallel to
the west end of the main church from which it is separated by a long narrow
vaulted corridor Its entrance is in the middle of the corridor opposite the west
entrance of the church It is a long chamber measuring twenty-seven meters
in length and four and a half meters in width divided into five domed bays by
four transverse arches The central space is roofed with a beautiful
quadripartite vault while the other four have cupolas in which some openings
admit light A masonry table takes up almost the entire length of the hall It is
strangely low only rising thirty-six centimeters Clearly the monks set cross-
legged on the floor Originally monks came here after Sunday liturgy to
celebrate the agape but today the refectory is used as a museum that
exhibits both sacred and secular artifacts
The two other refectories are older The smallest one lies southwest of the
main church At an unknown date it was transformed into the present chapel
of Mari Girgis It consists of a square room with a central pillar from which
spring four arches The third refectory which is now used fro storage lies in
the southeastern corner of the monastery
There is also a bakery and a millhouse in the northeastern corner of the
monastery The latter is the most complete example of its kind in the Wadi
Natrun
Also located on the grounds of the monastery is the Well of the Martyrs which
has been used ever since the time of Anba Bishoy It is said that the Berbers
washed the blood from their swords here after having killed the 49 Martyrs
Monks at the monastery also say that the Martyrs were thrown in the well prior
to being interned at the nearby St Marcarius Monastery It is twelve meters
deep and continues to produce fresh water which is regarded as miraculous
Following his enthronement in November of 1971 His Holiness Pope
Shenouda III selected this monastery as his pontifical residence where he
generally spends two or three days a week For this reason it is therefore the
destination of thousands of Copts who visit Wadi Naturn At one point he was
exiled to this monastery for forty months and during this time he ordained as
many as one hundred young men as monks
In recent years four hundred acres of desert land were acquired for the
monastery much of which has been cultivated Three reservoirs for drinking
water a new library a three-story guest house three large units for monastic
cells as well as lecture and conference buildings have been constructed at
the rear of the old monastery This is also the location of the pontifical
residence and the new Church of Saint Shenuda Here the number of monks
has increased to over 160 though many of these monks now serve in the
restored Upper Egyptian monasteries as well as in Coptic churches overseas
St Mary Monastery - El Sorian
Different sources indicate that the monastery was built around the fifth century There are many proofs the most important of which are The old fortress to the right of entrance of the monastery (even though it was repaired) It is well known that King Xenon (474-491 AD) was the one that built these fortresses as a token to his daughter Saint Hillary who entered monastic life in the wilderness of Shiheet and became well known everywhere There is a source in the library of London of the writings of Saint Yacoub El Serougi that is dated back to 603 AD from El Sorian Monastery Putler mentioned that the partitions of the church of St Mary-El Sorian go back to before 700 AD which resembles those in the Church of St Pishoy and the Church of St Mary-El Baramous These churches are considered the oldest in the wilderness until now Brumster mentioned in his book ldquoGuidance to the Monasteries of the Natroun Valleyrdquo that it was one of the monasteries known by the Theotokos These monasteries appeared in the fifth century after the counsel of Ephesus in 431 AD that discredited the Nestorian heresy Afterwards monasteries were built bearing the name of the Theotokos ldquoMother of Godrdquo and so it was called St Mary-El Sorian Monastery beside St Pishoy Monastery in the eastern wilderness Evelyn White mentioned that the monastery became independently run from the eighth century
Why it is Called El Sorian [The Syrian] Since the fourth century people have come from all over to the wilderness of Shiheet to visit and get blessings of the ascetic monks that reached high spiritual levels of asceticism and worship Examples of those are St Arsanius and St Maximus and Dometius who are still placed in St Mary-El Baramos Monastery There are also remnants of the old monasteries about three kilometers southeast of the monastery including the monastery of St John
Kame Abanoub the Ethiopians the Armenians and St John the Short And because people from all over came to worship the Coptic monks welcomed some Syrian monks for a period of time which is why it became famous of the Syrian [El Sorian] Monastery and also to differentiate it from St Mary-El Baramous Monastery St Mary Monastery is not St John Kame Monastery As mentioned above El Sorian Monastery was from the fifth century while the Monastery of St John Kame is from the ninth century and its ruins still exist Prince Omar Tosson built a pillar for each monastery and wrote its name on it Also the scholar Mohaub visited this monastery in 1088 AD When St John Kame Monastery was destroyed because of white ants between 1413 and 1430 AD his monks went to El Sorian Monastery and carried with them the body of St John Kame and their belongings including a marble stone that is still in El Sorian Church and engraved on it in Coptic the dates of the departure of St John Kame and his disciple St Stefanos
El Sorian Monastery in the Twentieth CenturyThe monastery became quite famous among other monasteries especially in the second half of the twentieth century when it was the leader and the initiator of monastic revival under the encouragement of Bishop Theophilus since he became the abbot of the monastery in 1948 most important of which
Monasticism A group of educated individuals entered monastic life and started working whole-heartedly to revive the monastery that group included those who reconstructed St Macarius Monastery St Paul St Mina and St George [El-Rozaykat] in addition to St Pishoy Monastery the head of which is HH Pope Shenouda III All of these monks were part of El Sorian Monastery and they had a great impact on
the revival of the church The majority of the Holy Synod that represents the leadership of the church areeducated monks that were prior to monastic life servants in their old churches and had a great impact on the priesthood from the spiritual social and intellectual standpoint During that
period a great number of monks were ordained compared to the previous period in which the number usually wouldnrsquot exceed more than twenty or forty the number of monks being ordained now is double or triple that number
Reconstruction In the early fifties when Bishop Theophillus presided over the monastery he demolished the cells that were next to
the Southern wall and built a building for the monks that were four stories high with a beautiful faccedilade It was the first modern building in the monastery and other monasteries adopted the same idea In 1988 another three-story building was constructed on top of which a water tower was built Through the encouragement of HH Pope Shenouda III in 1993 another three-story building was constructed next to that There
were two old bell towers around a guesthouse that was at the east side of St Maryrsquos church one of them is still standing and the other one was demolished Bishop Theophilus built instead of it a high tower at the north of the cells of the monks that the visitors of the monastery can see from far away In 1968 the other tower was built and was even higher than the first one HH Pope Shenouda III [who was Bishop of Education at that time] supervised personally on the construction
The Water Tower In 1955 a big water tower was built under which two water closets were built Father Moussa [the late Bishop Andrawous bishop of Damietta] who was a brilliant engineer from Alexandria was the one that designed and supervised the construction of the water tower That was the first concrete water tower built in the wilderness of
Natroun Prior to that there were only towers that were built out of aluminum and their height did not exceed two meters there were no water fountains in the monastery and only an old primitive water closet In 1988 another water tower was built over the cells of the monks with an electricity-operated water pump
The Guest House To the east of El Sorian Church was a beautiful palace which contained a large hall and many guest rooms that was built by Father Maximus in the year 1914 And in 1974 a guest housebuilding was built in its place that was five stories high and a library of the monastery was transferred to the third floor In addition a small rest house was built in the eighties to the west of El Sorian church on top of an old well and next to it was a big
traditional water pump [sakia] for the monasteryrsquos garden which was transformed after that into a library In 1987 and with the encouragement of HH Pope Shenouda III a two-story building for visitors was built to the west of the monastery
Books of the Monastery In 1951 Bishop Theophilus bought a print-shop for the monastery which was the first of its kind in the Egyptian monasteries and the monks of the monastery ran it and produced important books such as Life of the Orthodox Prayer The Book of the Seven Prayers of Famous Church Saints The Life of Saint John Kame The History of El Sorian Monastery Series of the History of the Patriarchs [four parts] The Three Holy Macari St Basil
the Great His Life Asceticism and Laws and many small booklets that were distributed free of charge like The Life of Mar Ephraim the Syrian Psalm The Lord Has Reigned Saint John Chrysostom Saint Augustine Saint George St Mark St Anna Simon Logios the Stonecutter and
Famous Sayings of Saints about Nativity Epiphany and Resurrection For ten years these sayings are still being read in the mornings of these feasts when the monks get together and read one of them And these books that were produced by El Sorian Monastery had a great impact on the spiritual life of a lot of people and even encouraged some of them to seek the monastic life
Retreat House In 1959 the retreat house was built outside the monastery and was the first one to be built in the monasteries Father Antonious El Soriani [HH Pope Shenouda III] was the guiding father of it and it was receiving large numbers of youth The monastery was enlightening the Christian youth because the quiet atmosphere was a chance for them to grow in prayers fastings spiritual readings meditation and attending
midnight praises and enjoying the desert Especially at sunset when nature coupled with the spiritual guidance of the monks a lot of the youth were led to think seriously about their spiritual lives and yearned to repeat the experience and some of them sought the monastic life And so a lot of the current monks used to spend a lot of time in this house which continued to be a living message of the church for all generations to come
- Coptic Museum Cairo
- History
- What to See
- Hanging Church Cairo
- History
- What to See
- St Georges Church Cairo
- History
- What to See
- Festivals and Events
- History
- What to See
- Mount Sinai
- In the Bible
- Authenticity
- What to See
- St Catherines Monastery Sinai
- In the Bible
- Authenticity
- History
- What to See
- St Pauls Monastery
- History
- What to See
- St Antony Monastery ndash Red Sea
- St Bishoy Monastery
- St Mary Monastery - El Sorian
Clearly visible from the mountain is the village of St Catherine located
some distance from the Monastery on the El Raha plain It is an old
settlement that has received considerable development in recent years
St Catherines Monastery Sinai
St Catherines Monastery is an Orthodox monastery on the Sinai peninsula
at the foot of Mount Sinai in Egypt One of the oldest Christian monasteries in
the world St Catherines incorporates the burning bush seen by Moses and
contains many valuable icons Above the monastery is Mount Sinai (see
separate article) where Moses received the Ten Commandments from God
Because God spoke to Moses in these places this area is sacred to three
world religions Christianity Islam and Judaism
In the BibleNow Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law the priest of Midian and he led the flock to the far side of the desert and came to Horeb the mountain of God There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look God called to
him from within the bush Moses Moses And Moses said Here I am
Do not come any closer God said Take off your sandals for the place where you are standing is holy ground Then he said I am the God of your father the God of Abraham the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob At this Moses hid his face because he was afraid to look at God The Lord said I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt So now go I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt
Moses said to God Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them The God of your fathers has sent me to you and they ask me What is his name Then what shall I tell them God said to Moses I am who I am This is what you are to say to the Israelites I AM has sent me to you (Exodus 31-14 NIV)
In the third month after the Israelites left Egyptmdashon the very daymdashthey came to the Desert of Sinai After they set out from Rephidim they entered the Desert of Sinai and Israel camped there in the desert in front of the mountain
Then Moses went up to God and the LORD called to him from the mountain and said This is what you are to say to the house of Jacob and what you are to tell the people of Israel You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt and how I carried you on eagles wings and brought you to myself Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession Although the whole earth is mine you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites
And God spoke all these words I am the Lord your God who brought you out of Egypt out of the land of slavery You shall have no other gods before me (Exodus 19 the Ten Commandments are given at Exodus 201-17)
Authenticity
The geographical locations of these biblical events are not known and a wide
variety of theories have been offered by scholars No particular evidence
supports the site on which the monastery is built nor for the peak identified as
Mount Sinai However the attachment of early Christian monks to these sites
is not without significance
History
In the early 4th century St Helena mother of Constantine the Great built the
Chapel of the Burning Bush at the site where Moses is supposed to have
seen the miracle
The fortified walls were built around the chapel by the Byzantine emperor and
great church-builder Justinian (who also commissioned the Hagia Sophia)
starting in 527 The Church of the Transfiguration was completed by
Justinians workers in the 560s around the time of his death
The monasterys actual name is the Monastery of the Transfiguration but it
later became associated with St Catherine of Alexandria a 3rd-century
martyr whose head and hand were brought here for safe keeping in the 10th
century St Catherines Monastery became a major pilgrimage destination in
the Byzantine Era and it still is today
Mount Sinai is also revered by Muslims as Jebel Musa (Mount Moses) the
place where God handed down his Law In 623 a document signed by the
Prophet Muhammad himself the Actiname (Holy Testament) exempted the
Christian monks of St Catherines from the usual taxes and military service
and commanded that Muslims provide the community with every help
In recognition of this gesture the St Catherines monks permitted the
conversion of a small Crusader chapel within the monastery to a mosque
between 1101 and 1106 during the Fatimid Caliphate (909-1171) This was in
regular use until Mameluke rule in the later 13th century when it was
neglected until its restoration in the early 20th century It is still used on
special occasions by the local Muslims
In 2002 the area centering on St Catherines Monastery was declared a
World Heritage Site by UNESCO because of Mt Sinais importance in three
major world religions (Judaism Christianity and Islam) the natural
environment of the area and St Catherines historic architecture and art
What to See
St Catherines Monastery comprises the entire Orthodox Church of Mount
Sinai an autonomous Orthodox Christian church headed by an archbishop
who is also the abbot of the monastery The archbishop is traditionally
consecrated by the Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem
St Catherines Monastery is surrounded on all sides by a massive wall 25 m
wide and 11m high This is the wall provided by Emperor Justinian in the 6th
century It is made of huge dressed granite blocks except for the upper
sections which were restored on orders of Napoleon using smaller
undressed stone blocks Christian symbols such as crosses and monograms
are carved on the wall in various places Until the 20th century access was
through a door high in the outer walls The entrance is now through a smaller
gate (also original) to the left of the main gate
The holiest part of the monastery is the large living shrub that is said to be a
direct descendent of the very burning bush that was seen by Moses The
Chapel of the Burning Bush was built with its altar situated above the roots
of the bush and incorporates the 4th-century chapel built by Empress St
Helena The chapel is dedicated to the Virgin Mary The bust itself was
transplanted to permit the construction of the altar and now grows a few
meters from the chapel It is a rare species of the rose family called Rubus
Sanctus The bush is native to Sinai and extremely long-lived facts that help
lend credibility to the site
The main church of the monastery is the Basilica of the Transfiguration (or
Katholikon) which was built of granite by the Byzantine architect Stephanos
at the same time as the defensive walls The church structure the roof and
the carved cedar doors at the entrance are all originals from 527 AD
Inside the basilica has a broad main nave two side aisles an apse and a
narthex The nave is bordered by massive granite columns with capitals
decorated with Christian symbols Each aisle has three chapels and there is a
chapel on each side of the apse Next to the main altar is a sarcophagus with
the relics of St Catherine (head and hand)
The ceiling marble floor and elaborate iconostasis of the basilica date from
the 18th century The icons mosaics and works of art that decorate the
interior span many centuries The doors of the narthex were added by
Crusaders in the 11th century
The neo-Classical bell tower was built in 1871 by one of the monks
Gregorius It houses nine bells given by the Tsar of Russia
A continual supply of fresh water is provided to the monastery by the Well of
Moses which taps an underground spring According to tradition this stands
on the very spot where Moses met his future wife Zipporah after protecting
her and her sisters from an aggressive group of local shepherds (Exodus
216-21
St Pauls Monastery
St Pauls Monastery (Deir Mar Boulos) in the Eastern Desert of Egypt is an
ancient monastery dedicated to the hermit St Paul of Thebes who moved to
this spot in the wilderness around 250 AD Originally built in the 5th century
the monastery now has three churches and contains many important
manuscripts
History
The life of St Paul of Thebes was recorded early but has always been
intertwined with fabulous legends Born into a wealthy family Paul abandoned
civilization and fled the Decian persecution around 250 AD when he was only
16 years old to become a hermit in the Eastern Desert
Living a life of extreme austerity from until his death at the ripe old age of 113
the hermit is said to have been fed a half-loaf of bread each day by a raven
In the most famous episode of his life Paul was visited by the desert monk St
Anthony around 345 AD Nearing the end of his own life of austerity Anthony
had become tempted by vanity in thinking he was the first of the Desert
Fathers So God led him to meet one who had preceded him
Paul died during Anthonys visit According to one version of the legend
Anthony requested two lions to dig a grave Another version says that before
his death Paul requested the robe of Pope Athanasius be brought to him for
burial then died while Anthony was away on the errand Either way two lions
dug the grave and St Anthony buried the hermit there designating him a
saint
St Pauls Monastery was built around the hermits cave by the 5th century It
suffered from Bedouin raids throughout its history the worst being in 1484
when all the monks were murdered the monastery was plundered and the
Bedouins occupied it for 80 years
Deir Mar Boulos was rebuilt under the patronage of Pope Gabriel VII of
Alexandria (1526-69) then attacked and destroyed again towards the end of
the century The monastery was deserted for 119 years then extensively
reconstructed and repopulated by monks from St Anthonys Monastery under
the patronage of Pope John XVI of Alexandria (1676-1718)
What to See
The monastery that bears St Pauls name is located where he was buried in
a valley south of the St Anthony monastery It has been little changed over
the years preserving its remarkably ancient heritage
The monastery has four churches the most important of which is the
underground Church of St Paul that contains the hermits cave and burial
place Its walls are painted with well-preserved frescoes and the ceiling is
hung with ostrich eggs symbols of the resurrection The larger Church of St
Michael has a gilded icon of John the Baptists severed head
St Pauls possesses many illustrated manuscripts including the Coptic
version of the Divine Liturgy and the Commentary on the Epistle of Saint Paul
to Titus by John Chrysostom
It is possible to hike from St Pauls to St Anthonys Monastery along a trail
across the plateau but this is a demanding trek and should be done with a
guide
St Antony Monastery ndash Red Sea
THE STORY OF MONASTICISM
Monasticism is considered Egyptrsquos greatest gift to the world It is a life of solitude prayer
contemplation charitable deeds and manual labour It is being one with God
where the monastic focuses all their life on being with God and doing His will
Monasticism is built on three basic principles poverty obedience and
chastity Monasticism was founded by the Egyptian Saint Antony who was
granted the title lsquofather of monasticismrsquo
Other important names in monasticism are Saint Macarius and Saint
Pachomius both from Egypt It was Saint Pachomius the Egyptian who began
to constitute monastic rules and innovated the concept of communal monastic
living an innovation that is based on monastic life today Benedictine
Monasticism in the West based its monastic rules on those of Saint
Pachomius Many visitors came from the West in the early years of
monasticism to learn from the simple Egyptian monks People such as Saint
John Chrysostom Saint Jerome Saint John Cassian and Palladius wrote
many books about the lives and sayings of the desert fathers of Egypt as they
experienced them
Monasticism is still thriving in Egypt today thanks to a revival led by His
Holiness Pope Shenouda III There are many inhabited ancient monasteries
and convents in Egypt as well as new monasteries being established abroad
in the Diaspora such as in Europe the USA and Australia
THE CAVE
We know from the lsquoLife of Antonyrsquo that our great hermit when he ventured into
this wilderness to seek greater seclusion discovered a natural cave in the
mountain and loved it and hence made it his home for the remaining 43 years
of his life
Today as in time past this cave within which St Antony dwelt is the life force
and heart beat of the Monastery and in which liturgy is celebrated daily and
thousands of pilgrims each year journey to for spiritual nourishment and
contemplation
From the plateau to the cave is a climb of approximately 1 hour and is today
made accessible by means of concrete steps and hand-railing for support As
one climbs the mountain to which St Antony withdrew one passes the Church
of St Paul the Simple which was constructed over the site of where this
disciple of St Antony once lived St Paul the Simple a 4th century desert
father known as lsquothe Simplersquo due to his meek and simple nature was St
Antonyrsquos faithful disciple Prior to his monastic life he had been married and
caught his wife in the act of adultery Hence he left her and took the decision
to consecrate the rest of his life to monastic living He went to St Antony ndash
who at this time was now 80 years old ndash and asked that he become a monk
St Antony at first refused him on account of his age (St Paul was 60) and
therefore compelled him several times to leave and return to his village
saying he could not survive the harsh ascetical life And yet St Paul was so
persistent that St Antony have him many demanding and arduous tasks all of
which he fulfilled with such humility obedience and simplicity that St Antony
accepted him into his monastic community and called him the Pride of the
Desert and he bore with honour the title lsquothe Simplersquo The solitary life gave St
Paul the Simple the gift of healing and casting out demons a power in which
he even surpassed his teacher St Antony The remains of his cave upon
which is built a church in his honour and is seen on the climb to St Antonyrsquos
cave bears witness to this faithful contemporary of our great hermit About
100 metres further up one reaches a terrace and then St Antonyrsquos blessed
cave
St Antonyrsquos cave is located about 2 km south-east of the Monastery 680
metres above the Red Sea and 276 metres above the Monastery It
comprises 3 parts the terrace the tunnel and the cave The narrow tunnel
connects the outer terrace ndash where one can imagine St Antony would sit and
weave his palm leave baskets ndash with the inner cave where he once dwelt and
is now converted into a small chapel
St Bishoy Monastery
The most eastern surviving Christian monastery in the Wadi el-Natrun of
Egypt is Dier Al Anba Bishoy (Pshoi Bishoi) which was founded by St
Bishoy (Pshoi)
The Monastery of Saint Bishoy is one of the original monasteries of Scetis Its
counterpart monastery is that of the Syrians which was built in the sixth
century by the followers of Severus or the Theodosian monks when concepts
concerning the nature of Christ forced a chrism between many monks in
Egypt
Like the Monastery of Saint Macarius the Monastery of the Romans and the
Monastery of Saint John the Little the Monastery of Saint Bishoy suffered five
sacks by the Berbers Al-Maqrizi who wrote during the fifteenth century
refers specifically to the fourth destruction of the monastery during the
patriarchate of Andronicus (616-2623) The patriarch Benjamin I (623-662) is
said to have rebuilt the monastery after that When the persecution by the
Berbers finally came to an end in the ninth century the bodies of both Saints
Bishoy and Paul of Tammua (Tamweh Tamwa) were returned to the
Monastery of Saint Bishoy
However the monastery was once again pillaged in 1096 which resulted in
its depopulation Then during the reign of patriarch Benjamin II (1327-1339)
considerable restoration of the monastery was undertaken because ants had
destroyed much of the woodwork and the buildings were near collapse
A number of visitors traveled to this monastery during late antiquity and into
more modern times Coppin went there in 1638 and Thevenot visited it in
1657 reporting it as the best of the four Wadi Natrun monasteries Then came
Wansleben in 1672 and Sicard in 1712 Granger made the journey in 1730
Sonnini in 1778 Andreossy in 1799 and Curzon in 1837 In 1839 Tattam is
said to have acquired numerous manuscripts from the monastery and in
1843 Wilkinson discovered thirteen monks in the monastery
However in 1875 when Junkers attempted to visit the monastery he was not
permitted to enter because a European before him had stolen several
manuscripts In 1881 Jullien reported that the monastery had the best water
of any in the Wadi and this was substantiated by Butler in 1883 From these
and other visitors we find that the monastery had twenty monks in 1638 four
in 1712 twelve in 1799 four in 1837 seven in 1875 fourteen in 1896 and
twenty in 1923
The monastery is nearly oblong in shape and surrounded by a defensive wall
The great wall was built in the ninth century and measures about ten meters
high and two meters wide It is one hundred and sixty-six meters on the east
and west and ninety-five meters on the north and south
Originally there were four entrances to the monastery one on each side of the
wall Today there are only two consisting of one on the north and one on the
south The main entrance is a gateway near the western end of the north wall
This gateway which possesses an inner gatehouse and a large carefully built
tower is the best preserved in the Wadi as well as the most complete and
elaborate of its kind of the four remaining monasteries
The southern half of the monastery is occupied by the church and cells of the
monks as well as by a modern patriarchal residence The greater part of the
gardens and the keep are in the northern half
The most interesting building in the monastery is the tower located at the
northwest corner of the monastery Defensive towers or keeps have been a
part of the architecture of Wadi El-Natruns monasteries since the fifth century
This was a time when the Berbers often attacked monasteries in the area
The keep at Saint Bishoy dates to the thirteenth century and is a few years
older than the keep of the Monastery of St Macarius One enters it at the
second floor level by a wooden drawbridge that rests on the roof of the
gatehouseOn the first floor are rooms where food was stored and prepared
One can see traces of an oven a mill for grains a press for grapes as well as
an olive press There is also a well some thirty meters deep
The second floor comprises the living quarters of the monks during the
periods of siege There is also a long corridor and east of this are rooms
which have cupolas supported by brick arches These have now been
transformed into a church dedicated to the Holy Virgin It has a transverse
nave and a triple sanctuary
On the north side of the roof of the tower is the Church of St Michaels one of
five in the monastery The icons on the iconostasis which date to the
eighteenth century have been restored They depict the twelve apostles in
pontifical vestments It is noteworthy that in no other monastery do we find the
Church of Saint Michael so isolated as in the Monastery of Saint Bishoy so it
is probable that at one time the keep had an additional floor like those of the
other monasteries in the Wadi
The other churches really form more of a complex of chapels with the central
and main church dedicated to Saint Bishoy It has been restored and
extended several times but it has been suggested that the most ancient parts
of the church do not predate the fifth attack which occurred between 830 and
848 on the monasteries of Wadi Natrun Indeed nothing remains of the
original church built prior to this and many principal elements of the structure
that we see today probably date from the restoration and remodeling
conducted by Benjamin II around 1330
It has a naos a three-aisled nave including a main center aisle and a western
return aisle a khurus (Choir) and it currently has a tripartite sanctuary (three
alters) The nave has a precious wooden pulpit while the wooden door
separating the two bays of the nave has decorative hexagonal panels with
arabesques and ivory inlays It probably dates to the fourteenth century The
khurus is rectangular in plan and placed transversely in relation to the nave In
the tripartite sanctuary the north one is dedicated to the Holy Virgin and is
separated from the choir by an arched portal It is a particularly long and
narrow room and its structure probably dates to the ninth century The middle
sanctuary is dedicated to Saint Bishoy and is connected with the khurus
through a high portal with ornate wooden panels dating to the Fatimed Period
However its square plan probably dates to the ninth century and its cupola
to the fourteenth The southern sanctuary is dedicated to John the Baptist
and also dates to the time of the renovations made during the fourteenth
century
The church or chapel more properly a parekklesion of St Iskhyrun (Abu
Iskhirun Iskhiron) was apparently added in the eleventh century though the
cupola is part of the renovations made by patriarch Benjamin II It is accessed
from the south side of the khurus of the Church of Saint Bishoy The plan is
almost square and opens on the east into a semi-circular apse which serves
as a sanctuary Here the relics of the holy martyr Saint Iskhyrun are kept
under the altar An icon from the seventeenth century placed on the
iconostasis separating the choir from the sanctuary depicts Iskhyrun on
horseback As is customary a wooden partition separates the nave from the
choir
The baptistery accessed by a narrow passage is located to the north of the
sanctuary of the Church of Saint Iskhyrun The diameter of the stone
baptismal font is ninety-five centimeters Only this monastery and that of al-
Baramus possess baptisteries in the Wadi This is because Coptic families
sometimes wish for their children to be baptized in holy and particularly
venerated places
Remains of wall paintings were recently discovered in the so-called Chapel of
Benjamin which probably date to the second half of the twelfth century The
restoration of the wall paintings in this section of the Monastery is not yet
complete
To the northeast of the main church and accessed from the khurus of that
church through a door set to the left of the tomb of Saint Bishoy is the Church
of the Holy Virgin which is actually dedicated to Benjamin I It features a nave
roofed with a barrel vault The sanctuary almost square in plan is separated
from the nave by a finely worked wooden iconostasis and surmounted by a
cupola This church is used during the winter months for the divine Liturgy
Built in the eleventh or the twelfth century the Church of Saint George is not
used now for services Its entrance is near the southeast corner of the main
church It has two sanctuaries and is roofed with six low cupolas The
monastery contains three refectories The ancient one is situated parallel to
the west end of the main church from which it is separated by a long narrow
vaulted corridor Its entrance is in the middle of the corridor opposite the west
entrance of the church It is a long chamber measuring twenty-seven meters
in length and four and a half meters in width divided into five domed bays by
four transverse arches The central space is roofed with a beautiful
quadripartite vault while the other four have cupolas in which some openings
admit light A masonry table takes up almost the entire length of the hall It is
strangely low only rising thirty-six centimeters Clearly the monks set cross-
legged on the floor Originally monks came here after Sunday liturgy to
celebrate the agape but today the refectory is used as a museum that
exhibits both sacred and secular artifacts
The two other refectories are older The smallest one lies southwest of the
main church At an unknown date it was transformed into the present chapel
of Mari Girgis It consists of a square room with a central pillar from which
spring four arches The third refectory which is now used fro storage lies in
the southeastern corner of the monastery
There is also a bakery and a millhouse in the northeastern corner of the
monastery The latter is the most complete example of its kind in the Wadi
Natrun
Also located on the grounds of the monastery is the Well of the Martyrs which
has been used ever since the time of Anba Bishoy It is said that the Berbers
washed the blood from their swords here after having killed the 49 Martyrs
Monks at the monastery also say that the Martyrs were thrown in the well prior
to being interned at the nearby St Marcarius Monastery It is twelve meters
deep and continues to produce fresh water which is regarded as miraculous
Following his enthronement in November of 1971 His Holiness Pope
Shenouda III selected this monastery as his pontifical residence where he
generally spends two or three days a week For this reason it is therefore the
destination of thousands of Copts who visit Wadi Naturn At one point he was
exiled to this monastery for forty months and during this time he ordained as
many as one hundred young men as monks
In recent years four hundred acres of desert land were acquired for the
monastery much of which has been cultivated Three reservoirs for drinking
water a new library a three-story guest house three large units for monastic
cells as well as lecture and conference buildings have been constructed at
the rear of the old monastery This is also the location of the pontifical
residence and the new Church of Saint Shenuda Here the number of monks
has increased to over 160 though many of these monks now serve in the
restored Upper Egyptian monasteries as well as in Coptic churches overseas
St Mary Monastery - El Sorian
Different sources indicate that the monastery was built around the fifth century There are many proofs the most important of which are The old fortress to the right of entrance of the monastery (even though it was repaired) It is well known that King Xenon (474-491 AD) was the one that built these fortresses as a token to his daughter Saint Hillary who entered monastic life in the wilderness of Shiheet and became well known everywhere There is a source in the library of London of the writings of Saint Yacoub El Serougi that is dated back to 603 AD from El Sorian Monastery Putler mentioned that the partitions of the church of St Mary-El Sorian go back to before 700 AD which resembles those in the Church of St Pishoy and the Church of St Mary-El Baramous These churches are considered the oldest in the wilderness until now Brumster mentioned in his book ldquoGuidance to the Monasteries of the Natroun Valleyrdquo that it was one of the monasteries known by the Theotokos These monasteries appeared in the fifth century after the counsel of Ephesus in 431 AD that discredited the Nestorian heresy Afterwards monasteries were built bearing the name of the Theotokos ldquoMother of Godrdquo and so it was called St Mary-El Sorian Monastery beside St Pishoy Monastery in the eastern wilderness Evelyn White mentioned that the monastery became independently run from the eighth century
Why it is Called El Sorian [The Syrian] Since the fourth century people have come from all over to the wilderness of Shiheet to visit and get blessings of the ascetic monks that reached high spiritual levels of asceticism and worship Examples of those are St Arsanius and St Maximus and Dometius who are still placed in St Mary-El Baramos Monastery There are also remnants of the old monasteries about three kilometers southeast of the monastery including the monastery of St John
Kame Abanoub the Ethiopians the Armenians and St John the Short And because people from all over came to worship the Coptic monks welcomed some Syrian monks for a period of time which is why it became famous of the Syrian [El Sorian] Monastery and also to differentiate it from St Mary-El Baramous Monastery St Mary Monastery is not St John Kame Monastery As mentioned above El Sorian Monastery was from the fifth century while the Monastery of St John Kame is from the ninth century and its ruins still exist Prince Omar Tosson built a pillar for each monastery and wrote its name on it Also the scholar Mohaub visited this monastery in 1088 AD When St John Kame Monastery was destroyed because of white ants between 1413 and 1430 AD his monks went to El Sorian Monastery and carried with them the body of St John Kame and their belongings including a marble stone that is still in El Sorian Church and engraved on it in Coptic the dates of the departure of St John Kame and his disciple St Stefanos
El Sorian Monastery in the Twentieth CenturyThe monastery became quite famous among other monasteries especially in the second half of the twentieth century when it was the leader and the initiator of monastic revival under the encouragement of Bishop Theophilus since he became the abbot of the monastery in 1948 most important of which
Monasticism A group of educated individuals entered monastic life and started working whole-heartedly to revive the monastery that group included those who reconstructed St Macarius Monastery St Paul St Mina and St George [El-Rozaykat] in addition to St Pishoy Monastery the head of which is HH Pope Shenouda III All of these monks were part of El Sorian Monastery and they had a great impact on
the revival of the church The majority of the Holy Synod that represents the leadership of the church areeducated monks that were prior to monastic life servants in their old churches and had a great impact on the priesthood from the spiritual social and intellectual standpoint During that
period a great number of monks were ordained compared to the previous period in which the number usually wouldnrsquot exceed more than twenty or forty the number of monks being ordained now is double or triple that number
Reconstruction In the early fifties when Bishop Theophillus presided over the monastery he demolished the cells that were next to
the Southern wall and built a building for the monks that were four stories high with a beautiful faccedilade It was the first modern building in the monastery and other monasteries adopted the same idea In 1988 another three-story building was constructed on top of which a water tower was built Through the encouragement of HH Pope Shenouda III in 1993 another three-story building was constructed next to that There
were two old bell towers around a guesthouse that was at the east side of St Maryrsquos church one of them is still standing and the other one was demolished Bishop Theophilus built instead of it a high tower at the north of the cells of the monks that the visitors of the monastery can see from far away In 1968 the other tower was built and was even higher than the first one HH Pope Shenouda III [who was Bishop of Education at that time] supervised personally on the construction
The Water Tower In 1955 a big water tower was built under which two water closets were built Father Moussa [the late Bishop Andrawous bishop of Damietta] who was a brilliant engineer from Alexandria was the one that designed and supervised the construction of the water tower That was the first concrete water tower built in the wilderness of
Natroun Prior to that there were only towers that were built out of aluminum and their height did not exceed two meters there were no water fountains in the monastery and only an old primitive water closet In 1988 another water tower was built over the cells of the monks with an electricity-operated water pump
The Guest House To the east of El Sorian Church was a beautiful palace which contained a large hall and many guest rooms that was built by Father Maximus in the year 1914 And in 1974 a guest housebuilding was built in its place that was five stories high and a library of the monastery was transferred to the third floor In addition a small rest house was built in the eighties to the west of El Sorian church on top of an old well and next to it was a big
traditional water pump [sakia] for the monasteryrsquos garden which was transformed after that into a library In 1987 and with the encouragement of HH Pope Shenouda III a two-story building for visitors was built to the west of the monastery
Books of the Monastery In 1951 Bishop Theophilus bought a print-shop for the monastery which was the first of its kind in the Egyptian monasteries and the monks of the monastery ran it and produced important books such as Life of the Orthodox Prayer The Book of the Seven Prayers of Famous Church Saints The Life of Saint John Kame The History of El Sorian Monastery Series of the History of the Patriarchs [four parts] The Three Holy Macari St Basil
the Great His Life Asceticism and Laws and many small booklets that were distributed free of charge like The Life of Mar Ephraim the Syrian Psalm The Lord Has Reigned Saint John Chrysostom Saint Augustine Saint George St Mark St Anna Simon Logios the Stonecutter and
Famous Sayings of Saints about Nativity Epiphany and Resurrection For ten years these sayings are still being read in the mornings of these feasts when the monks get together and read one of them And these books that were produced by El Sorian Monastery had a great impact on the spiritual life of a lot of people and even encouraged some of them to seek the monastic life
Retreat House In 1959 the retreat house was built outside the monastery and was the first one to be built in the monasteries Father Antonious El Soriani [HH Pope Shenouda III] was the guiding father of it and it was receiving large numbers of youth The monastery was enlightening the Christian youth because the quiet atmosphere was a chance for them to grow in prayers fastings spiritual readings meditation and attending
midnight praises and enjoying the desert Especially at sunset when nature coupled with the spiritual guidance of the monks a lot of the youth were led to think seriously about their spiritual lives and yearned to repeat the experience and some of them sought the monastic life And so a lot of the current monks used to spend a lot of time in this house which continued to be a living message of the church for all generations to come
- Coptic Museum Cairo
- History
- What to See
- Hanging Church Cairo
- History
- What to See
- St Georges Church Cairo
- History
- What to See
- Festivals and Events
- History
- What to See
- Mount Sinai
- In the Bible
- Authenticity
- What to See
- St Catherines Monastery Sinai
- In the Bible
- Authenticity
- History
- What to See
- St Pauls Monastery
- History
- What to See
- St Antony Monastery ndash Red Sea
- St Bishoy Monastery
- St Mary Monastery - El Sorian
him from within the bush Moses Moses And Moses said Here I am
Do not come any closer God said Take off your sandals for the place where you are standing is holy ground Then he said I am the God of your father the God of Abraham the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob At this Moses hid his face because he was afraid to look at God The Lord said I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt So now go I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt
Moses said to God Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them The God of your fathers has sent me to you and they ask me What is his name Then what shall I tell them God said to Moses I am who I am This is what you are to say to the Israelites I AM has sent me to you (Exodus 31-14 NIV)
In the third month after the Israelites left Egyptmdashon the very daymdashthey came to the Desert of Sinai After they set out from Rephidim they entered the Desert of Sinai and Israel camped there in the desert in front of the mountain
Then Moses went up to God and the LORD called to him from the mountain and said This is what you are to say to the house of Jacob and what you are to tell the people of Israel You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt and how I carried you on eagles wings and brought you to myself Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession Although the whole earth is mine you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites
And God spoke all these words I am the Lord your God who brought you out of Egypt out of the land of slavery You shall have no other gods before me (Exodus 19 the Ten Commandments are given at Exodus 201-17)
Authenticity
The geographical locations of these biblical events are not known and a wide
variety of theories have been offered by scholars No particular evidence
supports the site on which the monastery is built nor for the peak identified as
Mount Sinai However the attachment of early Christian monks to these sites
is not without significance
History
In the early 4th century St Helena mother of Constantine the Great built the
Chapel of the Burning Bush at the site where Moses is supposed to have
seen the miracle
The fortified walls were built around the chapel by the Byzantine emperor and
great church-builder Justinian (who also commissioned the Hagia Sophia)
starting in 527 The Church of the Transfiguration was completed by
Justinians workers in the 560s around the time of his death
The monasterys actual name is the Monastery of the Transfiguration but it
later became associated with St Catherine of Alexandria a 3rd-century
martyr whose head and hand were brought here for safe keeping in the 10th
century St Catherines Monastery became a major pilgrimage destination in
the Byzantine Era and it still is today
Mount Sinai is also revered by Muslims as Jebel Musa (Mount Moses) the
place where God handed down his Law In 623 a document signed by the
Prophet Muhammad himself the Actiname (Holy Testament) exempted the
Christian monks of St Catherines from the usual taxes and military service
and commanded that Muslims provide the community with every help
In recognition of this gesture the St Catherines monks permitted the
conversion of a small Crusader chapel within the monastery to a mosque
between 1101 and 1106 during the Fatimid Caliphate (909-1171) This was in
regular use until Mameluke rule in the later 13th century when it was
neglected until its restoration in the early 20th century It is still used on
special occasions by the local Muslims
In 2002 the area centering on St Catherines Monastery was declared a
World Heritage Site by UNESCO because of Mt Sinais importance in three
major world religions (Judaism Christianity and Islam) the natural
environment of the area and St Catherines historic architecture and art
What to See
St Catherines Monastery comprises the entire Orthodox Church of Mount
Sinai an autonomous Orthodox Christian church headed by an archbishop
who is also the abbot of the monastery The archbishop is traditionally
consecrated by the Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem
St Catherines Monastery is surrounded on all sides by a massive wall 25 m
wide and 11m high This is the wall provided by Emperor Justinian in the 6th
century It is made of huge dressed granite blocks except for the upper
sections which were restored on orders of Napoleon using smaller
undressed stone blocks Christian symbols such as crosses and monograms
are carved on the wall in various places Until the 20th century access was
through a door high in the outer walls The entrance is now through a smaller
gate (also original) to the left of the main gate
The holiest part of the monastery is the large living shrub that is said to be a
direct descendent of the very burning bush that was seen by Moses The
Chapel of the Burning Bush was built with its altar situated above the roots
of the bush and incorporates the 4th-century chapel built by Empress St
Helena The chapel is dedicated to the Virgin Mary The bust itself was
transplanted to permit the construction of the altar and now grows a few
meters from the chapel It is a rare species of the rose family called Rubus
Sanctus The bush is native to Sinai and extremely long-lived facts that help
lend credibility to the site
The main church of the monastery is the Basilica of the Transfiguration (or
Katholikon) which was built of granite by the Byzantine architect Stephanos
at the same time as the defensive walls The church structure the roof and
the carved cedar doors at the entrance are all originals from 527 AD
Inside the basilica has a broad main nave two side aisles an apse and a
narthex The nave is bordered by massive granite columns with capitals
decorated with Christian symbols Each aisle has three chapels and there is a
chapel on each side of the apse Next to the main altar is a sarcophagus with
the relics of St Catherine (head and hand)
The ceiling marble floor and elaborate iconostasis of the basilica date from
the 18th century The icons mosaics and works of art that decorate the
interior span many centuries The doors of the narthex were added by
Crusaders in the 11th century
The neo-Classical bell tower was built in 1871 by one of the monks
Gregorius It houses nine bells given by the Tsar of Russia
A continual supply of fresh water is provided to the monastery by the Well of
Moses which taps an underground spring According to tradition this stands
on the very spot where Moses met his future wife Zipporah after protecting
her and her sisters from an aggressive group of local shepherds (Exodus
216-21
St Pauls Monastery
St Pauls Monastery (Deir Mar Boulos) in the Eastern Desert of Egypt is an
ancient monastery dedicated to the hermit St Paul of Thebes who moved to
this spot in the wilderness around 250 AD Originally built in the 5th century
the monastery now has three churches and contains many important
manuscripts
History
The life of St Paul of Thebes was recorded early but has always been
intertwined with fabulous legends Born into a wealthy family Paul abandoned
civilization and fled the Decian persecution around 250 AD when he was only
16 years old to become a hermit in the Eastern Desert
Living a life of extreme austerity from until his death at the ripe old age of 113
the hermit is said to have been fed a half-loaf of bread each day by a raven
In the most famous episode of his life Paul was visited by the desert monk St
Anthony around 345 AD Nearing the end of his own life of austerity Anthony
had become tempted by vanity in thinking he was the first of the Desert
Fathers So God led him to meet one who had preceded him
Paul died during Anthonys visit According to one version of the legend
Anthony requested two lions to dig a grave Another version says that before
his death Paul requested the robe of Pope Athanasius be brought to him for
burial then died while Anthony was away on the errand Either way two lions
dug the grave and St Anthony buried the hermit there designating him a
saint
St Pauls Monastery was built around the hermits cave by the 5th century It
suffered from Bedouin raids throughout its history the worst being in 1484
when all the monks were murdered the monastery was plundered and the
Bedouins occupied it for 80 years
Deir Mar Boulos was rebuilt under the patronage of Pope Gabriel VII of
Alexandria (1526-69) then attacked and destroyed again towards the end of
the century The monastery was deserted for 119 years then extensively
reconstructed and repopulated by monks from St Anthonys Monastery under
the patronage of Pope John XVI of Alexandria (1676-1718)
What to See
The monastery that bears St Pauls name is located where he was buried in
a valley south of the St Anthony monastery It has been little changed over
the years preserving its remarkably ancient heritage
The monastery has four churches the most important of which is the
underground Church of St Paul that contains the hermits cave and burial
place Its walls are painted with well-preserved frescoes and the ceiling is
hung with ostrich eggs symbols of the resurrection The larger Church of St
Michael has a gilded icon of John the Baptists severed head
St Pauls possesses many illustrated manuscripts including the Coptic
version of the Divine Liturgy and the Commentary on the Epistle of Saint Paul
to Titus by John Chrysostom
It is possible to hike from St Pauls to St Anthonys Monastery along a trail
across the plateau but this is a demanding trek and should be done with a
guide
St Antony Monastery ndash Red Sea
THE STORY OF MONASTICISM
Monasticism is considered Egyptrsquos greatest gift to the world It is a life of solitude prayer
contemplation charitable deeds and manual labour It is being one with God
where the monastic focuses all their life on being with God and doing His will
Monasticism is built on three basic principles poverty obedience and
chastity Monasticism was founded by the Egyptian Saint Antony who was
granted the title lsquofather of monasticismrsquo
Other important names in monasticism are Saint Macarius and Saint
Pachomius both from Egypt It was Saint Pachomius the Egyptian who began
to constitute monastic rules and innovated the concept of communal monastic
living an innovation that is based on monastic life today Benedictine
Monasticism in the West based its monastic rules on those of Saint
Pachomius Many visitors came from the West in the early years of
monasticism to learn from the simple Egyptian monks People such as Saint
John Chrysostom Saint Jerome Saint John Cassian and Palladius wrote
many books about the lives and sayings of the desert fathers of Egypt as they
experienced them
Monasticism is still thriving in Egypt today thanks to a revival led by His
Holiness Pope Shenouda III There are many inhabited ancient monasteries
and convents in Egypt as well as new monasteries being established abroad
in the Diaspora such as in Europe the USA and Australia
THE CAVE
We know from the lsquoLife of Antonyrsquo that our great hermit when he ventured into
this wilderness to seek greater seclusion discovered a natural cave in the
mountain and loved it and hence made it his home for the remaining 43 years
of his life
Today as in time past this cave within which St Antony dwelt is the life force
and heart beat of the Monastery and in which liturgy is celebrated daily and
thousands of pilgrims each year journey to for spiritual nourishment and
contemplation
From the plateau to the cave is a climb of approximately 1 hour and is today
made accessible by means of concrete steps and hand-railing for support As
one climbs the mountain to which St Antony withdrew one passes the Church
of St Paul the Simple which was constructed over the site of where this
disciple of St Antony once lived St Paul the Simple a 4th century desert
father known as lsquothe Simplersquo due to his meek and simple nature was St
Antonyrsquos faithful disciple Prior to his monastic life he had been married and
caught his wife in the act of adultery Hence he left her and took the decision
to consecrate the rest of his life to monastic living He went to St Antony ndash
who at this time was now 80 years old ndash and asked that he become a monk
St Antony at first refused him on account of his age (St Paul was 60) and
therefore compelled him several times to leave and return to his village
saying he could not survive the harsh ascetical life And yet St Paul was so
persistent that St Antony have him many demanding and arduous tasks all of
which he fulfilled with such humility obedience and simplicity that St Antony
accepted him into his monastic community and called him the Pride of the
Desert and he bore with honour the title lsquothe Simplersquo The solitary life gave St
Paul the Simple the gift of healing and casting out demons a power in which
he even surpassed his teacher St Antony The remains of his cave upon
which is built a church in his honour and is seen on the climb to St Antonyrsquos
cave bears witness to this faithful contemporary of our great hermit About
100 metres further up one reaches a terrace and then St Antonyrsquos blessed
cave
St Antonyrsquos cave is located about 2 km south-east of the Monastery 680
metres above the Red Sea and 276 metres above the Monastery It
comprises 3 parts the terrace the tunnel and the cave The narrow tunnel
connects the outer terrace ndash where one can imagine St Antony would sit and
weave his palm leave baskets ndash with the inner cave where he once dwelt and
is now converted into a small chapel
St Bishoy Monastery
The most eastern surviving Christian monastery in the Wadi el-Natrun of
Egypt is Dier Al Anba Bishoy (Pshoi Bishoi) which was founded by St
Bishoy (Pshoi)
The Monastery of Saint Bishoy is one of the original monasteries of Scetis Its
counterpart monastery is that of the Syrians which was built in the sixth
century by the followers of Severus or the Theodosian monks when concepts
concerning the nature of Christ forced a chrism between many monks in
Egypt
Like the Monastery of Saint Macarius the Monastery of the Romans and the
Monastery of Saint John the Little the Monastery of Saint Bishoy suffered five
sacks by the Berbers Al-Maqrizi who wrote during the fifteenth century
refers specifically to the fourth destruction of the monastery during the
patriarchate of Andronicus (616-2623) The patriarch Benjamin I (623-662) is
said to have rebuilt the monastery after that When the persecution by the
Berbers finally came to an end in the ninth century the bodies of both Saints
Bishoy and Paul of Tammua (Tamweh Tamwa) were returned to the
Monastery of Saint Bishoy
However the monastery was once again pillaged in 1096 which resulted in
its depopulation Then during the reign of patriarch Benjamin II (1327-1339)
considerable restoration of the monastery was undertaken because ants had
destroyed much of the woodwork and the buildings were near collapse
A number of visitors traveled to this monastery during late antiquity and into
more modern times Coppin went there in 1638 and Thevenot visited it in
1657 reporting it as the best of the four Wadi Natrun monasteries Then came
Wansleben in 1672 and Sicard in 1712 Granger made the journey in 1730
Sonnini in 1778 Andreossy in 1799 and Curzon in 1837 In 1839 Tattam is
said to have acquired numerous manuscripts from the monastery and in
1843 Wilkinson discovered thirteen monks in the monastery
However in 1875 when Junkers attempted to visit the monastery he was not
permitted to enter because a European before him had stolen several
manuscripts In 1881 Jullien reported that the monastery had the best water
of any in the Wadi and this was substantiated by Butler in 1883 From these
and other visitors we find that the monastery had twenty monks in 1638 four
in 1712 twelve in 1799 four in 1837 seven in 1875 fourteen in 1896 and
twenty in 1923
The monastery is nearly oblong in shape and surrounded by a defensive wall
The great wall was built in the ninth century and measures about ten meters
high and two meters wide It is one hundred and sixty-six meters on the east
and west and ninety-five meters on the north and south
Originally there were four entrances to the monastery one on each side of the
wall Today there are only two consisting of one on the north and one on the
south The main entrance is a gateway near the western end of the north wall
This gateway which possesses an inner gatehouse and a large carefully built
tower is the best preserved in the Wadi as well as the most complete and
elaborate of its kind of the four remaining monasteries
The southern half of the monastery is occupied by the church and cells of the
monks as well as by a modern patriarchal residence The greater part of the
gardens and the keep are in the northern half
The most interesting building in the monastery is the tower located at the
northwest corner of the monastery Defensive towers or keeps have been a
part of the architecture of Wadi El-Natruns monasteries since the fifth century
This was a time when the Berbers often attacked monasteries in the area
The keep at Saint Bishoy dates to the thirteenth century and is a few years
older than the keep of the Monastery of St Macarius One enters it at the
second floor level by a wooden drawbridge that rests on the roof of the
gatehouseOn the first floor are rooms where food was stored and prepared
One can see traces of an oven a mill for grains a press for grapes as well as
an olive press There is also a well some thirty meters deep
The second floor comprises the living quarters of the monks during the
periods of siege There is also a long corridor and east of this are rooms
which have cupolas supported by brick arches These have now been
transformed into a church dedicated to the Holy Virgin It has a transverse
nave and a triple sanctuary
On the north side of the roof of the tower is the Church of St Michaels one of
five in the monastery The icons on the iconostasis which date to the
eighteenth century have been restored They depict the twelve apostles in
pontifical vestments It is noteworthy that in no other monastery do we find the
Church of Saint Michael so isolated as in the Monastery of Saint Bishoy so it
is probable that at one time the keep had an additional floor like those of the
other monasteries in the Wadi
The other churches really form more of a complex of chapels with the central
and main church dedicated to Saint Bishoy It has been restored and
extended several times but it has been suggested that the most ancient parts
of the church do not predate the fifth attack which occurred between 830 and
848 on the monasteries of Wadi Natrun Indeed nothing remains of the
original church built prior to this and many principal elements of the structure
that we see today probably date from the restoration and remodeling
conducted by Benjamin II around 1330
It has a naos a three-aisled nave including a main center aisle and a western
return aisle a khurus (Choir) and it currently has a tripartite sanctuary (three
alters) The nave has a precious wooden pulpit while the wooden door
separating the two bays of the nave has decorative hexagonal panels with
arabesques and ivory inlays It probably dates to the fourteenth century The
khurus is rectangular in plan and placed transversely in relation to the nave In
the tripartite sanctuary the north one is dedicated to the Holy Virgin and is
separated from the choir by an arched portal It is a particularly long and
narrow room and its structure probably dates to the ninth century The middle
sanctuary is dedicated to Saint Bishoy and is connected with the khurus
through a high portal with ornate wooden panels dating to the Fatimed Period
However its square plan probably dates to the ninth century and its cupola
to the fourteenth The southern sanctuary is dedicated to John the Baptist
and also dates to the time of the renovations made during the fourteenth
century
The church or chapel more properly a parekklesion of St Iskhyrun (Abu
Iskhirun Iskhiron) was apparently added in the eleventh century though the
cupola is part of the renovations made by patriarch Benjamin II It is accessed
from the south side of the khurus of the Church of Saint Bishoy The plan is
almost square and opens on the east into a semi-circular apse which serves
as a sanctuary Here the relics of the holy martyr Saint Iskhyrun are kept
under the altar An icon from the seventeenth century placed on the
iconostasis separating the choir from the sanctuary depicts Iskhyrun on
horseback As is customary a wooden partition separates the nave from the
choir
The baptistery accessed by a narrow passage is located to the north of the
sanctuary of the Church of Saint Iskhyrun The diameter of the stone
baptismal font is ninety-five centimeters Only this monastery and that of al-
Baramus possess baptisteries in the Wadi This is because Coptic families
sometimes wish for their children to be baptized in holy and particularly
venerated places
Remains of wall paintings were recently discovered in the so-called Chapel of
Benjamin which probably date to the second half of the twelfth century The
restoration of the wall paintings in this section of the Monastery is not yet
complete
To the northeast of the main church and accessed from the khurus of that
church through a door set to the left of the tomb of Saint Bishoy is the Church
of the Holy Virgin which is actually dedicated to Benjamin I It features a nave
roofed with a barrel vault The sanctuary almost square in plan is separated
from the nave by a finely worked wooden iconostasis and surmounted by a
cupola This church is used during the winter months for the divine Liturgy
Built in the eleventh or the twelfth century the Church of Saint George is not
used now for services Its entrance is near the southeast corner of the main
church It has two sanctuaries and is roofed with six low cupolas The
monastery contains three refectories The ancient one is situated parallel to
the west end of the main church from which it is separated by a long narrow
vaulted corridor Its entrance is in the middle of the corridor opposite the west
entrance of the church It is a long chamber measuring twenty-seven meters
in length and four and a half meters in width divided into five domed bays by
four transverse arches The central space is roofed with a beautiful
quadripartite vault while the other four have cupolas in which some openings
admit light A masonry table takes up almost the entire length of the hall It is
strangely low only rising thirty-six centimeters Clearly the monks set cross-
legged on the floor Originally monks came here after Sunday liturgy to
celebrate the agape but today the refectory is used as a museum that
exhibits both sacred and secular artifacts
The two other refectories are older The smallest one lies southwest of the
main church At an unknown date it was transformed into the present chapel
of Mari Girgis It consists of a square room with a central pillar from which
spring four arches The third refectory which is now used fro storage lies in
the southeastern corner of the monastery
There is also a bakery and a millhouse in the northeastern corner of the
monastery The latter is the most complete example of its kind in the Wadi
Natrun
Also located on the grounds of the monastery is the Well of the Martyrs which
has been used ever since the time of Anba Bishoy It is said that the Berbers
washed the blood from their swords here after having killed the 49 Martyrs
Monks at the monastery also say that the Martyrs were thrown in the well prior
to being interned at the nearby St Marcarius Monastery It is twelve meters
deep and continues to produce fresh water which is regarded as miraculous
Following his enthronement in November of 1971 His Holiness Pope
Shenouda III selected this monastery as his pontifical residence where he
generally spends two or three days a week For this reason it is therefore the
destination of thousands of Copts who visit Wadi Naturn At one point he was
exiled to this monastery for forty months and during this time he ordained as
many as one hundred young men as monks
In recent years four hundred acres of desert land were acquired for the
monastery much of which has been cultivated Three reservoirs for drinking
water a new library a three-story guest house three large units for monastic
cells as well as lecture and conference buildings have been constructed at
the rear of the old monastery This is also the location of the pontifical
residence and the new Church of Saint Shenuda Here the number of monks
has increased to over 160 though many of these monks now serve in the
restored Upper Egyptian monasteries as well as in Coptic churches overseas
St Mary Monastery - El Sorian
Different sources indicate that the monastery was built around the fifth century There are many proofs the most important of which are The old fortress to the right of entrance of the monastery (even though it was repaired) It is well known that King Xenon (474-491 AD) was the one that built these fortresses as a token to his daughter Saint Hillary who entered monastic life in the wilderness of Shiheet and became well known everywhere There is a source in the library of London of the writings of Saint Yacoub El Serougi that is dated back to 603 AD from El Sorian Monastery Putler mentioned that the partitions of the church of St Mary-El Sorian go back to before 700 AD which resembles those in the Church of St Pishoy and the Church of St Mary-El Baramous These churches are considered the oldest in the wilderness until now Brumster mentioned in his book ldquoGuidance to the Monasteries of the Natroun Valleyrdquo that it was one of the monasteries known by the Theotokos These monasteries appeared in the fifth century after the counsel of Ephesus in 431 AD that discredited the Nestorian heresy Afterwards monasteries were built bearing the name of the Theotokos ldquoMother of Godrdquo and so it was called St Mary-El Sorian Monastery beside St Pishoy Monastery in the eastern wilderness Evelyn White mentioned that the monastery became independently run from the eighth century
Why it is Called El Sorian [The Syrian] Since the fourth century people have come from all over to the wilderness of Shiheet to visit and get blessings of the ascetic monks that reached high spiritual levels of asceticism and worship Examples of those are St Arsanius and St Maximus and Dometius who are still placed in St Mary-El Baramos Monastery There are also remnants of the old monasteries about three kilometers southeast of the monastery including the monastery of St John
Kame Abanoub the Ethiopians the Armenians and St John the Short And because people from all over came to worship the Coptic monks welcomed some Syrian monks for a period of time which is why it became famous of the Syrian [El Sorian] Monastery and also to differentiate it from St Mary-El Baramous Monastery St Mary Monastery is not St John Kame Monastery As mentioned above El Sorian Monastery was from the fifth century while the Monastery of St John Kame is from the ninth century and its ruins still exist Prince Omar Tosson built a pillar for each monastery and wrote its name on it Also the scholar Mohaub visited this monastery in 1088 AD When St John Kame Monastery was destroyed because of white ants between 1413 and 1430 AD his monks went to El Sorian Monastery and carried with them the body of St John Kame and their belongings including a marble stone that is still in El Sorian Church and engraved on it in Coptic the dates of the departure of St John Kame and his disciple St Stefanos
El Sorian Monastery in the Twentieth CenturyThe monastery became quite famous among other monasteries especially in the second half of the twentieth century when it was the leader and the initiator of monastic revival under the encouragement of Bishop Theophilus since he became the abbot of the monastery in 1948 most important of which
Monasticism A group of educated individuals entered monastic life and started working whole-heartedly to revive the monastery that group included those who reconstructed St Macarius Monastery St Paul St Mina and St George [El-Rozaykat] in addition to St Pishoy Monastery the head of which is HH Pope Shenouda III All of these monks were part of El Sorian Monastery and they had a great impact on
the revival of the church The majority of the Holy Synod that represents the leadership of the church areeducated monks that were prior to monastic life servants in their old churches and had a great impact on the priesthood from the spiritual social and intellectual standpoint During that
period a great number of monks were ordained compared to the previous period in which the number usually wouldnrsquot exceed more than twenty or forty the number of monks being ordained now is double or triple that number
Reconstruction In the early fifties when Bishop Theophillus presided over the monastery he demolished the cells that were next to
the Southern wall and built a building for the monks that were four stories high with a beautiful faccedilade It was the first modern building in the monastery and other monasteries adopted the same idea In 1988 another three-story building was constructed on top of which a water tower was built Through the encouragement of HH Pope Shenouda III in 1993 another three-story building was constructed next to that There
were two old bell towers around a guesthouse that was at the east side of St Maryrsquos church one of them is still standing and the other one was demolished Bishop Theophilus built instead of it a high tower at the north of the cells of the monks that the visitors of the monastery can see from far away In 1968 the other tower was built and was even higher than the first one HH Pope Shenouda III [who was Bishop of Education at that time] supervised personally on the construction
The Water Tower In 1955 a big water tower was built under which two water closets were built Father Moussa [the late Bishop Andrawous bishop of Damietta] who was a brilliant engineer from Alexandria was the one that designed and supervised the construction of the water tower That was the first concrete water tower built in the wilderness of
Natroun Prior to that there were only towers that were built out of aluminum and their height did not exceed two meters there were no water fountains in the monastery and only an old primitive water closet In 1988 another water tower was built over the cells of the monks with an electricity-operated water pump
The Guest House To the east of El Sorian Church was a beautiful palace which contained a large hall and many guest rooms that was built by Father Maximus in the year 1914 And in 1974 a guest housebuilding was built in its place that was five stories high and a library of the monastery was transferred to the third floor In addition a small rest house was built in the eighties to the west of El Sorian church on top of an old well and next to it was a big
traditional water pump [sakia] for the monasteryrsquos garden which was transformed after that into a library In 1987 and with the encouragement of HH Pope Shenouda III a two-story building for visitors was built to the west of the monastery
Books of the Monastery In 1951 Bishop Theophilus bought a print-shop for the monastery which was the first of its kind in the Egyptian monasteries and the monks of the monastery ran it and produced important books such as Life of the Orthodox Prayer The Book of the Seven Prayers of Famous Church Saints The Life of Saint John Kame The History of El Sorian Monastery Series of the History of the Patriarchs [four parts] The Three Holy Macari St Basil
the Great His Life Asceticism and Laws and many small booklets that were distributed free of charge like The Life of Mar Ephraim the Syrian Psalm The Lord Has Reigned Saint John Chrysostom Saint Augustine Saint George St Mark St Anna Simon Logios the Stonecutter and
Famous Sayings of Saints about Nativity Epiphany and Resurrection For ten years these sayings are still being read in the mornings of these feasts when the monks get together and read one of them And these books that were produced by El Sorian Monastery had a great impact on the spiritual life of a lot of people and even encouraged some of them to seek the monastic life
Retreat House In 1959 the retreat house was built outside the monastery and was the first one to be built in the monasteries Father Antonious El Soriani [HH Pope Shenouda III] was the guiding father of it and it was receiving large numbers of youth The monastery was enlightening the Christian youth because the quiet atmosphere was a chance for them to grow in prayers fastings spiritual readings meditation and attending
midnight praises and enjoying the desert Especially at sunset when nature coupled with the spiritual guidance of the monks a lot of the youth were led to think seriously about their spiritual lives and yearned to repeat the experience and some of them sought the monastic life And so a lot of the current monks used to spend a lot of time in this house which continued to be a living message of the church for all generations to come
- Coptic Museum Cairo
- History
- What to See
- Hanging Church Cairo
- History
- What to See
- St Georges Church Cairo
- History
- What to See
- Festivals and Events
- History
- What to See
- Mount Sinai
- In the Bible
- Authenticity
- What to See
- St Catherines Monastery Sinai
- In the Bible
- Authenticity
- History
- What to See
- St Pauls Monastery
- History
- What to See
- St Antony Monastery ndash Red Sea
- St Bishoy Monastery
- St Mary Monastery - El Sorian
The fortified walls were built around the chapel by the Byzantine emperor and
great church-builder Justinian (who also commissioned the Hagia Sophia)
starting in 527 The Church of the Transfiguration was completed by
Justinians workers in the 560s around the time of his death
The monasterys actual name is the Monastery of the Transfiguration but it
later became associated with St Catherine of Alexandria a 3rd-century
martyr whose head and hand were brought here for safe keeping in the 10th
century St Catherines Monastery became a major pilgrimage destination in
the Byzantine Era and it still is today
Mount Sinai is also revered by Muslims as Jebel Musa (Mount Moses) the
place where God handed down his Law In 623 a document signed by the
Prophet Muhammad himself the Actiname (Holy Testament) exempted the
Christian monks of St Catherines from the usual taxes and military service
and commanded that Muslims provide the community with every help
In recognition of this gesture the St Catherines monks permitted the
conversion of a small Crusader chapel within the monastery to a mosque
between 1101 and 1106 during the Fatimid Caliphate (909-1171) This was in
regular use until Mameluke rule in the later 13th century when it was
neglected until its restoration in the early 20th century It is still used on
special occasions by the local Muslims
In 2002 the area centering on St Catherines Monastery was declared a
World Heritage Site by UNESCO because of Mt Sinais importance in three
major world religions (Judaism Christianity and Islam) the natural
environment of the area and St Catherines historic architecture and art
What to See
St Catherines Monastery comprises the entire Orthodox Church of Mount
Sinai an autonomous Orthodox Christian church headed by an archbishop
who is also the abbot of the monastery The archbishop is traditionally
consecrated by the Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem
St Catherines Monastery is surrounded on all sides by a massive wall 25 m
wide and 11m high This is the wall provided by Emperor Justinian in the 6th
century It is made of huge dressed granite blocks except for the upper
sections which were restored on orders of Napoleon using smaller
undressed stone blocks Christian symbols such as crosses and monograms
are carved on the wall in various places Until the 20th century access was
through a door high in the outer walls The entrance is now through a smaller
gate (also original) to the left of the main gate
The holiest part of the monastery is the large living shrub that is said to be a
direct descendent of the very burning bush that was seen by Moses The
Chapel of the Burning Bush was built with its altar situated above the roots
of the bush and incorporates the 4th-century chapel built by Empress St
Helena The chapel is dedicated to the Virgin Mary The bust itself was
transplanted to permit the construction of the altar and now grows a few
meters from the chapel It is a rare species of the rose family called Rubus
Sanctus The bush is native to Sinai and extremely long-lived facts that help
lend credibility to the site
The main church of the monastery is the Basilica of the Transfiguration (or
Katholikon) which was built of granite by the Byzantine architect Stephanos
at the same time as the defensive walls The church structure the roof and
the carved cedar doors at the entrance are all originals from 527 AD
Inside the basilica has a broad main nave two side aisles an apse and a
narthex The nave is bordered by massive granite columns with capitals
decorated with Christian symbols Each aisle has three chapels and there is a
chapel on each side of the apse Next to the main altar is a sarcophagus with
the relics of St Catherine (head and hand)
The ceiling marble floor and elaborate iconostasis of the basilica date from
the 18th century The icons mosaics and works of art that decorate the
interior span many centuries The doors of the narthex were added by
Crusaders in the 11th century
The neo-Classical bell tower was built in 1871 by one of the monks
Gregorius It houses nine bells given by the Tsar of Russia
A continual supply of fresh water is provided to the monastery by the Well of
Moses which taps an underground spring According to tradition this stands
on the very spot where Moses met his future wife Zipporah after protecting
her and her sisters from an aggressive group of local shepherds (Exodus
216-21
St Pauls Monastery
St Pauls Monastery (Deir Mar Boulos) in the Eastern Desert of Egypt is an
ancient monastery dedicated to the hermit St Paul of Thebes who moved to
this spot in the wilderness around 250 AD Originally built in the 5th century
the monastery now has three churches and contains many important
manuscripts
History
The life of St Paul of Thebes was recorded early but has always been
intertwined with fabulous legends Born into a wealthy family Paul abandoned
civilization and fled the Decian persecution around 250 AD when he was only
16 years old to become a hermit in the Eastern Desert
Living a life of extreme austerity from until his death at the ripe old age of 113
the hermit is said to have been fed a half-loaf of bread each day by a raven
In the most famous episode of his life Paul was visited by the desert monk St
Anthony around 345 AD Nearing the end of his own life of austerity Anthony
had become tempted by vanity in thinking he was the first of the Desert
Fathers So God led him to meet one who had preceded him
Paul died during Anthonys visit According to one version of the legend
Anthony requested two lions to dig a grave Another version says that before
his death Paul requested the robe of Pope Athanasius be brought to him for
burial then died while Anthony was away on the errand Either way two lions
dug the grave and St Anthony buried the hermit there designating him a
saint
St Pauls Monastery was built around the hermits cave by the 5th century It
suffered from Bedouin raids throughout its history the worst being in 1484
when all the monks were murdered the monastery was plundered and the
Bedouins occupied it for 80 years
Deir Mar Boulos was rebuilt under the patronage of Pope Gabriel VII of
Alexandria (1526-69) then attacked and destroyed again towards the end of
the century The monastery was deserted for 119 years then extensively
reconstructed and repopulated by monks from St Anthonys Monastery under
the patronage of Pope John XVI of Alexandria (1676-1718)
What to See
The monastery that bears St Pauls name is located where he was buried in
a valley south of the St Anthony monastery It has been little changed over
the years preserving its remarkably ancient heritage
The monastery has four churches the most important of which is the
underground Church of St Paul that contains the hermits cave and burial
place Its walls are painted with well-preserved frescoes and the ceiling is
hung with ostrich eggs symbols of the resurrection The larger Church of St
Michael has a gilded icon of John the Baptists severed head
St Pauls possesses many illustrated manuscripts including the Coptic
version of the Divine Liturgy and the Commentary on the Epistle of Saint Paul
to Titus by John Chrysostom
It is possible to hike from St Pauls to St Anthonys Monastery along a trail
across the plateau but this is a demanding trek and should be done with a
guide
St Antony Monastery ndash Red Sea
THE STORY OF MONASTICISM
Monasticism is considered Egyptrsquos greatest gift to the world It is a life of solitude prayer
contemplation charitable deeds and manual labour It is being one with God
where the monastic focuses all their life on being with God and doing His will
Monasticism is built on three basic principles poverty obedience and
chastity Monasticism was founded by the Egyptian Saint Antony who was
granted the title lsquofather of monasticismrsquo
Other important names in monasticism are Saint Macarius and Saint
Pachomius both from Egypt It was Saint Pachomius the Egyptian who began
to constitute monastic rules and innovated the concept of communal monastic
living an innovation that is based on monastic life today Benedictine
Monasticism in the West based its monastic rules on those of Saint
Pachomius Many visitors came from the West in the early years of
monasticism to learn from the simple Egyptian monks People such as Saint
John Chrysostom Saint Jerome Saint John Cassian and Palladius wrote
many books about the lives and sayings of the desert fathers of Egypt as they
experienced them
Monasticism is still thriving in Egypt today thanks to a revival led by His
Holiness Pope Shenouda III There are many inhabited ancient monasteries
and convents in Egypt as well as new monasteries being established abroad
in the Diaspora such as in Europe the USA and Australia
THE CAVE
We know from the lsquoLife of Antonyrsquo that our great hermit when he ventured into
this wilderness to seek greater seclusion discovered a natural cave in the
mountain and loved it and hence made it his home for the remaining 43 years
of his life
Today as in time past this cave within which St Antony dwelt is the life force
and heart beat of the Monastery and in which liturgy is celebrated daily and
thousands of pilgrims each year journey to for spiritual nourishment and
contemplation
From the plateau to the cave is a climb of approximately 1 hour and is today
made accessible by means of concrete steps and hand-railing for support As
one climbs the mountain to which St Antony withdrew one passes the Church
of St Paul the Simple which was constructed over the site of where this
disciple of St Antony once lived St Paul the Simple a 4th century desert
father known as lsquothe Simplersquo due to his meek and simple nature was St
Antonyrsquos faithful disciple Prior to his monastic life he had been married and
caught his wife in the act of adultery Hence he left her and took the decision
to consecrate the rest of his life to monastic living He went to St Antony ndash
who at this time was now 80 years old ndash and asked that he become a monk
St Antony at first refused him on account of his age (St Paul was 60) and
therefore compelled him several times to leave and return to his village
saying he could not survive the harsh ascetical life And yet St Paul was so
persistent that St Antony have him many demanding and arduous tasks all of
which he fulfilled with such humility obedience and simplicity that St Antony
accepted him into his monastic community and called him the Pride of the
Desert and he bore with honour the title lsquothe Simplersquo The solitary life gave St
Paul the Simple the gift of healing and casting out demons a power in which
he even surpassed his teacher St Antony The remains of his cave upon
which is built a church in his honour and is seen on the climb to St Antonyrsquos
cave bears witness to this faithful contemporary of our great hermit About
100 metres further up one reaches a terrace and then St Antonyrsquos blessed
cave
St Antonyrsquos cave is located about 2 km south-east of the Monastery 680
metres above the Red Sea and 276 metres above the Monastery It
comprises 3 parts the terrace the tunnel and the cave The narrow tunnel
connects the outer terrace ndash where one can imagine St Antony would sit and
weave his palm leave baskets ndash with the inner cave where he once dwelt and
is now converted into a small chapel
St Bishoy Monastery
The most eastern surviving Christian monastery in the Wadi el-Natrun of
Egypt is Dier Al Anba Bishoy (Pshoi Bishoi) which was founded by St
Bishoy (Pshoi)
The Monastery of Saint Bishoy is one of the original monasteries of Scetis Its
counterpart monastery is that of the Syrians which was built in the sixth
century by the followers of Severus or the Theodosian monks when concepts
concerning the nature of Christ forced a chrism between many monks in
Egypt
Like the Monastery of Saint Macarius the Monastery of the Romans and the
Monastery of Saint John the Little the Monastery of Saint Bishoy suffered five
sacks by the Berbers Al-Maqrizi who wrote during the fifteenth century
refers specifically to the fourth destruction of the monastery during the
patriarchate of Andronicus (616-2623) The patriarch Benjamin I (623-662) is
said to have rebuilt the monastery after that When the persecution by the
Berbers finally came to an end in the ninth century the bodies of both Saints
Bishoy and Paul of Tammua (Tamweh Tamwa) were returned to the
Monastery of Saint Bishoy
However the monastery was once again pillaged in 1096 which resulted in
its depopulation Then during the reign of patriarch Benjamin II (1327-1339)
considerable restoration of the monastery was undertaken because ants had
destroyed much of the woodwork and the buildings were near collapse
A number of visitors traveled to this monastery during late antiquity and into
more modern times Coppin went there in 1638 and Thevenot visited it in
1657 reporting it as the best of the four Wadi Natrun monasteries Then came
Wansleben in 1672 and Sicard in 1712 Granger made the journey in 1730
Sonnini in 1778 Andreossy in 1799 and Curzon in 1837 In 1839 Tattam is
said to have acquired numerous manuscripts from the monastery and in
1843 Wilkinson discovered thirteen monks in the monastery
However in 1875 when Junkers attempted to visit the monastery he was not
permitted to enter because a European before him had stolen several
manuscripts In 1881 Jullien reported that the monastery had the best water
of any in the Wadi and this was substantiated by Butler in 1883 From these
and other visitors we find that the monastery had twenty monks in 1638 four
in 1712 twelve in 1799 four in 1837 seven in 1875 fourteen in 1896 and
twenty in 1923
The monastery is nearly oblong in shape and surrounded by a defensive wall
The great wall was built in the ninth century and measures about ten meters
high and two meters wide It is one hundred and sixty-six meters on the east
and west and ninety-five meters on the north and south
Originally there were four entrances to the monastery one on each side of the
wall Today there are only two consisting of one on the north and one on the
south The main entrance is a gateway near the western end of the north wall
This gateway which possesses an inner gatehouse and a large carefully built
tower is the best preserved in the Wadi as well as the most complete and
elaborate of its kind of the four remaining monasteries
The southern half of the monastery is occupied by the church and cells of the
monks as well as by a modern patriarchal residence The greater part of the
gardens and the keep are in the northern half
The most interesting building in the monastery is the tower located at the
northwest corner of the monastery Defensive towers or keeps have been a
part of the architecture of Wadi El-Natruns monasteries since the fifth century
This was a time when the Berbers often attacked monasteries in the area
The keep at Saint Bishoy dates to the thirteenth century and is a few years
older than the keep of the Monastery of St Macarius One enters it at the
second floor level by a wooden drawbridge that rests on the roof of the
gatehouseOn the first floor are rooms where food was stored and prepared
One can see traces of an oven a mill for grains a press for grapes as well as
an olive press There is also a well some thirty meters deep
The second floor comprises the living quarters of the monks during the
periods of siege There is also a long corridor and east of this are rooms
which have cupolas supported by brick arches These have now been
transformed into a church dedicated to the Holy Virgin It has a transverse
nave and a triple sanctuary
On the north side of the roof of the tower is the Church of St Michaels one of
five in the monastery The icons on the iconostasis which date to the
eighteenth century have been restored They depict the twelve apostles in
pontifical vestments It is noteworthy that in no other monastery do we find the
Church of Saint Michael so isolated as in the Monastery of Saint Bishoy so it
is probable that at one time the keep had an additional floor like those of the
other monasteries in the Wadi
The other churches really form more of a complex of chapels with the central
and main church dedicated to Saint Bishoy It has been restored and
extended several times but it has been suggested that the most ancient parts
of the church do not predate the fifth attack which occurred between 830 and
848 on the monasteries of Wadi Natrun Indeed nothing remains of the
original church built prior to this and many principal elements of the structure
that we see today probably date from the restoration and remodeling
conducted by Benjamin II around 1330
It has a naos a three-aisled nave including a main center aisle and a western
return aisle a khurus (Choir) and it currently has a tripartite sanctuary (three
alters) The nave has a precious wooden pulpit while the wooden door
separating the two bays of the nave has decorative hexagonal panels with
arabesques and ivory inlays It probably dates to the fourteenth century The
khurus is rectangular in plan and placed transversely in relation to the nave In
the tripartite sanctuary the north one is dedicated to the Holy Virgin and is
separated from the choir by an arched portal It is a particularly long and
narrow room and its structure probably dates to the ninth century The middle
sanctuary is dedicated to Saint Bishoy and is connected with the khurus
through a high portal with ornate wooden panels dating to the Fatimed Period
However its square plan probably dates to the ninth century and its cupola
to the fourteenth The southern sanctuary is dedicated to John the Baptist
and also dates to the time of the renovations made during the fourteenth
century
The church or chapel more properly a parekklesion of St Iskhyrun (Abu
Iskhirun Iskhiron) was apparently added in the eleventh century though the
cupola is part of the renovations made by patriarch Benjamin II It is accessed
from the south side of the khurus of the Church of Saint Bishoy The plan is
almost square and opens on the east into a semi-circular apse which serves
as a sanctuary Here the relics of the holy martyr Saint Iskhyrun are kept
under the altar An icon from the seventeenth century placed on the
iconostasis separating the choir from the sanctuary depicts Iskhyrun on
horseback As is customary a wooden partition separates the nave from the
choir
The baptistery accessed by a narrow passage is located to the north of the
sanctuary of the Church of Saint Iskhyrun The diameter of the stone
baptismal font is ninety-five centimeters Only this monastery and that of al-
Baramus possess baptisteries in the Wadi This is because Coptic families
sometimes wish for their children to be baptized in holy and particularly
venerated places
Remains of wall paintings were recently discovered in the so-called Chapel of
Benjamin which probably date to the second half of the twelfth century The
restoration of the wall paintings in this section of the Monastery is not yet
complete
To the northeast of the main church and accessed from the khurus of that
church through a door set to the left of the tomb of Saint Bishoy is the Church
of the Holy Virgin which is actually dedicated to Benjamin I It features a nave
roofed with a barrel vault The sanctuary almost square in plan is separated
from the nave by a finely worked wooden iconostasis and surmounted by a
cupola This church is used during the winter months for the divine Liturgy
Built in the eleventh or the twelfth century the Church of Saint George is not
used now for services Its entrance is near the southeast corner of the main
church It has two sanctuaries and is roofed with six low cupolas The
monastery contains three refectories The ancient one is situated parallel to
the west end of the main church from which it is separated by a long narrow
vaulted corridor Its entrance is in the middle of the corridor opposite the west
entrance of the church It is a long chamber measuring twenty-seven meters
in length and four and a half meters in width divided into five domed bays by
four transverse arches The central space is roofed with a beautiful
quadripartite vault while the other four have cupolas in which some openings
admit light A masonry table takes up almost the entire length of the hall It is
strangely low only rising thirty-six centimeters Clearly the monks set cross-
legged on the floor Originally monks came here after Sunday liturgy to
celebrate the agape but today the refectory is used as a museum that
exhibits both sacred and secular artifacts
The two other refectories are older The smallest one lies southwest of the
main church At an unknown date it was transformed into the present chapel
of Mari Girgis It consists of a square room with a central pillar from which
spring four arches The third refectory which is now used fro storage lies in
the southeastern corner of the monastery
There is also a bakery and a millhouse in the northeastern corner of the
monastery The latter is the most complete example of its kind in the Wadi
Natrun
Also located on the grounds of the monastery is the Well of the Martyrs which
has been used ever since the time of Anba Bishoy It is said that the Berbers
washed the blood from their swords here after having killed the 49 Martyrs
Monks at the monastery also say that the Martyrs were thrown in the well prior
to being interned at the nearby St Marcarius Monastery It is twelve meters
deep and continues to produce fresh water which is regarded as miraculous
Following his enthronement in November of 1971 His Holiness Pope
Shenouda III selected this monastery as his pontifical residence where he
generally spends two or three days a week For this reason it is therefore the
destination of thousands of Copts who visit Wadi Naturn At one point he was
exiled to this monastery for forty months and during this time he ordained as
many as one hundred young men as monks
In recent years four hundred acres of desert land were acquired for the
monastery much of which has been cultivated Three reservoirs for drinking
water a new library a three-story guest house three large units for monastic
cells as well as lecture and conference buildings have been constructed at
the rear of the old monastery This is also the location of the pontifical
residence and the new Church of Saint Shenuda Here the number of monks
has increased to over 160 though many of these monks now serve in the
restored Upper Egyptian monasteries as well as in Coptic churches overseas
St Mary Monastery - El Sorian
Different sources indicate that the monastery was built around the fifth century There are many proofs the most important of which are The old fortress to the right of entrance of the monastery (even though it was repaired) It is well known that King Xenon (474-491 AD) was the one that built these fortresses as a token to his daughter Saint Hillary who entered monastic life in the wilderness of Shiheet and became well known everywhere There is a source in the library of London of the writings of Saint Yacoub El Serougi that is dated back to 603 AD from El Sorian Monastery Putler mentioned that the partitions of the church of St Mary-El Sorian go back to before 700 AD which resembles those in the Church of St Pishoy and the Church of St Mary-El Baramous These churches are considered the oldest in the wilderness until now Brumster mentioned in his book ldquoGuidance to the Monasteries of the Natroun Valleyrdquo that it was one of the monasteries known by the Theotokos These monasteries appeared in the fifth century after the counsel of Ephesus in 431 AD that discredited the Nestorian heresy Afterwards monasteries were built bearing the name of the Theotokos ldquoMother of Godrdquo and so it was called St Mary-El Sorian Monastery beside St Pishoy Monastery in the eastern wilderness Evelyn White mentioned that the monastery became independently run from the eighth century
Why it is Called El Sorian [The Syrian] Since the fourth century people have come from all over to the wilderness of Shiheet to visit and get blessings of the ascetic monks that reached high spiritual levels of asceticism and worship Examples of those are St Arsanius and St Maximus and Dometius who are still placed in St Mary-El Baramos Monastery There are also remnants of the old monasteries about three kilometers southeast of the monastery including the monastery of St John
Kame Abanoub the Ethiopians the Armenians and St John the Short And because people from all over came to worship the Coptic monks welcomed some Syrian monks for a period of time which is why it became famous of the Syrian [El Sorian] Monastery and also to differentiate it from St Mary-El Baramous Monastery St Mary Monastery is not St John Kame Monastery As mentioned above El Sorian Monastery was from the fifth century while the Monastery of St John Kame is from the ninth century and its ruins still exist Prince Omar Tosson built a pillar for each monastery and wrote its name on it Also the scholar Mohaub visited this monastery in 1088 AD When St John Kame Monastery was destroyed because of white ants between 1413 and 1430 AD his monks went to El Sorian Monastery and carried with them the body of St John Kame and their belongings including a marble stone that is still in El Sorian Church and engraved on it in Coptic the dates of the departure of St John Kame and his disciple St Stefanos
El Sorian Monastery in the Twentieth CenturyThe monastery became quite famous among other monasteries especially in the second half of the twentieth century when it was the leader and the initiator of monastic revival under the encouragement of Bishop Theophilus since he became the abbot of the monastery in 1948 most important of which
Monasticism A group of educated individuals entered monastic life and started working whole-heartedly to revive the monastery that group included those who reconstructed St Macarius Monastery St Paul St Mina and St George [El-Rozaykat] in addition to St Pishoy Monastery the head of which is HH Pope Shenouda III All of these monks were part of El Sorian Monastery and they had a great impact on
the revival of the church The majority of the Holy Synod that represents the leadership of the church areeducated monks that were prior to monastic life servants in their old churches and had a great impact on the priesthood from the spiritual social and intellectual standpoint During that
period a great number of monks were ordained compared to the previous period in which the number usually wouldnrsquot exceed more than twenty or forty the number of monks being ordained now is double or triple that number
Reconstruction In the early fifties when Bishop Theophillus presided over the monastery he demolished the cells that were next to
the Southern wall and built a building for the monks that were four stories high with a beautiful faccedilade It was the first modern building in the monastery and other monasteries adopted the same idea In 1988 another three-story building was constructed on top of which a water tower was built Through the encouragement of HH Pope Shenouda III in 1993 another three-story building was constructed next to that There
were two old bell towers around a guesthouse that was at the east side of St Maryrsquos church one of them is still standing and the other one was demolished Bishop Theophilus built instead of it a high tower at the north of the cells of the monks that the visitors of the monastery can see from far away In 1968 the other tower was built and was even higher than the first one HH Pope Shenouda III [who was Bishop of Education at that time] supervised personally on the construction
The Water Tower In 1955 a big water tower was built under which two water closets were built Father Moussa [the late Bishop Andrawous bishop of Damietta] who was a brilliant engineer from Alexandria was the one that designed and supervised the construction of the water tower That was the first concrete water tower built in the wilderness of
Natroun Prior to that there were only towers that were built out of aluminum and their height did not exceed two meters there were no water fountains in the monastery and only an old primitive water closet In 1988 another water tower was built over the cells of the monks with an electricity-operated water pump
The Guest House To the east of El Sorian Church was a beautiful palace which contained a large hall and many guest rooms that was built by Father Maximus in the year 1914 And in 1974 a guest housebuilding was built in its place that was five stories high and a library of the monastery was transferred to the third floor In addition a small rest house was built in the eighties to the west of El Sorian church on top of an old well and next to it was a big
traditional water pump [sakia] for the monasteryrsquos garden which was transformed after that into a library In 1987 and with the encouragement of HH Pope Shenouda III a two-story building for visitors was built to the west of the monastery
Books of the Monastery In 1951 Bishop Theophilus bought a print-shop for the monastery which was the first of its kind in the Egyptian monasteries and the monks of the monastery ran it and produced important books such as Life of the Orthodox Prayer The Book of the Seven Prayers of Famous Church Saints The Life of Saint John Kame The History of El Sorian Monastery Series of the History of the Patriarchs [four parts] The Three Holy Macari St Basil
the Great His Life Asceticism and Laws and many small booklets that were distributed free of charge like The Life of Mar Ephraim the Syrian Psalm The Lord Has Reigned Saint John Chrysostom Saint Augustine Saint George St Mark St Anna Simon Logios the Stonecutter and
Famous Sayings of Saints about Nativity Epiphany and Resurrection For ten years these sayings are still being read in the mornings of these feasts when the monks get together and read one of them And these books that were produced by El Sorian Monastery had a great impact on the spiritual life of a lot of people and even encouraged some of them to seek the monastic life
Retreat House In 1959 the retreat house was built outside the monastery and was the first one to be built in the monasteries Father Antonious El Soriani [HH Pope Shenouda III] was the guiding father of it and it was receiving large numbers of youth The monastery was enlightening the Christian youth because the quiet atmosphere was a chance for them to grow in prayers fastings spiritual readings meditation and attending
midnight praises and enjoying the desert Especially at sunset when nature coupled with the spiritual guidance of the monks a lot of the youth were led to think seriously about their spiritual lives and yearned to repeat the experience and some of them sought the monastic life And so a lot of the current monks used to spend a lot of time in this house which continued to be a living message of the church for all generations to come
- Coptic Museum Cairo
- History
- What to See
- Hanging Church Cairo
- History
- What to See
- St Georges Church Cairo
- History
- What to See
- Festivals and Events
- History
- What to See
- Mount Sinai
- In the Bible
- Authenticity
- What to See
- St Catherines Monastery Sinai
- In the Bible
- Authenticity
- History
- What to See
- St Pauls Monastery
- History
- What to See
- St Antony Monastery ndash Red Sea
- St Bishoy Monastery
- St Mary Monastery - El Sorian
undressed stone blocks Christian symbols such as crosses and monograms
are carved on the wall in various places Until the 20th century access was
through a door high in the outer walls The entrance is now through a smaller
gate (also original) to the left of the main gate
The holiest part of the monastery is the large living shrub that is said to be a
direct descendent of the very burning bush that was seen by Moses The
Chapel of the Burning Bush was built with its altar situated above the roots
of the bush and incorporates the 4th-century chapel built by Empress St
Helena The chapel is dedicated to the Virgin Mary The bust itself was
transplanted to permit the construction of the altar and now grows a few
meters from the chapel It is a rare species of the rose family called Rubus
Sanctus The bush is native to Sinai and extremely long-lived facts that help
lend credibility to the site
The main church of the monastery is the Basilica of the Transfiguration (or
Katholikon) which was built of granite by the Byzantine architect Stephanos
at the same time as the defensive walls The church structure the roof and
the carved cedar doors at the entrance are all originals from 527 AD
Inside the basilica has a broad main nave two side aisles an apse and a
narthex The nave is bordered by massive granite columns with capitals
decorated with Christian symbols Each aisle has three chapels and there is a
chapel on each side of the apse Next to the main altar is a sarcophagus with
the relics of St Catherine (head and hand)
The ceiling marble floor and elaborate iconostasis of the basilica date from
the 18th century The icons mosaics and works of art that decorate the
interior span many centuries The doors of the narthex were added by
Crusaders in the 11th century
The neo-Classical bell tower was built in 1871 by one of the monks
Gregorius It houses nine bells given by the Tsar of Russia
A continual supply of fresh water is provided to the monastery by the Well of
Moses which taps an underground spring According to tradition this stands
on the very spot where Moses met his future wife Zipporah after protecting
her and her sisters from an aggressive group of local shepherds (Exodus
216-21
St Pauls Monastery
St Pauls Monastery (Deir Mar Boulos) in the Eastern Desert of Egypt is an
ancient monastery dedicated to the hermit St Paul of Thebes who moved to
this spot in the wilderness around 250 AD Originally built in the 5th century
the monastery now has three churches and contains many important
manuscripts
History
The life of St Paul of Thebes was recorded early but has always been
intertwined with fabulous legends Born into a wealthy family Paul abandoned
civilization and fled the Decian persecution around 250 AD when he was only
16 years old to become a hermit in the Eastern Desert
Living a life of extreme austerity from until his death at the ripe old age of 113
the hermit is said to have been fed a half-loaf of bread each day by a raven
In the most famous episode of his life Paul was visited by the desert monk St
Anthony around 345 AD Nearing the end of his own life of austerity Anthony
had become tempted by vanity in thinking he was the first of the Desert
Fathers So God led him to meet one who had preceded him
Paul died during Anthonys visit According to one version of the legend
Anthony requested two lions to dig a grave Another version says that before
his death Paul requested the robe of Pope Athanasius be brought to him for
burial then died while Anthony was away on the errand Either way two lions
dug the grave and St Anthony buried the hermit there designating him a
saint
St Pauls Monastery was built around the hermits cave by the 5th century It
suffered from Bedouin raids throughout its history the worst being in 1484
when all the monks were murdered the monastery was plundered and the
Bedouins occupied it for 80 years
Deir Mar Boulos was rebuilt under the patronage of Pope Gabriel VII of
Alexandria (1526-69) then attacked and destroyed again towards the end of
the century The monastery was deserted for 119 years then extensively
reconstructed and repopulated by monks from St Anthonys Monastery under
the patronage of Pope John XVI of Alexandria (1676-1718)
What to See
The monastery that bears St Pauls name is located where he was buried in
a valley south of the St Anthony monastery It has been little changed over
the years preserving its remarkably ancient heritage
The monastery has four churches the most important of which is the
underground Church of St Paul that contains the hermits cave and burial
place Its walls are painted with well-preserved frescoes and the ceiling is
hung with ostrich eggs symbols of the resurrection The larger Church of St
Michael has a gilded icon of John the Baptists severed head
St Pauls possesses many illustrated manuscripts including the Coptic
version of the Divine Liturgy and the Commentary on the Epistle of Saint Paul
to Titus by John Chrysostom
It is possible to hike from St Pauls to St Anthonys Monastery along a trail
across the plateau but this is a demanding trek and should be done with a
guide
St Antony Monastery ndash Red Sea
THE STORY OF MONASTICISM
Monasticism is considered Egyptrsquos greatest gift to the world It is a life of solitude prayer
contemplation charitable deeds and manual labour It is being one with God
where the monastic focuses all their life on being with God and doing His will
Monasticism is built on three basic principles poverty obedience and
chastity Monasticism was founded by the Egyptian Saint Antony who was
granted the title lsquofather of monasticismrsquo
Other important names in monasticism are Saint Macarius and Saint
Pachomius both from Egypt It was Saint Pachomius the Egyptian who began
to constitute monastic rules and innovated the concept of communal monastic
living an innovation that is based on monastic life today Benedictine
Monasticism in the West based its monastic rules on those of Saint
Pachomius Many visitors came from the West in the early years of
monasticism to learn from the simple Egyptian monks People such as Saint
John Chrysostom Saint Jerome Saint John Cassian and Palladius wrote
many books about the lives and sayings of the desert fathers of Egypt as they
experienced them
Monasticism is still thriving in Egypt today thanks to a revival led by His
Holiness Pope Shenouda III There are many inhabited ancient monasteries
and convents in Egypt as well as new monasteries being established abroad
in the Diaspora such as in Europe the USA and Australia
THE CAVE
We know from the lsquoLife of Antonyrsquo that our great hermit when he ventured into
this wilderness to seek greater seclusion discovered a natural cave in the
mountain and loved it and hence made it his home for the remaining 43 years
of his life
Today as in time past this cave within which St Antony dwelt is the life force
and heart beat of the Monastery and in which liturgy is celebrated daily and
thousands of pilgrims each year journey to for spiritual nourishment and
contemplation
From the plateau to the cave is a climb of approximately 1 hour and is today
made accessible by means of concrete steps and hand-railing for support As
one climbs the mountain to which St Antony withdrew one passes the Church
of St Paul the Simple which was constructed over the site of where this
disciple of St Antony once lived St Paul the Simple a 4th century desert
father known as lsquothe Simplersquo due to his meek and simple nature was St
Antonyrsquos faithful disciple Prior to his monastic life he had been married and
caught his wife in the act of adultery Hence he left her and took the decision
to consecrate the rest of his life to monastic living He went to St Antony ndash
who at this time was now 80 years old ndash and asked that he become a monk
St Antony at first refused him on account of his age (St Paul was 60) and
therefore compelled him several times to leave and return to his village
saying he could not survive the harsh ascetical life And yet St Paul was so
persistent that St Antony have him many demanding and arduous tasks all of
which he fulfilled with such humility obedience and simplicity that St Antony
accepted him into his monastic community and called him the Pride of the
Desert and he bore with honour the title lsquothe Simplersquo The solitary life gave St
Paul the Simple the gift of healing and casting out demons a power in which
he even surpassed his teacher St Antony The remains of his cave upon
which is built a church in his honour and is seen on the climb to St Antonyrsquos
cave bears witness to this faithful contemporary of our great hermit About
100 metres further up one reaches a terrace and then St Antonyrsquos blessed
cave
St Antonyrsquos cave is located about 2 km south-east of the Monastery 680
metres above the Red Sea and 276 metres above the Monastery It
comprises 3 parts the terrace the tunnel and the cave The narrow tunnel
connects the outer terrace ndash where one can imagine St Antony would sit and
weave his palm leave baskets ndash with the inner cave where he once dwelt and
is now converted into a small chapel
St Bishoy Monastery
The most eastern surviving Christian monastery in the Wadi el-Natrun of
Egypt is Dier Al Anba Bishoy (Pshoi Bishoi) which was founded by St
Bishoy (Pshoi)
The Monastery of Saint Bishoy is one of the original monasteries of Scetis Its
counterpart monastery is that of the Syrians which was built in the sixth
century by the followers of Severus or the Theodosian monks when concepts
concerning the nature of Christ forced a chrism between many monks in
Egypt
Like the Monastery of Saint Macarius the Monastery of the Romans and the
Monastery of Saint John the Little the Monastery of Saint Bishoy suffered five
sacks by the Berbers Al-Maqrizi who wrote during the fifteenth century
refers specifically to the fourth destruction of the monastery during the
patriarchate of Andronicus (616-2623) The patriarch Benjamin I (623-662) is
said to have rebuilt the monastery after that When the persecution by the
Berbers finally came to an end in the ninth century the bodies of both Saints
Bishoy and Paul of Tammua (Tamweh Tamwa) were returned to the
Monastery of Saint Bishoy
However the monastery was once again pillaged in 1096 which resulted in
its depopulation Then during the reign of patriarch Benjamin II (1327-1339)
considerable restoration of the monastery was undertaken because ants had
destroyed much of the woodwork and the buildings were near collapse
A number of visitors traveled to this monastery during late antiquity and into
more modern times Coppin went there in 1638 and Thevenot visited it in
1657 reporting it as the best of the four Wadi Natrun monasteries Then came
Wansleben in 1672 and Sicard in 1712 Granger made the journey in 1730
Sonnini in 1778 Andreossy in 1799 and Curzon in 1837 In 1839 Tattam is
said to have acquired numerous manuscripts from the monastery and in
1843 Wilkinson discovered thirteen monks in the monastery
However in 1875 when Junkers attempted to visit the monastery he was not
permitted to enter because a European before him had stolen several
manuscripts In 1881 Jullien reported that the monastery had the best water
of any in the Wadi and this was substantiated by Butler in 1883 From these
and other visitors we find that the monastery had twenty monks in 1638 four
in 1712 twelve in 1799 four in 1837 seven in 1875 fourteen in 1896 and
twenty in 1923
The monastery is nearly oblong in shape and surrounded by a defensive wall
The great wall was built in the ninth century and measures about ten meters
high and two meters wide It is one hundred and sixty-six meters on the east
and west and ninety-five meters on the north and south
Originally there were four entrances to the monastery one on each side of the
wall Today there are only two consisting of one on the north and one on the
south The main entrance is a gateway near the western end of the north wall
This gateway which possesses an inner gatehouse and a large carefully built
tower is the best preserved in the Wadi as well as the most complete and
elaborate of its kind of the four remaining monasteries
The southern half of the monastery is occupied by the church and cells of the
monks as well as by a modern patriarchal residence The greater part of the
gardens and the keep are in the northern half
The most interesting building in the monastery is the tower located at the
northwest corner of the monastery Defensive towers or keeps have been a
part of the architecture of Wadi El-Natruns monasteries since the fifth century
This was a time when the Berbers often attacked monasteries in the area
The keep at Saint Bishoy dates to the thirteenth century and is a few years
older than the keep of the Monastery of St Macarius One enters it at the
second floor level by a wooden drawbridge that rests on the roof of the
gatehouseOn the first floor are rooms where food was stored and prepared
One can see traces of an oven a mill for grains a press for grapes as well as
an olive press There is also a well some thirty meters deep
The second floor comprises the living quarters of the monks during the
periods of siege There is also a long corridor and east of this are rooms
which have cupolas supported by brick arches These have now been
transformed into a church dedicated to the Holy Virgin It has a transverse
nave and a triple sanctuary
On the north side of the roof of the tower is the Church of St Michaels one of
five in the monastery The icons on the iconostasis which date to the
eighteenth century have been restored They depict the twelve apostles in
pontifical vestments It is noteworthy that in no other monastery do we find the
Church of Saint Michael so isolated as in the Monastery of Saint Bishoy so it
is probable that at one time the keep had an additional floor like those of the
other monasteries in the Wadi
The other churches really form more of a complex of chapels with the central
and main church dedicated to Saint Bishoy It has been restored and
extended several times but it has been suggested that the most ancient parts
of the church do not predate the fifth attack which occurred between 830 and
848 on the monasteries of Wadi Natrun Indeed nothing remains of the
original church built prior to this and many principal elements of the structure
that we see today probably date from the restoration and remodeling
conducted by Benjamin II around 1330
It has a naos a three-aisled nave including a main center aisle and a western
return aisle a khurus (Choir) and it currently has a tripartite sanctuary (three
alters) The nave has a precious wooden pulpit while the wooden door
separating the two bays of the nave has decorative hexagonal panels with
arabesques and ivory inlays It probably dates to the fourteenth century The
khurus is rectangular in plan and placed transversely in relation to the nave In
the tripartite sanctuary the north one is dedicated to the Holy Virgin and is
separated from the choir by an arched portal It is a particularly long and
narrow room and its structure probably dates to the ninth century The middle
sanctuary is dedicated to Saint Bishoy and is connected with the khurus
through a high portal with ornate wooden panels dating to the Fatimed Period
However its square plan probably dates to the ninth century and its cupola
to the fourteenth The southern sanctuary is dedicated to John the Baptist
and also dates to the time of the renovations made during the fourteenth
century
The church or chapel more properly a parekklesion of St Iskhyrun (Abu
Iskhirun Iskhiron) was apparently added in the eleventh century though the
cupola is part of the renovations made by patriarch Benjamin II It is accessed
from the south side of the khurus of the Church of Saint Bishoy The plan is
almost square and opens on the east into a semi-circular apse which serves
as a sanctuary Here the relics of the holy martyr Saint Iskhyrun are kept
under the altar An icon from the seventeenth century placed on the
iconostasis separating the choir from the sanctuary depicts Iskhyrun on
horseback As is customary a wooden partition separates the nave from the
choir
The baptistery accessed by a narrow passage is located to the north of the
sanctuary of the Church of Saint Iskhyrun The diameter of the stone
baptismal font is ninety-five centimeters Only this monastery and that of al-
Baramus possess baptisteries in the Wadi This is because Coptic families
sometimes wish for their children to be baptized in holy and particularly
venerated places
Remains of wall paintings were recently discovered in the so-called Chapel of
Benjamin which probably date to the second half of the twelfth century The
restoration of the wall paintings in this section of the Monastery is not yet
complete
To the northeast of the main church and accessed from the khurus of that
church through a door set to the left of the tomb of Saint Bishoy is the Church
of the Holy Virgin which is actually dedicated to Benjamin I It features a nave
roofed with a barrel vault The sanctuary almost square in plan is separated
from the nave by a finely worked wooden iconostasis and surmounted by a
cupola This church is used during the winter months for the divine Liturgy
Built in the eleventh or the twelfth century the Church of Saint George is not
used now for services Its entrance is near the southeast corner of the main
church It has two sanctuaries and is roofed with six low cupolas The
monastery contains three refectories The ancient one is situated parallel to
the west end of the main church from which it is separated by a long narrow
vaulted corridor Its entrance is in the middle of the corridor opposite the west
entrance of the church It is a long chamber measuring twenty-seven meters
in length and four and a half meters in width divided into five domed bays by
four transverse arches The central space is roofed with a beautiful
quadripartite vault while the other four have cupolas in which some openings
admit light A masonry table takes up almost the entire length of the hall It is
strangely low only rising thirty-six centimeters Clearly the monks set cross-
legged on the floor Originally monks came here after Sunday liturgy to
celebrate the agape but today the refectory is used as a museum that
exhibits both sacred and secular artifacts
The two other refectories are older The smallest one lies southwest of the
main church At an unknown date it was transformed into the present chapel
of Mari Girgis It consists of a square room with a central pillar from which
spring four arches The third refectory which is now used fro storage lies in
the southeastern corner of the monastery
There is also a bakery and a millhouse in the northeastern corner of the
monastery The latter is the most complete example of its kind in the Wadi
Natrun
Also located on the grounds of the monastery is the Well of the Martyrs which
has been used ever since the time of Anba Bishoy It is said that the Berbers
washed the blood from their swords here after having killed the 49 Martyrs
Monks at the monastery also say that the Martyrs were thrown in the well prior
to being interned at the nearby St Marcarius Monastery It is twelve meters
deep and continues to produce fresh water which is regarded as miraculous
Following his enthronement in November of 1971 His Holiness Pope
Shenouda III selected this monastery as his pontifical residence where he
generally spends two or three days a week For this reason it is therefore the
destination of thousands of Copts who visit Wadi Naturn At one point he was
exiled to this monastery for forty months and during this time he ordained as
many as one hundred young men as monks
In recent years four hundred acres of desert land were acquired for the
monastery much of which has been cultivated Three reservoirs for drinking
water a new library a three-story guest house three large units for monastic
cells as well as lecture and conference buildings have been constructed at
the rear of the old monastery This is also the location of the pontifical
residence and the new Church of Saint Shenuda Here the number of monks
has increased to over 160 though many of these monks now serve in the
restored Upper Egyptian monasteries as well as in Coptic churches overseas
St Mary Monastery - El Sorian
Different sources indicate that the monastery was built around the fifth century There are many proofs the most important of which are The old fortress to the right of entrance of the monastery (even though it was repaired) It is well known that King Xenon (474-491 AD) was the one that built these fortresses as a token to his daughter Saint Hillary who entered monastic life in the wilderness of Shiheet and became well known everywhere There is a source in the library of London of the writings of Saint Yacoub El Serougi that is dated back to 603 AD from El Sorian Monastery Putler mentioned that the partitions of the church of St Mary-El Sorian go back to before 700 AD which resembles those in the Church of St Pishoy and the Church of St Mary-El Baramous These churches are considered the oldest in the wilderness until now Brumster mentioned in his book ldquoGuidance to the Monasteries of the Natroun Valleyrdquo that it was one of the monasteries known by the Theotokos These monasteries appeared in the fifth century after the counsel of Ephesus in 431 AD that discredited the Nestorian heresy Afterwards monasteries were built bearing the name of the Theotokos ldquoMother of Godrdquo and so it was called St Mary-El Sorian Monastery beside St Pishoy Monastery in the eastern wilderness Evelyn White mentioned that the monastery became independently run from the eighth century
Why it is Called El Sorian [The Syrian] Since the fourth century people have come from all over to the wilderness of Shiheet to visit and get blessings of the ascetic monks that reached high spiritual levels of asceticism and worship Examples of those are St Arsanius and St Maximus and Dometius who are still placed in St Mary-El Baramos Monastery There are also remnants of the old monasteries about three kilometers southeast of the monastery including the monastery of St John
Kame Abanoub the Ethiopians the Armenians and St John the Short And because people from all over came to worship the Coptic monks welcomed some Syrian monks for a period of time which is why it became famous of the Syrian [El Sorian] Monastery and also to differentiate it from St Mary-El Baramous Monastery St Mary Monastery is not St John Kame Monastery As mentioned above El Sorian Monastery was from the fifth century while the Monastery of St John Kame is from the ninth century and its ruins still exist Prince Omar Tosson built a pillar for each monastery and wrote its name on it Also the scholar Mohaub visited this monastery in 1088 AD When St John Kame Monastery was destroyed because of white ants between 1413 and 1430 AD his monks went to El Sorian Monastery and carried with them the body of St John Kame and their belongings including a marble stone that is still in El Sorian Church and engraved on it in Coptic the dates of the departure of St John Kame and his disciple St Stefanos
El Sorian Monastery in the Twentieth CenturyThe monastery became quite famous among other monasteries especially in the second half of the twentieth century when it was the leader and the initiator of monastic revival under the encouragement of Bishop Theophilus since he became the abbot of the monastery in 1948 most important of which
Monasticism A group of educated individuals entered monastic life and started working whole-heartedly to revive the monastery that group included those who reconstructed St Macarius Monastery St Paul St Mina and St George [El-Rozaykat] in addition to St Pishoy Monastery the head of which is HH Pope Shenouda III All of these monks were part of El Sorian Monastery and they had a great impact on
the revival of the church The majority of the Holy Synod that represents the leadership of the church areeducated monks that were prior to monastic life servants in their old churches and had a great impact on the priesthood from the spiritual social and intellectual standpoint During that
period a great number of monks were ordained compared to the previous period in which the number usually wouldnrsquot exceed more than twenty or forty the number of monks being ordained now is double or triple that number
Reconstruction In the early fifties when Bishop Theophillus presided over the monastery he demolished the cells that were next to
the Southern wall and built a building for the monks that were four stories high with a beautiful faccedilade It was the first modern building in the monastery and other monasteries adopted the same idea In 1988 another three-story building was constructed on top of which a water tower was built Through the encouragement of HH Pope Shenouda III in 1993 another three-story building was constructed next to that There
were two old bell towers around a guesthouse that was at the east side of St Maryrsquos church one of them is still standing and the other one was demolished Bishop Theophilus built instead of it a high tower at the north of the cells of the monks that the visitors of the monastery can see from far away In 1968 the other tower was built and was even higher than the first one HH Pope Shenouda III [who was Bishop of Education at that time] supervised personally on the construction
The Water Tower In 1955 a big water tower was built under which two water closets were built Father Moussa [the late Bishop Andrawous bishop of Damietta] who was a brilliant engineer from Alexandria was the one that designed and supervised the construction of the water tower That was the first concrete water tower built in the wilderness of
Natroun Prior to that there were only towers that were built out of aluminum and their height did not exceed two meters there were no water fountains in the monastery and only an old primitive water closet In 1988 another water tower was built over the cells of the monks with an electricity-operated water pump
The Guest House To the east of El Sorian Church was a beautiful palace which contained a large hall and many guest rooms that was built by Father Maximus in the year 1914 And in 1974 a guest housebuilding was built in its place that was five stories high and a library of the monastery was transferred to the third floor In addition a small rest house was built in the eighties to the west of El Sorian church on top of an old well and next to it was a big
traditional water pump [sakia] for the monasteryrsquos garden which was transformed after that into a library In 1987 and with the encouragement of HH Pope Shenouda III a two-story building for visitors was built to the west of the monastery
Books of the Monastery In 1951 Bishop Theophilus bought a print-shop for the monastery which was the first of its kind in the Egyptian monasteries and the monks of the monastery ran it and produced important books such as Life of the Orthodox Prayer The Book of the Seven Prayers of Famous Church Saints The Life of Saint John Kame The History of El Sorian Monastery Series of the History of the Patriarchs [four parts] The Three Holy Macari St Basil
the Great His Life Asceticism and Laws and many small booklets that were distributed free of charge like The Life of Mar Ephraim the Syrian Psalm The Lord Has Reigned Saint John Chrysostom Saint Augustine Saint George St Mark St Anna Simon Logios the Stonecutter and
Famous Sayings of Saints about Nativity Epiphany and Resurrection For ten years these sayings are still being read in the mornings of these feasts when the monks get together and read one of them And these books that were produced by El Sorian Monastery had a great impact on the spiritual life of a lot of people and even encouraged some of them to seek the monastic life
Retreat House In 1959 the retreat house was built outside the monastery and was the first one to be built in the monasteries Father Antonious El Soriani [HH Pope Shenouda III] was the guiding father of it and it was receiving large numbers of youth The monastery was enlightening the Christian youth because the quiet atmosphere was a chance for them to grow in prayers fastings spiritual readings meditation and attending
midnight praises and enjoying the desert Especially at sunset when nature coupled with the spiritual guidance of the monks a lot of the youth were led to think seriously about their spiritual lives and yearned to repeat the experience and some of them sought the monastic life And so a lot of the current monks used to spend a lot of time in this house which continued to be a living message of the church for all generations to come
- Coptic Museum Cairo
- History
- What to See
- Hanging Church Cairo
- History
- What to See
- St Georges Church Cairo
- History
- What to See
- Festivals and Events
- History
- What to See
- Mount Sinai
- In the Bible
- Authenticity
- What to See
- St Catherines Monastery Sinai
- In the Bible
- Authenticity
- History
- What to See
- St Pauls Monastery
- History
- What to See
- St Antony Monastery ndash Red Sea
- St Bishoy Monastery
- St Mary Monastery - El Sorian
St Pauls Monastery
St Pauls Monastery (Deir Mar Boulos) in the Eastern Desert of Egypt is an
ancient monastery dedicated to the hermit St Paul of Thebes who moved to
this spot in the wilderness around 250 AD Originally built in the 5th century
the monastery now has three churches and contains many important
manuscripts
History
The life of St Paul of Thebes was recorded early but has always been
intertwined with fabulous legends Born into a wealthy family Paul abandoned
civilization and fled the Decian persecution around 250 AD when he was only
16 years old to become a hermit in the Eastern Desert
Living a life of extreme austerity from until his death at the ripe old age of 113
the hermit is said to have been fed a half-loaf of bread each day by a raven
In the most famous episode of his life Paul was visited by the desert monk St
Anthony around 345 AD Nearing the end of his own life of austerity Anthony
had become tempted by vanity in thinking he was the first of the Desert
Fathers So God led him to meet one who had preceded him
Paul died during Anthonys visit According to one version of the legend
Anthony requested two lions to dig a grave Another version says that before
his death Paul requested the robe of Pope Athanasius be brought to him for
burial then died while Anthony was away on the errand Either way two lions
dug the grave and St Anthony buried the hermit there designating him a
saint
St Pauls Monastery was built around the hermits cave by the 5th century It
suffered from Bedouin raids throughout its history the worst being in 1484
when all the monks were murdered the monastery was plundered and the
Bedouins occupied it for 80 years
Deir Mar Boulos was rebuilt under the patronage of Pope Gabriel VII of
Alexandria (1526-69) then attacked and destroyed again towards the end of
the century The monastery was deserted for 119 years then extensively
reconstructed and repopulated by monks from St Anthonys Monastery under
the patronage of Pope John XVI of Alexandria (1676-1718)
What to See
The monastery that bears St Pauls name is located where he was buried in
a valley south of the St Anthony monastery It has been little changed over
the years preserving its remarkably ancient heritage
The monastery has four churches the most important of which is the
underground Church of St Paul that contains the hermits cave and burial
place Its walls are painted with well-preserved frescoes and the ceiling is
hung with ostrich eggs symbols of the resurrection The larger Church of St
Michael has a gilded icon of John the Baptists severed head
St Pauls possesses many illustrated manuscripts including the Coptic
version of the Divine Liturgy and the Commentary on the Epistle of Saint Paul
to Titus by John Chrysostom
It is possible to hike from St Pauls to St Anthonys Monastery along a trail
across the plateau but this is a demanding trek and should be done with a
guide
St Antony Monastery ndash Red Sea
THE STORY OF MONASTICISM
Monasticism is considered Egyptrsquos greatest gift to the world It is a life of solitude prayer
contemplation charitable deeds and manual labour It is being one with God
where the monastic focuses all their life on being with God and doing His will
Monasticism is built on three basic principles poverty obedience and
chastity Monasticism was founded by the Egyptian Saint Antony who was
granted the title lsquofather of monasticismrsquo
Other important names in monasticism are Saint Macarius and Saint
Pachomius both from Egypt It was Saint Pachomius the Egyptian who began
to constitute monastic rules and innovated the concept of communal monastic
living an innovation that is based on monastic life today Benedictine
Monasticism in the West based its monastic rules on those of Saint
Pachomius Many visitors came from the West in the early years of
monasticism to learn from the simple Egyptian monks People such as Saint
John Chrysostom Saint Jerome Saint John Cassian and Palladius wrote
many books about the lives and sayings of the desert fathers of Egypt as they
experienced them
Monasticism is still thriving in Egypt today thanks to a revival led by His
Holiness Pope Shenouda III There are many inhabited ancient monasteries
and convents in Egypt as well as new monasteries being established abroad
in the Diaspora such as in Europe the USA and Australia
THE CAVE
We know from the lsquoLife of Antonyrsquo that our great hermit when he ventured into
this wilderness to seek greater seclusion discovered a natural cave in the
mountain and loved it and hence made it his home for the remaining 43 years
of his life
Today as in time past this cave within which St Antony dwelt is the life force
and heart beat of the Monastery and in which liturgy is celebrated daily and
thousands of pilgrims each year journey to for spiritual nourishment and
contemplation
From the plateau to the cave is a climb of approximately 1 hour and is today
made accessible by means of concrete steps and hand-railing for support As
one climbs the mountain to which St Antony withdrew one passes the Church
of St Paul the Simple which was constructed over the site of where this
disciple of St Antony once lived St Paul the Simple a 4th century desert
father known as lsquothe Simplersquo due to his meek and simple nature was St
Antonyrsquos faithful disciple Prior to his monastic life he had been married and
caught his wife in the act of adultery Hence he left her and took the decision
to consecrate the rest of his life to monastic living He went to St Antony ndash
who at this time was now 80 years old ndash and asked that he become a monk
St Antony at first refused him on account of his age (St Paul was 60) and
therefore compelled him several times to leave and return to his village
saying he could not survive the harsh ascetical life And yet St Paul was so
persistent that St Antony have him many demanding and arduous tasks all of
which he fulfilled with such humility obedience and simplicity that St Antony
accepted him into his monastic community and called him the Pride of the
Desert and he bore with honour the title lsquothe Simplersquo The solitary life gave St
Paul the Simple the gift of healing and casting out demons a power in which
he even surpassed his teacher St Antony The remains of his cave upon
which is built a church in his honour and is seen on the climb to St Antonyrsquos
cave bears witness to this faithful contemporary of our great hermit About
100 metres further up one reaches a terrace and then St Antonyrsquos blessed
cave
St Antonyrsquos cave is located about 2 km south-east of the Monastery 680
metres above the Red Sea and 276 metres above the Monastery It
comprises 3 parts the terrace the tunnel and the cave The narrow tunnel
connects the outer terrace ndash where one can imagine St Antony would sit and
weave his palm leave baskets ndash with the inner cave where he once dwelt and
is now converted into a small chapel
St Bishoy Monastery
The most eastern surviving Christian monastery in the Wadi el-Natrun of
Egypt is Dier Al Anba Bishoy (Pshoi Bishoi) which was founded by St
Bishoy (Pshoi)
The Monastery of Saint Bishoy is one of the original monasteries of Scetis Its
counterpart monastery is that of the Syrians which was built in the sixth
century by the followers of Severus or the Theodosian monks when concepts
concerning the nature of Christ forced a chrism between many monks in
Egypt
Like the Monastery of Saint Macarius the Monastery of the Romans and the
Monastery of Saint John the Little the Monastery of Saint Bishoy suffered five
sacks by the Berbers Al-Maqrizi who wrote during the fifteenth century
refers specifically to the fourth destruction of the monastery during the
patriarchate of Andronicus (616-2623) The patriarch Benjamin I (623-662) is
said to have rebuilt the monastery after that When the persecution by the
Berbers finally came to an end in the ninth century the bodies of both Saints
Bishoy and Paul of Tammua (Tamweh Tamwa) were returned to the
Monastery of Saint Bishoy
However the monastery was once again pillaged in 1096 which resulted in
its depopulation Then during the reign of patriarch Benjamin II (1327-1339)
considerable restoration of the monastery was undertaken because ants had
destroyed much of the woodwork and the buildings were near collapse
A number of visitors traveled to this monastery during late antiquity and into
more modern times Coppin went there in 1638 and Thevenot visited it in
1657 reporting it as the best of the four Wadi Natrun monasteries Then came
Wansleben in 1672 and Sicard in 1712 Granger made the journey in 1730
Sonnini in 1778 Andreossy in 1799 and Curzon in 1837 In 1839 Tattam is
said to have acquired numerous manuscripts from the monastery and in
1843 Wilkinson discovered thirteen monks in the monastery
However in 1875 when Junkers attempted to visit the monastery he was not
permitted to enter because a European before him had stolen several
manuscripts In 1881 Jullien reported that the monastery had the best water
of any in the Wadi and this was substantiated by Butler in 1883 From these
and other visitors we find that the monastery had twenty monks in 1638 four
in 1712 twelve in 1799 four in 1837 seven in 1875 fourteen in 1896 and
twenty in 1923
The monastery is nearly oblong in shape and surrounded by a defensive wall
The great wall was built in the ninth century and measures about ten meters
high and two meters wide It is one hundred and sixty-six meters on the east
and west and ninety-five meters on the north and south
Originally there were four entrances to the monastery one on each side of the
wall Today there are only two consisting of one on the north and one on the
south The main entrance is a gateway near the western end of the north wall
This gateway which possesses an inner gatehouse and a large carefully built
tower is the best preserved in the Wadi as well as the most complete and
elaborate of its kind of the four remaining monasteries
The southern half of the monastery is occupied by the church and cells of the
monks as well as by a modern patriarchal residence The greater part of the
gardens and the keep are in the northern half
The most interesting building in the monastery is the tower located at the
northwest corner of the monastery Defensive towers or keeps have been a
part of the architecture of Wadi El-Natruns monasteries since the fifth century
This was a time when the Berbers often attacked monasteries in the area
The keep at Saint Bishoy dates to the thirteenth century and is a few years
older than the keep of the Monastery of St Macarius One enters it at the
second floor level by a wooden drawbridge that rests on the roof of the
gatehouseOn the first floor are rooms where food was stored and prepared
One can see traces of an oven a mill for grains a press for grapes as well as
an olive press There is also a well some thirty meters deep
The second floor comprises the living quarters of the monks during the
periods of siege There is also a long corridor and east of this are rooms
which have cupolas supported by brick arches These have now been
transformed into a church dedicated to the Holy Virgin It has a transverse
nave and a triple sanctuary
On the north side of the roof of the tower is the Church of St Michaels one of
five in the monastery The icons on the iconostasis which date to the
eighteenth century have been restored They depict the twelve apostles in
pontifical vestments It is noteworthy that in no other monastery do we find the
Church of Saint Michael so isolated as in the Monastery of Saint Bishoy so it
is probable that at one time the keep had an additional floor like those of the
other monasteries in the Wadi
The other churches really form more of a complex of chapels with the central
and main church dedicated to Saint Bishoy It has been restored and
extended several times but it has been suggested that the most ancient parts
of the church do not predate the fifth attack which occurred between 830 and
848 on the monasteries of Wadi Natrun Indeed nothing remains of the
original church built prior to this and many principal elements of the structure
that we see today probably date from the restoration and remodeling
conducted by Benjamin II around 1330
It has a naos a three-aisled nave including a main center aisle and a western
return aisle a khurus (Choir) and it currently has a tripartite sanctuary (three
alters) The nave has a precious wooden pulpit while the wooden door
separating the two bays of the nave has decorative hexagonal panels with
arabesques and ivory inlays It probably dates to the fourteenth century The
khurus is rectangular in plan and placed transversely in relation to the nave In
the tripartite sanctuary the north one is dedicated to the Holy Virgin and is
separated from the choir by an arched portal It is a particularly long and
narrow room and its structure probably dates to the ninth century The middle
sanctuary is dedicated to Saint Bishoy and is connected with the khurus
through a high portal with ornate wooden panels dating to the Fatimed Period
However its square plan probably dates to the ninth century and its cupola
to the fourteenth The southern sanctuary is dedicated to John the Baptist
and also dates to the time of the renovations made during the fourteenth
century
The church or chapel more properly a parekklesion of St Iskhyrun (Abu
Iskhirun Iskhiron) was apparently added in the eleventh century though the
cupola is part of the renovations made by patriarch Benjamin II It is accessed
from the south side of the khurus of the Church of Saint Bishoy The plan is
almost square and opens on the east into a semi-circular apse which serves
as a sanctuary Here the relics of the holy martyr Saint Iskhyrun are kept
under the altar An icon from the seventeenth century placed on the
iconostasis separating the choir from the sanctuary depicts Iskhyrun on
horseback As is customary a wooden partition separates the nave from the
choir
The baptistery accessed by a narrow passage is located to the north of the
sanctuary of the Church of Saint Iskhyrun The diameter of the stone
baptismal font is ninety-five centimeters Only this monastery and that of al-
Baramus possess baptisteries in the Wadi This is because Coptic families
sometimes wish for their children to be baptized in holy and particularly
venerated places
Remains of wall paintings were recently discovered in the so-called Chapel of
Benjamin which probably date to the second half of the twelfth century The
restoration of the wall paintings in this section of the Monastery is not yet
complete
To the northeast of the main church and accessed from the khurus of that
church through a door set to the left of the tomb of Saint Bishoy is the Church
of the Holy Virgin which is actually dedicated to Benjamin I It features a nave
roofed with a barrel vault The sanctuary almost square in plan is separated
from the nave by a finely worked wooden iconostasis and surmounted by a
cupola This church is used during the winter months for the divine Liturgy
Built in the eleventh or the twelfth century the Church of Saint George is not
used now for services Its entrance is near the southeast corner of the main
church It has two sanctuaries and is roofed with six low cupolas The
monastery contains three refectories The ancient one is situated parallel to
the west end of the main church from which it is separated by a long narrow
vaulted corridor Its entrance is in the middle of the corridor opposite the west
entrance of the church It is a long chamber measuring twenty-seven meters
in length and four and a half meters in width divided into five domed bays by
four transverse arches The central space is roofed with a beautiful
quadripartite vault while the other four have cupolas in which some openings
admit light A masonry table takes up almost the entire length of the hall It is
strangely low only rising thirty-six centimeters Clearly the monks set cross-
legged on the floor Originally monks came here after Sunday liturgy to
celebrate the agape but today the refectory is used as a museum that
exhibits both sacred and secular artifacts
The two other refectories are older The smallest one lies southwest of the
main church At an unknown date it was transformed into the present chapel
of Mari Girgis It consists of a square room with a central pillar from which
spring four arches The third refectory which is now used fro storage lies in
the southeastern corner of the monastery
There is also a bakery and a millhouse in the northeastern corner of the
monastery The latter is the most complete example of its kind in the Wadi
Natrun
Also located on the grounds of the monastery is the Well of the Martyrs which
has been used ever since the time of Anba Bishoy It is said that the Berbers
washed the blood from their swords here after having killed the 49 Martyrs
Monks at the monastery also say that the Martyrs were thrown in the well prior
to being interned at the nearby St Marcarius Monastery It is twelve meters
deep and continues to produce fresh water which is regarded as miraculous
Following his enthronement in November of 1971 His Holiness Pope
Shenouda III selected this monastery as his pontifical residence where he
generally spends two or three days a week For this reason it is therefore the
destination of thousands of Copts who visit Wadi Naturn At one point he was
exiled to this monastery for forty months and during this time he ordained as
many as one hundred young men as monks
In recent years four hundred acres of desert land were acquired for the
monastery much of which has been cultivated Three reservoirs for drinking
water a new library a three-story guest house three large units for monastic
cells as well as lecture and conference buildings have been constructed at
the rear of the old monastery This is also the location of the pontifical
residence and the new Church of Saint Shenuda Here the number of monks
has increased to over 160 though many of these monks now serve in the
restored Upper Egyptian monasteries as well as in Coptic churches overseas
St Mary Monastery - El Sorian
Different sources indicate that the monastery was built around the fifth century There are many proofs the most important of which are The old fortress to the right of entrance of the monastery (even though it was repaired) It is well known that King Xenon (474-491 AD) was the one that built these fortresses as a token to his daughter Saint Hillary who entered monastic life in the wilderness of Shiheet and became well known everywhere There is a source in the library of London of the writings of Saint Yacoub El Serougi that is dated back to 603 AD from El Sorian Monastery Putler mentioned that the partitions of the church of St Mary-El Sorian go back to before 700 AD which resembles those in the Church of St Pishoy and the Church of St Mary-El Baramous These churches are considered the oldest in the wilderness until now Brumster mentioned in his book ldquoGuidance to the Monasteries of the Natroun Valleyrdquo that it was one of the monasteries known by the Theotokos These monasteries appeared in the fifth century after the counsel of Ephesus in 431 AD that discredited the Nestorian heresy Afterwards monasteries were built bearing the name of the Theotokos ldquoMother of Godrdquo and so it was called St Mary-El Sorian Monastery beside St Pishoy Monastery in the eastern wilderness Evelyn White mentioned that the monastery became independently run from the eighth century
Why it is Called El Sorian [The Syrian] Since the fourth century people have come from all over to the wilderness of Shiheet to visit and get blessings of the ascetic monks that reached high spiritual levels of asceticism and worship Examples of those are St Arsanius and St Maximus and Dometius who are still placed in St Mary-El Baramos Monastery There are also remnants of the old monasteries about three kilometers southeast of the monastery including the monastery of St John
Kame Abanoub the Ethiopians the Armenians and St John the Short And because people from all over came to worship the Coptic monks welcomed some Syrian monks for a period of time which is why it became famous of the Syrian [El Sorian] Monastery and also to differentiate it from St Mary-El Baramous Monastery St Mary Monastery is not St John Kame Monastery As mentioned above El Sorian Monastery was from the fifth century while the Monastery of St John Kame is from the ninth century and its ruins still exist Prince Omar Tosson built a pillar for each monastery and wrote its name on it Also the scholar Mohaub visited this monastery in 1088 AD When St John Kame Monastery was destroyed because of white ants between 1413 and 1430 AD his monks went to El Sorian Monastery and carried with them the body of St John Kame and their belongings including a marble stone that is still in El Sorian Church and engraved on it in Coptic the dates of the departure of St John Kame and his disciple St Stefanos
El Sorian Monastery in the Twentieth CenturyThe monastery became quite famous among other monasteries especially in the second half of the twentieth century when it was the leader and the initiator of monastic revival under the encouragement of Bishop Theophilus since he became the abbot of the monastery in 1948 most important of which
Monasticism A group of educated individuals entered monastic life and started working whole-heartedly to revive the monastery that group included those who reconstructed St Macarius Monastery St Paul St Mina and St George [El-Rozaykat] in addition to St Pishoy Monastery the head of which is HH Pope Shenouda III All of these monks were part of El Sorian Monastery and they had a great impact on
the revival of the church The majority of the Holy Synod that represents the leadership of the church areeducated monks that were prior to monastic life servants in their old churches and had a great impact on the priesthood from the spiritual social and intellectual standpoint During that
period a great number of monks were ordained compared to the previous period in which the number usually wouldnrsquot exceed more than twenty or forty the number of monks being ordained now is double or triple that number
Reconstruction In the early fifties when Bishop Theophillus presided over the monastery he demolished the cells that were next to
the Southern wall and built a building for the monks that were four stories high with a beautiful faccedilade It was the first modern building in the monastery and other monasteries adopted the same idea In 1988 another three-story building was constructed on top of which a water tower was built Through the encouragement of HH Pope Shenouda III in 1993 another three-story building was constructed next to that There
were two old bell towers around a guesthouse that was at the east side of St Maryrsquos church one of them is still standing and the other one was demolished Bishop Theophilus built instead of it a high tower at the north of the cells of the monks that the visitors of the monastery can see from far away In 1968 the other tower was built and was even higher than the first one HH Pope Shenouda III [who was Bishop of Education at that time] supervised personally on the construction
The Water Tower In 1955 a big water tower was built under which two water closets were built Father Moussa [the late Bishop Andrawous bishop of Damietta] who was a brilliant engineer from Alexandria was the one that designed and supervised the construction of the water tower That was the first concrete water tower built in the wilderness of
Natroun Prior to that there were only towers that were built out of aluminum and their height did not exceed two meters there were no water fountains in the monastery and only an old primitive water closet In 1988 another water tower was built over the cells of the monks with an electricity-operated water pump
The Guest House To the east of El Sorian Church was a beautiful palace which contained a large hall and many guest rooms that was built by Father Maximus in the year 1914 And in 1974 a guest housebuilding was built in its place that was five stories high and a library of the monastery was transferred to the third floor In addition a small rest house was built in the eighties to the west of El Sorian church on top of an old well and next to it was a big
traditional water pump [sakia] for the monasteryrsquos garden which was transformed after that into a library In 1987 and with the encouragement of HH Pope Shenouda III a two-story building for visitors was built to the west of the monastery
Books of the Monastery In 1951 Bishop Theophilus bought a print-shop for the monastery which was the first of its kind in the Egyptian monasteries and the monks of the monastery ran it and produced important books such as Life of the Orthodox Prayer The Book of the Seven Prayers of Famous Church Saints The Life of Saint John Kame The History of El Sorian Monastery Series of the History of the Patriarchs [four parts] The Three Holy Macari St Basil
the Great His Life Asceticism and Laws and many small booklets that were distributed free of charge like The Life of Mar Ephraim the Syrian Psalm The Lord Has Reigned Saint John Chrysostom Saint Augustine Saint George St Mark St Anna Simon Logios the Stonecutter and
Famous Sayings of Saints about Nativity Epiphany and Resurrection For ten years these sayings are still being read in the mornings of these feasts when the monks get together and read one of them And these books that were produced by El Sorian Monastery had a great impact on the spiritual life of a lot of people and even encouraged some of them to seek the monastic life
Retreat House In 1959 the retreat house was built outside the monastery and was the first one to be built in the monasteries Father Antonious El Soriani [HH Pope Shenouda III] was the guiding father of it and it was receiving large numbers of youth The monastery was enlightening the Christian youth because the quiet atmosphere was a chance for them to grow in prayers fastings spiritual readings meditation and attending
midnight praises and enjoying the desert Especially at sunset when nature coupled with the spiritual guidance of the monks a lot of the youth were led to think seriously about their spiritual lives and yearned to repeat the experience and some of them sought the monastic life And so a lot of the current monks used to spend a lot of time in this house which continued to be a living message of the church for all generations to come
- Coptic Museum Cairo
- History
- What to See
- Hanging Church Cairo
- History
- What to See
- St Georges Church Cairo
- History
- What to See
- Festivals and Events
- History
- What to See
- Mount Sinai
- In the Bible
- Authenticity
- What to See
- St Catherines Monastery Sinai
- In the Bible
- Authenticity
- History
- What to See
- St Pauls Monastery
- History
- What to See
- St Antony Monastery ndash Red Sea
- St Bishoy Monastery
- St Mary Monastery - El Sorian
Paul died during Anthonys visit According to one version of the legend
Anthony requested two lions to dig a grave Another version says that before
his death Paul requested the robe of Pope Athanasius be brought to him for
burial then died while Anthony was away on the errand Either way two lions
dug the grave and St Anthony buried the hermit there designating him a
saint
St Pauls Monastery was built around the hermits cave by the 5th century It
suffered from Bedouin raids throughout its history the worst being in 1484
when all the monks were murdered the monastery was plundered and the
Bedouins occupied it for 80 years
Deir Mar Boulos was rebuilt under the patronage of Pope Gabriel VII of
Alexandria (1526-69) then attacked and destroyed again towards the end of
the century The monastery was deserted for 119 years then extensively
reconstructed and repopulated by monks from St Anthonys Monastery under
the patronage of Pope John XVI of Alexandria (1676-1718)
What to See
The monastery that bears St Pauls name is located where he was buried in
a valley south of the St Anthony monastery It has been little changed over
the years preserving its remarkably ancient heritage
The monastery has four churches the most important of which is the
underground Church of St Paul that contains the hermits cave and burial
place Its walls are painted with well-preserved frescoes and the ceiling is
hung with ostrich eggs symbols of the resurrection The larger Church of St
Michael has a gilded icon of John the Baptists severed head
St Pauls possesses many illustrated manuscripts including the Coptic
version of the Divine Liturgy and the Commentary on the Epistle of Saint Paul
to Titus by John Chrysostom
It is possible to hike from St Pauls to St Anthonys Monastery along a trail
across the plateau but this is a demanding trek and should be done with a
guide
St Antony Monastery ndash Red Sea
THE STORY OF MONASTICISM
Monasticism is considered Egyptrsquos greatest gift to the world It is a life of solitude prayer
contemplation charitable deeds and manual labour It is being one with God
where the monastic focuses all their life on being with God and doing His will
Monasticism is built on three basic principles poverty obedience and
chastity Monasticism was founded by the Egyptian Saint Antony who was
granted the title lsquofather of monasticismrsquo
Other important names in monasticism are Saint Macarius and Saint
Pachomius both from Egypt It was Saint Pachomius the Egyptian who began
to constitute monastic rules and innovated the concept of communal monastic
living an innovation that is based on monastic life today Benedictine
Monasticism in the West based its monastic rules on those of Saint
Pachomius Many visitors came from the West in the early years of
monasticism to learn from the simple Egyptian monks People such as Saint
John Chrysostom Saint Jerome Saint John Cassian and Palladius wrote
many books about the lives and sayings of the desert fathers of Egypt as they
experienced them
Monasticism is still thriving in Egypt today thanks to a revival led by His
Holiness Pope Shenouda III There are many inhabited ancient monasteries
and convents in Egypt as well as new monasteries being established abroad
in the Diaspora such as in Europe the USA and Australia
THE CAVE
We know from the lsquoLife of Antonyrsquo that our great hermit when he ventured into
this wilderness to seek greater seclusion discovered a natural cave in the
mountain and loved it and hence made it his home for the remaining 43 years
of his life
Today as in time past this cave within which St Antony dwelt is the life force
and heart beat of the Monastery and in which liturgy is celebrated daily and
thousands of pilgrims each year journey to for spiritual nourishment and
contemplation
From the plateau to the cave is a climb of approximately 1 hour and is today
made accessible by means of concrete steps and hand-railing for support As
one climbs the mountain to which St Antony withdrew one passes the Church
of St Paul the Simple which was constructed over the site of where this
disciple of St Antony once lived St Paul the Simple a 4th century desert
father known as lsquothe Simplersquo due to his meek and simple nature was St
Antonyrsquos faithful disciple Prior to his monastic life he had been married and
caught his wife in the act of adultery Hence he left her and took the decision
to consecrate the rest of his life to monastic living He went to St Antony ndash
who at this time was now 80 years old ndash and asked that he become a monk
St Antony at first refused him on account of his age (St Paul was 60) and
therefore compelled him several times to leave and return to his village
saying he could not survive the harsh ascetical life And yet St Paul was so
persistent that St Antony have him many demanding and arduous tasks all of
which he fulfilled with such humility obedience and simplicity that St Antony
accepted him into his monastic community and called him the Pride of the
Desert and he bore with honour the title lsquothe Simplersquo The solitary life gave St
Paul the Simple the gift of healing and casting out demons a power in which
he even surpassed his teacher St Antony The remains of his cave upon
which is built a church in his honour and is seen on the climb to St Antonyrsquos
cave bears witness to this faithful contemporary of our great hermit About
100 metres further up one reaches a terrace and then St Antonyrsquos blessed
cave
St Antonyrsquos cave is located about 2 km south-east of the Monastery 680
metres above the Red Sea and 276 metres above the Monastery It
comprises 3 parts the terrace the tunnel and the cave The narrow tunnel
connects the outer terrace ndash where one can imagine St Antony would sit and
weave his palm leave baskets ndash with the inner cave where he once dwelt and
is now converted into a small chapel
St Bishoy Monastery
The most eastern surviving Christian monastery in the Wadi el-Natrun of
Egypt is Dier Al Anba Bishoy (Pshoi Bishoi) which was founded by St
Bishoy (Pshoi)
The Monastery of Saint Bishoy is one of the original monasteries of Scetis Its
counterpart monastery is that of the Syrians which was built in the sixth
century by the followers of Severus or the Theodosian monks when concepts
concerning the nature of Christ forced a chrism between many monks in
Egypt
Like the Monastery of Saint Macarius the Monastery of the Romans and the
Monastery of Saint John the Little the Monastery of Saint Bishoy suffered five
sacks by the Berbers Al-Maqrizi who wrote during the fifteenth century
refers specifically to the fourth destruction of the monastery during the
patriarchate of Andronicus (616-2623) The patriarch Benjamin I (623-662) is
said to have rebuilt the monastery after that When the persecution by the
Berbers finally came to an end in the ninth century the bodies of both Saints
Bishoy and Paul of Tammua (Tamweh Tamwa) were returned to the
Monastery of Saint Bishoy
However the monastery was once again pillaged in 1096 which resulted in
its depopulation Then during the reign of patriarch Benjamin II (1327-1339)
considerable restoration of the monastery was undertaken because ants had
destroyed much of the woodwork and the buildings were near collapse
A number of visitors traveled to this monastery during late antiquity and into
more modern times Coppin went there in 1638 and Thevenot visited it in
1657 reporting it as the best of the four Wadi Natrun monasteries Then came
Wansleben in 1672 and Sicard in 1712 Granger made the journey in 1730
Sonnini in 1778 Andreossy in 1799 and Curzon in 1837 In 1839 Tattam is
said to have acquired numerous manuscripts from the monastery and in
1843 Wilkinson discovered thirteen monks in the monastery
However in 1875 when Junkers attempted to visit the monastery he was not
permitted to enter because a European before him had stolen several
manuscripts In 1881 Jullien reported that the monastery had the best water
of any in the Wadi and this was substantiated by Butler in 1883 From these
and other visitors we find that the monastery had twenty monks in 1638 four
in 1712 twelve in 1799 four in 1837 seven in 1875 fourteen in 1896 and
twenty in 1923
The monastery is nearly oblong in shape and surrounded by a defensive wall
The great wall was built in the ninth century and measures about ten meters
high and two meters wide It is one hundred and sixty-six meters on the east
and west and ninety-five meters on the north and south
Originally there were four entrances to the monastery one on each side of the
wall Today there are only two consisting of one on the north and one on the
south The main entrance is a gateway near the western end of the north wall
This gateway which possesses an inner gatehouse and a large carefully built
tower is the best preserved in the Wadi as well as the most complete and
elaborate of its kind of the four remaining monasteries
The southern half of the monastery is occupied by the church and cells of the
monks as well as by a modern patriarchal residence The greater part of the
gardens and the keep are in the northern half
The most interesting building in the monastery is the tower located at the
northwest corner of the monastery Defensive towers or keeps have been a
part of the architecture of Wadi El-Natruns monasteries since the fifth century
This was a time when the Berbers often attacked monasteries in the area
The keep at Saint Bishoy dates to the thirteenth century and is a few years
older than the keep of the Monastery of St Macarius One enters it at the
second floor level by a wooden drawbridge that rests on the roof of the
gatehouseOn the first floor are rooms where food was stored and prepared
One can see traces of an oven a mill for grains a press for grapes as well as
an olive press There is also a well some thirty meters deep
The second floor comprises the living quarters of the monks during the
periods of siege There is also a long corridor and east of this are rooms
which have cupolas supported by brick arches These have now been
transformed into a church dedicated to the Holy Virgin It has a transverse
nave and a triple sanctuary
On the north side of the roof of the tower is the Church of St Michaels one of
five in the monastery The icons on the iconostasis which date to the
eighteenth century have been restored They depict the twelve apostles in
pontifical vestments It is noteworthy that in no other monastery do we find the
Church of Saint Michael so isolated as in the Monastery of Saint Bishoy so it
is probable that at one time the keep had an additional floor like those of the
other monasteries in the Wadi
The other churches really form more of a complex of chapels with the central
and main church dedicated to Saint Bishoy It has been restored and
extended several times but it has been suggested that the most ancient parts
of the church do not predate the fifth attack which occurred between 830 and
848 on the monasteries of Wadi Natrun Indeed nothing remains of the
original church built prior to this and many principal elements of the structure
that we see today probably date from the restoration and remodeling
conducted by Benjamin II around 1330
It has a naos a three-aisled nave including a main center aisle and a western
return aisle a khurus (Choir) and it currently has a tripartite sanctuary (three
alters) The nave has a precious wooden pulpit while the wooden door
separating the two bays of the nave has decorative hexagonal panels with
arabesques and ivory inlays It probably dates to the fourteenth century The
khurus is rectangular in plan and placed transversely in relation to the nave In
the tripartite sanctuary the north one is dedicated to the Holy Virgin and is
separated from the choir by an arched portal It is a particularly long and
narrow room and its structure probably dates to the ninth century The middle
sanctuary is dedicated to Saint Bishoy and is connected with the khurus
through a high portal with ornate wooden panels dating to the Fatimed Period
However its square plan probably dates to the ninth century and its cupola
to the fourteenth The southern sanctuary is dedicated to John the Baptist
and also dates to the time of the renovations made during the fourteenth
century
The church or chapel more properly a parekklesion of St Iskhyrun (Abu
Iskhirun Iskhiron) was apparently added in the eleventh century though the
cupola is part of the renovations made by patriarch Benjamin II It is accessed
from the south side of the khurus of the Church of Saint Bishoy The plan is
almost square and opens on the east into a semi-circular apse which serves
as a sanctuary Here the relics of the holy martyr Saint Iskhyrun are kept
under the altar An icon from the seventeenth century placed on the
iconostasis separating the choir from the sanctuary depicts Iskhyrun on
horseback As is customary a wooden partition separates the nave from the
choir
The baptistery accessed by a narrow passage is located to the north of the
sanctuary of the Church of Saint Iskhyrun The diameter of the stone
baptismal font is ninety-five centimeters Only this monastery and that of al-
Baramus possess baptisteries in the Wadi This is because Coptic families
sometimes wish for their children to be baptized in holy and particularly
venerated places
Remains of wall paintings were recently discovered in the so-called Chapel of
Benjamin which probably date to the second half of the twelfth century The
restoration of the wall paintings in this section of the Monastery is not yet
complete
To the northeast of the main church and accessed from the khurus of that
church through a door set to the left of the tomb of Saint Bishoy is the Church
of the Holy Virgin which is actually dedicated to Benjamin I It features a nave
roofed with a barrel vault The sanctuary almost square in plan is separated
from the nave by a finely worked wooden iconostasis and surmounted by a
cupola This church is used during the winter months for the divine Liturgy
Built in the eleventh or the twelfth century the Church of Saint George is not
used now for services Its entrance is near the southeast corner of the main
church It has two sanctuaries and is roofed with six low cupolas The
monastery contains three refectories The ancient one is situated parallel to
the west end of the main church from which it is separated by a long narrow
vaulted corridor Its entrance is in the middle of the corridor opposite the west
entrance of the church It is a long chamber measuring twenty-seven meters
in length and four and a half meters in width divided into five domed bays by
four transverse arches The central space is roofed with a beautiful
quadripartite vault while the other four have cupolas in which some openings
admit light A masonry table takes up almost the entire length of the hall It is
strangely low only rising thirty-six centimeters Clearly the monks set cross-
legged on the floor Originally monks came here after Sunday liturgy to
celebrate the agape but today the refectory is used as a museum that
exhibits both sacred and secular artifacts
The two other refectories are older The smallest one lies southwest of the
main church At an unknown date it was transformed into the present chapel
of Mari Girgis It consists of a square room with a central pillar from which
spring four arches The third refectory which is now used fro storage lies in
the southeastern corner of the monastery
There is also a bakery and a millhouse in the northeastern corner of the
monastery The latter is the most complete example of its kind in the Wadi
Natrun
Also located on the grounds of the monastery is the Well of the Martyrs which
has been used ever since the time of Anba Bishoy It is said that the Berbers
washed the blood from their swords here after having killed the 49 Martyrs
Monks at the monastery also say that the Martyrs were thrown in the well prior
to being interned at the nearby St Marcarius Monastery It is twelve meters
deep and continues to produce fresh water which is regarded as miraculous
Following his enthronement in November of 1971 His Holiness Pope
Shenouda III selected this monastery as his pontifical residence where he
generally spends two or three days a week For this reason it is therefore the
destination of thousands of Copts who visit Wadi Naturn At one point he was
exiled to this monastery for forty months and during this time he ordained as
many as one hundred young men as monks
In recent years four hundred acres of desert land were acquired for the
monastery much of which has been cultivated Three reservoirs for drinking
water a new library a three-story guest house three large units for monastic
cells as well as lecture and conference buildings have been constructed at
the rear of the old monastery This is also the location of the pontifical
residence and the new Church of Saint Shenuda Here the number of monks
has increased to over 160 though many of these monks now serve in the
restored Upper Egyptian monasteries as well as in Coptic churches overseas
St Mary Monastery - El Sorian
Different sources indicate that the monastery was built around the fifth century There are many proofs the most important of which are The old fortress to the right of entrance of the monastery (even though it was repaired) It is well known that King Xenon (474-491 AD) was the one that built these fortresses as a token to his daughter Saint Hillary who entered monastic life in the wilderness of Shiheet and became well known everywhere There is a source in the library of London of the writings of Saint Yacoub El Serougi that is dated back to 603 AD from El Sorian Monastery Putler mentioned that the partitions of the church of St Mary-El Sorian go back to before 700 AD which resembles those in the Church of St Pishoy and the Church of St Mary-El Baramous These churches are considered the oldest in the wilderness until now Brumster mentioned in his book ldquoGuidance to the Monasteries of the Natroun Valleyrdquo that it was one of the monasteries known by the Theotokos These monasteries appeared in the fifth century after the counsel of Ephesus in 431 AD that discredited the Nestorian heresy Afterwards monasteries were built bearing the name of the Theotokos ldquoMother of Godrdquo and so it was called St Mary-El Sorian Monastery beside St Pishoy Monastery in the eastern wilderness Evelyn White mentioned that the monastery became independently run from the eighth century
Why it is Called El Sorian [The Syrian] Since the fourth century people have come from all over to the wilderness of Shiheet to visit and get blessings of the ascetic monks that reached high spiritual levels of asceticism and worship Examples of those are St Arsanius and St Maximus and Dometius who are still placed in St Mary-El Baramos Monastery There are also remnants of the old monasteries about three kilometers southeast of the monastery including the monastery of St John
Kame Abanoub the Ethiopians the Armenians and St John the Short And because people from all over came to worship the Coptic monks welcomed some Syrian monks for a period of time which is why it became famous of the Syrian [El Sorian] Monastery and also to differentiate it from St Mary-El Baramous Monastery St Mary Monastery is not St John Kame Monastery As mentioned above El Sorian Monastery was from the fifth century while the Monastery of St John Kame is from the ninth century and its ruins still exist Prince Omar Tosson built a pillar for each monastery and wrote its name on it Also the scholar Mohaub visited this monastery in 1088 AD When St John Kame Monastery was destroyed because of white ants between 1413 and 1430 AD his monks went to El Sorian Monastery and carried with them the body of St John Kame and their belongings including a marble stone that is still in El Sorian Church and engraved on it in Coptic the dates of the departure of St John Kame and his disciple St Stefanos
El Sorian Monastery in the Twentieth CenturyThe monastery became quite famous among other monasteries especially in the second half of the twentieth century when it was the leader and the initiator of monastic revival under the encouragement of Bishop Theophilus since he became the abbot of the monastery in 1948 most important of which
Monasticism A group of educated individuals entered monastic life and started working whole-heartedly to revive the monastery that group included those who reconstructed St Macarius Monastery St Paul St Mina and St George [El-Rozaykat] in addition to St Pishoy Monastery the head of which is HH Pope Shenouda III All of these monks were part of El Sorian Monastery and they had a great impact on
the revival of the church The majority of the Holy Synod that represents the leadership of the church areeducated monks that were prior to monastic life servants in their old churches and had a great impact on the priesthood from the spiritual social and intellectual standpoint During that
period a great number of monks were ordained compared to the previous period in which the number usually wouldnrsquot exceed more than twenty or forty the number of monks being ordained now is double or triple that number
Reconstruction In the early fifties when Bishop Theophillus presided over the monastery he demolished the cells that were next to
the Southern wall and built a building for the monks that were four stories high with a beautiful faccedilade It was the first modern building in the monastery and other monasteries adopted the same idea In 1988 another three-story building was constructed on top of which a water tower was built Through the encouragement of HH Pope Shenouda III in 1993 another three-story building was constructed next to that There
were two old bell towers around a guesthouse that was at the east side of St Maryrsquos church one of them is still standing and the other one was demolished Bishop Theophilus built instead of it a high tower at the north of the cells of the monks that the visitors of the monastery can see from far away In 1968 the other tower was built and was even higher than the first one HH Pope Shenouda III [who was Bishop of Education at that time] supervised personally on the construction
The Water Tower In 1955 a big water tower was built under which two water closets were built Father Moussa [the late Bishop Andrawous bishop of Damietta] who was a brilliant engineer from Alexandria was the one that designed and supervised the construction of the water tower That was the first concrete water tower built in the wilderness of
Natroun Prior to that there were only towers that were built out of aluminum and their height did not exceed two meters there were no water fountains in the monastery and only an old primitive water closet In 1988 another water tower was built over the cells of the monks with an electricity-operated water pump
The Guest House To the east of El Sorian Church was a beautiful palace which contained a large hall and many guest rooms that was built by Father Maximus in the year 1914 And in 1974 a guest housebuilding was built in its place that was five stories high and a library of the monastery was transferred to the third floor In addition a small rest house was built in the eighties to the west of El Sorian church on top of an old well and next to it was a big
traditional water pump [sakia] for the monasteryrsquos garden which was transformed after that into a library In 1987 and with the encouragement of HH Pope Shenouda III a two-story building for visitors was built to the west of the monastery
Books of the Monastery In 1951 Bishop Theophilus bought a print-shop for the monastery which was the first of its kind in the Egyptian monasteries and the monks of the monastery ran it and produced important books such as Life of the Orthodox Prayer The Book of the Seven Prayers of Famous Church Saints The Life of Saint John Kame The History of El Sorian Monastery Series of the History of the Patriarchs [four parts] The Three Holy Macari St Basil
the Great His Life Asceticism and Laws and many small booklets that were distributed free of charge like The Life of Mar Ephraim the Syrian Psalm The Lord Has Reigned Saint John Chrysostom Saint Augustine Saint George St Mark St Anna Simon Logios the Stonecutter and
Famous Sayings of Saints about Nativity Epiphany and Resurrection For ten years these sayings are still being read in the mornings of these feasts when the monks get together and read one of them And these books that were produced by El Sorian Monastery had a great impact on the spiritual life of a lot of people and even encouraged some of them to seek the monastic life
Retreat House In 1959 the retreat house was built outside the monastery and was the first one to be built in the monasteries Father Antonious El Soriani [HH Pope Shenouda III] was the guiding father of it and it was receiving large numbers of youth The monastery was enlightening the Christian youth because the quiet atmosphere was a chance for them to grow in prayers fastings spiritual readings meditation and attending
midnight praises and enjoying the desert Especially at sunset when nature coupled with the spiritual guidance of the monks a lot of the youth were led to think seriously about their spiritual lives and yearned to repeat the experience and some of them sought the monastic life And so a lot of the current monks used to spend a lot of time in this house which continued to be a living message of the church for all generations to come
- Coptic Museum Cairo
- History
- What to See
- Hanging Church Cairo
- History
- What to See
- St Georges Church Cairo
- History
- What to See
- Festivals and Events
- History
- What to See
- Mount Sinai
- In the Bible
- Authenticity
- What to See
- St Catherines Monastery Sinai
- In the Bible
- Authenticity
- History
- What to See
- St Pauls Monastery
- History
- What to See
- St Antony Monastery ndash Red Sea
- St Bishoy Monastery
- St Mary Monastery - El Sorian
St Antony Monastery ndash Red Sea
THE STORY OF MONASTICISM
Monasticism is considered Egyptrsquos greatest gift to the world It is a life of solitude prayer
contemplation charitable deeds and manual labour It is being one with God
where the monastic focuses all their life on being with God and doing His will
Monasticism is built on three basic principles poverty obedience and
chastity Monasticism was founded by the Egyptian Saint Antony who was
granted the title lsquofather of monasticismrsquo
Other important names in monasticism are Saint Macarius and Saint
Pachomius both from Egypt It was Saint Pachomius the Egyptian who began
to constitute monastic rules and innovated the concept of communal monastic
living an innovation that is based on monastic life today Benedictine
Monasticism in the West based its monastic rules on those of Saint
Pachomius Many visitors came from the West in the early years of
monasticism to learn from the simple Egyptian monks People such as Saint
John Chrysostom Saint Jerome Saint John Cassian and Palladius wrote
many books about the lives and sayings of the desert fathers of Egypt as they
experienced them
Monasticism is still thriving in Egypt today thanks to a revival led by His
Holiness Pope Shenouda III There are many inhabited ancient monasteries
and convents in Egypt as well as new monasteries being established abroad
in the Diaspora such as in Europe the USA and Australia
THE CAVE
We know from the lsquoLife of Antonyrsquo that our great hermit when he ventured into
this wilderness to seek greater seclusion discovered a natural cave in the
mountain and loved it and hence made it his home for the remaining 43 years
of his life
Today as in time past this cave within which St Antony dwelt is the life force
and heart beat of the Monastery and in which liturgy is celebrated daily and
thousands of pilgrims each year journey to for spiritual nourishment and
contemplation
From the plateau to the cave is a climb of approximately 1 hour and is today
made accessible by means of concrete steps and hand-railing for support As
one climbs the mountain to which St Antony withdrew one passes the Church
of St Paul the Simple which was constructed over the site of where this
disciple of St Antony once lived St Paul the Simple a 4th century desert
father known as lsquothe Simplersquo due to his meek and simple nature was St
Antonyrsquos faithful disciple Prior to his monastic life he had been married and
caught his wife in the act of adultery Hence he left her and took the decision
to consecrate the rest of his life to monastic living He went to St Antony ndash
who at this time was now 80 years old ndash and asked that he become a monk
St Antony at first refused him on account of his age (St Paul was 60) and
therefore compelled him several times to leave and return to his village
saying he could not survive the harsh ascetical life And yet St Paul was so
persistent that St Antony have him many demanding and arduous tasks all of
which he fulfilled with such humility obedience and simplicity that St Antony
accepted him into his monastic community and called him the Pride of the
Desert and he bore with honour the title lsquothe Simplersquo The solitary life gave St
Paul the Simple the gift of healing and casting out demons a power in which
he even surpassed his teacher St Antony The remains of his cave upon
which is built a church in his honour and is seen on the climb to St Antonyrsquos
cave bears witness to this faithful contemporary of our great hermit About
100 metres further up one reaches a terrace and then St Antonyrsquos blessed
cave
St Antonyrsquos cave is located about 2 km south-east of the Monastery 680
metres above the Red Sea and 276 metres above the Monastery It
comprises 3 parts the terrace the tunnel and the cave The narrow tunnel
connects the outer terrace ndash where one can imagine St Antony would sit and
weave his palm leave baskets ndash with the inner cave where he once dwelt and
is now converted into a small chapel
St Bishoy Monastery
The most eastern surviving Christian monastery in the Wadi el-Natrun of
Egypt is Dier Al Anba Bishoy (Pshoi Bishoi) which was founded by St
Bishoy (Pshoi)
The Monastery of Saint Bishoy is one of the original monasteries of Scetis Its
counterpart monastery is that of the Syrians which was built in the sixth
century by the followers of Severus or the Theodosian monks when concepts
concerning the nature of Christ forced a chrism between many monks in
Egypt
Like the Monastery of Saint Macarius the Monastery of the Romans and the
Monastery of Saint John the Little the Monastery of Saint Bishoy suffered five
sacks by the Berbers Al-Maqrizi who wrote during the fifteenth century
refers specifically to the fourth destruction of the monastery during the
patriarchate of Andronicus (616-2623) The patriarch Benjamin I (623-662) is
said to have rebuilt the monastery after that When the persecution by the
Berbers finally came to an end in the ninth century the bodies of both Saints
Bishoy and Paul of Tammua (Tamweh Tamwa) were returned to the
Monastery of Saint Bishoy
However the monastery was once again pillaged in 1096 which resulted in
its depopulation Then during the reign of patriarch Benjamin II (1327-1339)
considerable restoration of the monastery was undertaken because ants had
destroyed much of the woodwork and the buildings were near collapse
A number of visitors traveled to this monastery during late antiquity and into
more modern times Coppin went there in 1638 and Thevenot visited it in
1657 reporting it as the best of the four Wadi Natrun monasteries Then came
Wansleben in 1672 and Sicard in 1712 Granger made the journey in 1730
Sonnini in 1778 Andreossy in 1799 and Curzon in 1837 In 1839 Tattam is
said to have acquired numerous manuscripts from the monastery and in
1843 Wilkinson discovered thirteen monks in the monastery
However in 1875 when Junkers attempted to visit the monastery he was not
permitted to enter because a European before him had stolen several
manuscripts In 1881 Jullien reported that the monastery had the best water
of any in the Wadi and this was substantiated by Butler in 1883 From these
and other visitors we find that the monastery had twenty monks in 1638 four
in 1712 twelve in 1799 four in 1837 seven in 1875 fourteen in 1896 and
twenty in 1923
The monastery is nearly oblong in shape and surrounded by a defensive wall
The great wall was built in the ninth century and measures about ten meters
high and two meters wide It is one hundred and sixty-six meters on the east
and west and ninety-five meters on the north and south
Originally there were four entrances to the monastery one on each side of the
wall Today there are only two consisting of one on the north and one on the
south The main entrance is a gateway near the western end of the north wall
This gateway which possesses an inner gatehouse and a large carefully built
tower is the best preserved in the Wadi as well as the most complete and
elaborate of its kind of the four remaining monasteries
The southern half of the monastery is occupied by the church and cells of the
monks as well as by a modern patriarchal residence The greater part of the
gardens and the keep are in the northern half
The most interesting building in the monastery is the tower located at the
northwest corner of the monastery Defensive towers or keeps have been a
part of the architecture of Wadi El-Natruns monasteries since the fifth century
This was a time when the Berbers often attacked monasteries in the area
The keep at Saint Bishoy dates to the thirteenth century and is a few years
older than the keep of the Monastery of St Macarius One enters it at the
second floor level by a wooden drawbridge that rests on the roof of the
gatehouseOn the first floor are rooms where food was stored and prepared
One can see traces of an oven a mill for grains a press for grapes as well as
an olive press There is also a well some thirty meters deep
The second floor comprises the living quarters of the monks during the
periods of siege There is also a long corridor and east of this are rooms
which have cupolas supported by brick arches These have now been
transformed into a church dedicated to the Holy Virgin It has a transverse
nave and a triple sanctuary
On the north side of the roof of the tower is the Church of St Michaels one of
five in the monastery The icons on the iconostasis which date to the
eighteenth century have been restored They depict the twelve apostles in
pontifical vestments It is noteworthy that in no other monastery do we find the
Church of Saint Michael so isolated as in the Monastery of Saint Bishoy so it
is probable that at one time the keep had an additional floor like those of the
other monasteries in the Wadi
The other churches really form more of a complex of chapels with the central
and main church dedicated to Saint Bishoy It has been restored and
extended several times but it has been suggested that the most ancient parts
of the church do not predate the fifth attack which occurred between 830 and
848 on the monasteries of Wadi Natrun Indeed nothing remains of the
original church built prior to this and many principal elements of the structure
that we see today probably date from the restoration and remodeling
conducted by Benjamin II around 1330
It has a naos a three-aisled nave including a main center aisle and a western
return aisle a khurus (Choir) and it currently has a tripartite sanctuary (three
alters) The nave has a precious wooden pulpit while the wooden door
separating the two bays of the nave has decorative hexagonal panels with
arabesques and ivory inlays It probably dates to the fourteenth century The
khurus is rectangular in plan and placed transversely in relation to the nave In
the tripartite sanctuary the north one is dedicated to the Holy Virgin and is
separated from the choir by an arched portal It is a particularly long and
narrow room and its structure probably dates to the ninth century The middle
sanctuary is dedicated to Saint Bishoy and is connected with the khurus
through a high portal with ornate wooden panels dating to the Fatimed Period
However its square plan probably dates to the ninth century and its cupola
to the fourteenth The southern sanctuary is dedicated to John the Baptist
and also dates to the time of the renovations made during the fourteenth
century
The church or chapel more properly a parekklesion of St Iskhyrun (Abu
Iskhirun Iskhiron) was apparently added in the eleventh century though the
cupola is part of the renovations made by patriarch Benjamin II It is accessed
from the south side of the khurus of the Church of Saint Bishoy The plan is
almost square and opens on the east into a semi-circular apse which serves
as a sanctuary Here the relics of the holy martyr Saint Iskhyrun are kept
under the altar An icon from the seventeenth century placed on the
iconostasis separating the choir from the sanctuary depicts Iskhyrun on
horseback As is customary a wooden partition separates the nave from the
choir
The baptistery accessed by a narrow passage is located to the north of the
sanctuary of the Church of Saint Iskhyrun The diameter of the stone
baptismal font is ninety-five centimeters Only this monastery and that of al-
Baramus possess baptisteries in the Wadi This is because Coptic families
sometimes wish for their children to be baptized in holy and particularly
venerated places
Remains of wall paintings were recently discovered in the so-called Chapel of
Benjamin which probably date to the second half of the twelfth century The
restoration of the wall paintings in this section of the Monastery is not yet
complete
To the northeast of the main church and accessed from the khurus of that
church through a door set to the left of the tomb of Saint Bishoy is the Church
of the Holy Virgin which is actually dedicated to Benjamin I It features a nave
roofed with a barrel vault The sanctuary almost square in plan is separated
from the nave by a finely worked wooden iconostasis and surmounted by a
cupola This church is used during the winter months for the divine Liturgy
Built in the eleventh or the twelfth century the Church of Saint George is not
used now for services Its entrance is near the southeast corner of the main
church It has two sanctuaries and is roofed with six low cupolas The
monastery contains three refectories The ancient one is situated parallel to
the west end of the main church from which it is separated by a long narrow
vaulted corridor Its entrance is in the middle of the corridor opposite the west
entrance of the church It is a long chamber measuring twenty-seven meters
in length and four and a half meters in width divided into five domed bays by
four transverse arches The central space is roofed with a beautiful
quadripartite vault while the other four have cupolas in which some openings
admit light A masonry table takes up almost the entire length of the hall It is
strangely low only rising thirty-six centimeters Clearly the monks set cross-
legged on the floor Originally monks came here after Sunday liturgy to
celebrate the agape but today the refectory is used as a museum that
exhibits both sacred and secular artifacts
The two other refectories are older The smallest one lies southwest of the
main church At an unknown date it was transformed into the present chapel
of Mari Girgis It consists of a square room with a central pillar from which
spring four arches The third refectory which is now used fro storage lies in
the southeastern corner of the monastery
There is also a bakery and a millhouse in the northeastern corner of the
monastery The latter is the most complete example of its kind in the Wadi
Natrun
Also located on the grounds of the monastery is the Well of the Martyrs which
has been used ever since the time of Anba Bishoy It is said that the Berbers
washed the blood from their swords here after having killed the 49 Martyrs
Monks at the monastery also say that the Martyrs were thrown in the well prior
to being interned at the nearby St Marcarius Monastery It is twelve meters
deep and continues to produce fresh water which is regarded as miraculous
Following his enthronement in November of 1971 His Holiness Pope
Shenouda III selected this monastery as his pontifical residence where he
generally spends two or three days a week For this reason it is therefore the
destination of thousands of Copts who visit Wadi Naturn At one point he was
exiled to this monastery for forty months and during this time he ordained as
many as one hundred young men as monks
In recent years four hundred acres of desert land were acquired for the
monastery much of which has been cultivated Three reservoirs for drinking
water a new library a three-story guest house three large units for monastic
cells as well as lecture and conference buildings have been constructed at
the rear of the old monastery This is also the location of the pontifical
residence and the new Church of Saint Shenuda Here the number of monks
has increased to over 160 though many of these monks now serve in the
restored Upper Egyptian monasteries as well as in Coptic churches overseas
St Mary Monastery - El Sorian
Different sources indicate that the monastery was built around the fifth century There are many proofs the most important of which are The old fortress to the right of entrance of the monastery (even though it was repaired) It is well known that King Xenon (474-491 AD) was the one that built these fortresses as a token to his daughter Saint Hillary who entered monastic life in the wilderness of Shiheet and became well known everywhere There is a source in the library of London of the writings of Saint Yacoub El Serougi that is dated back to 603 AD from El Sorian Monastery Putler mentioned that the partitions of the church of St Mary-El Sorian go back to before 700 AD which resembles those in the Church of St Pishoy and the Church of St Mary-El Baramous These churches are considered the oldest in the wilderness until now Brumster mentioned in his book ldquoGuidance to the Monasteries of the Natroun Valleyrdquo that it was one of the monasteries known by the Theotokos These monasteries appeared in the fifth century after the counsel of Ephesus in 431 AD that discredited the Nestorian heresy Afterwards monasteries were built bearing the name of the Theotokos ldquoMother of Godrdquo and so it was called St Mary-El Sorian Monastery beside St Pishoy Monastery in the eastern wilderness Evelyn White mentioned that the monastery became independently run from the eighth century
Why it is Called El Sorian [The Syrian] Since the fourth century people have come from all over to the wilderness of Shiheet to visit and get blessings of the ascetic monks that reached high spiritual levels of asceticism and worship Examples of those are St Arsanius and St Maximus and Dometius who are still placed in St Mary-El Baramos Monastery There are also remnants of the old monasteries about three kilometers southeast of the monastery including the monastery of St John
Kame Abanoub the Ethiopians the Armenians and St John the Short And because people from all over came to worship the Coptic monks welcomed some Syrian monks for a period of time which is why it became famous of the Syrian [El Sorian] Monastery and also to differentiate it from St Mary-El Baramous Monastery St Mary Monastery is not St John Kame Monastery As mentioned above El Sorian Monastery was from the fifth century while the Monastery of St John Kame is from the ninth century and its ruins still exist Prince Omar Tosson built a pillar for each monastery and wrote its name on it Also the scholar Mohaub visited this monastery in 1088 AD When St John Kame Monastery was destroyed because of white ants between 1413 and 1430 AD his monks went to El Sorian Monastery and carried with them the body of St John Kame and their belongings including a marble stone that is still in El Sorian Church and engraved on it in Coptic the dates of the departure of St John Kame and his disciple St Stefanos
El Sorian Monastery in the Twentieth CenturyThe monastery became quite famous among other monasteries especially in the second half of the twentieth century when it was the leader and the initiator of monastic revival under the encouragement of Bishop Theophilus since he became the abbot of the monastery in 1948 most important of which
Monasticism A group of educated individuals entered monastic life and started working whole-heartedly to revive the monastery that group included those who reconstructed St Macarius Monastery St Paul St Mina and St George [El-Rozaykat] in addition to St Pishoy Monastery the head of which is HH Pope Shenouda III All of these monks were part of El Sorian Monastery and they had a great impact on
the revival of the church The majority of the Holy Synod that represents the leadership of the church areeducated monks that were prior to monastic life servants in their old churches and had a great impact on the priesthood from the spiritual social and intellectual standpoint During that
period a great number of monks were ordained compared to the previous period in which the number usually wouldnrsquot exceed more than twenty or forty the number of monks being ordained now is double or triple that number
Reconstruction In the early fifties when Bishop Theophillus presided over the monastery he demolished the cells that were next to
the Southern wall and built a building for the monks that were four stories high with a beautiful faccedilade It was the first modern building in the monastery and other monasteries adopted the same idea In 1988 another three-story building was constructed on top of which a water tower was built Through the encouragement of HH Pope Shenouda III in 1993 another three-story building was constructed next to that There
were two old bell towers around a guesthouse that was at the east side of St Maryrsquos church one of them is still standing and the other one was demolished Bishop Theophilus built instead of it a high tower at the north of the cells of the monks that the visitors of the monastery can see from far away In 1968 the other tower was built and was even higher than the first one HH Pope Shenouda III [who was Bishop of Education at that time] supervised personally on the construction
The Water Tower In 1955 a big water tower was built under which two water closets were built Father Moussa [the late Bishop Andrawous bishop of Damietta] who was a brilliant engineer from Alexandria was the one that designed and supervised the construction of the water tower That was the first concrete water tower built in the wilderness of
Natroun Prior to that there were only towers that were built out of aluminum and their height did not exceed two meters there were no water fountains in the monastery and only an old primitive water closet In 1988 another water tower was built over the cells of the monks with an electricity-operated water pump
The Guest House To the east of El Sorian Church was a beautiful palace which contained a large hall and many guest rooms that was built by Father Maximus in the year 1914 And in 1974 a guest housebuilding was built in its place that was five stories high and a library of the monastery was transferred to the third floor In addition a small rest house was built in the eighties to the west of El Sorian church on top of an old well and next to it was a big
traditional water pump [sakia] for the monasteryrsquos garden which was transformed after that into a library In 1987 and with the encouragement of HH Pope Shenouda III a two-story building for visitors was built to the west of the monastery
Books of the Monastery In 1951 Bishop Theophilus bought a print-shop for the monastery which was the first of its kind in the Egyptian monasteries and the monks of the monastery ran it and produced important books such as Life of the Orthodox Prayer The Book of the Seven Prayers of Famous Church Saints The Life of Saint John Kame The History of El Sorian Monastery Series of the History of the Patriarchs [four parts] The Three Holy Macari St Basil
the Great His Life Asceticism and Laws and many small booklets that were distributed free of charge like The Life of Mar Ephraim the Syrian Psalm The Lord Has Reigned Saint John Chrysostom Saint Augustine Saint George St Mark St Anna Simon Logios the Stonecutter and
Famous Sayings of Saints about Nativity Epiphany and Resurrection For ten years these sayings are still being read in the mornings of these feasts when the monks get together and read one of them And these books that were produced by El Sorian Monastery had a great impact on the spiritual life of a lot of people and even encouraged some of them to seek the monastic life
Retreat House In 1959 the retreat house was built outside the monastery and was the first one to be built in the monasteries Father Antonious El Soriani [HH Pope Shenouda III] was the guiding father of it and it was receiving large numbers of youth The monastery was enlightening the Christian youth because the quiet atmosphere was a chance for them to grow in prayers fastings spiritual readings meditation and attending
midnight praises and enjoying the desert Especially at sunset when nature coupled with the spiritual guidance of the monks a lot of the youth were led to think seriously about their spiritual lives and yearned to repeat the experience and some of them sought the monastic life And so a lot of the current monks used to spend a lot of time in this house which continued to be a living message of the church for all generations to come
- Coptic Museum Cairo
- History
- What to See
- Hanging Church Cairo
- History
- What to See
- St Georges Church Cairo
- History
- What to See
- Festivals and Events
- History
- What to See
- Mount Sinai
- In the Bible
- Authenticity
- What to See
- St Catherines Monastery Sinai
- In the Bible
- Authenticity
- History
- What to See
- St Pauls Monastery
- History
- What to See
- St Antony Monastery ndash Red Sea
- St Bishoy Monastery
- St Mary Monastery - El Sorian
Monasticism is still thriving in Egypt today thanks to a revival led by His
Holiness Pope Shenouda III There are many inhabited ancient monasteries
and convents in Egypt as well as new monasteries being established abroad
in the Diaspora such as in Europe the USA and Australia
THE CAVE
We know from the lsquoLife of Antonyrsquo that our great hermit when he ventured into
this wilderness to seek greater seclusion discovered a natural cave in the
mountain and loved it and hence made it his home for the remaining 43 years
of his life
Today as in time past this cave within which St Antony dwelt is the life force
and heart beat of the Monastery and in which liturgy is celebrated daily and
thousands of pilgrims each year journey to for spiritual nourishment and
contemplation
From the plateau to the cave is a climb of approximately 1 hour and is today
made accessible by means of concrete steps and hand-railing for support As
one climbs the mountain to which St Antony withdrew one passes the Church
of St Paul the Simple which was constructed over the site of where this
disciple of St Antony once lived St Paul the Simple a 4th century desert
father known as lsquothe Simplersquo due to his meek and simple nature was St
Antonyrsquos faithful disciple Prior to his monastic life he had been married and
caught his wife in the act of adultery Hence he left her and took the decision
to consecrate the rest of his life to monastic living He went to St Antony ndash
who at this time was now 80 years old ndash and asked that he become a monk
St Antony at first refused him on account of his age (St Paul was 60) and
therefore compelled him several times to leave and return to his village
saying he could not survive the harsh ascetical life And yet St Paul was so
persistent that St Antony have him many demanding and arduous tasks all of
which he fulfilled with such humility obedience and simplicity that St Antony
accepted him into his monastic community and called him the Pride of the
Desert and he bore with honour the title lsquothe Simplersquo The solitary life gave St
Paul the Simple the gift of healing and casting out demons a power in which
he even surpassed his teacher St Antony The remains of his cave upon
which is built a church in his honour and is seen on the climb to St Antonyrsquos
cave bears witness to this faithful contemporary of our great hermit About
100 metres further up one reaches a terrace and then St Antonyrsquos blessed
cave
St Antonyrsquos cave is located about 2 km south-east of the Monastery 680
metres above the Red Sea and 276 metres above the Monastery It
comprises 3 parts the terrace the tunnel and the cave The narrow tunnel
connects the outer terrace ndash where one can imagine St Antony would sit and
weave his palm leave baskets ndash with the inner cave where he once dwelt and
is now converted into a small chapel
St Bishoy Monastery
The most eastern surviving Christian monastery in the Wadi el-Natrun of
Egypt is Dier Al Anba Bishoy (Pshoi Bishoi) which was founded by St
Bishoy (Pshoi)
The Monastery of Saint Bishoy is one of the original monasteries of Scetis Its
counterpart monastery is that of the Syrians which was built in the sixth
century by the followers of Severus or the Theodosian monks when concepts
concerning the nature of Christ forced a chrism between many monks in
Egypt
Like the Monastery of Saint Macarius the Monastery of the Romans and the
Monastery of Saint John the Little the Monastery of Saint Bishoy suffered five
sacks by the Berbers Al-Maqrizi who wrote during the fifteenth century
refers specifically to the fourth destruction of the monastery during the
patriarchate of Andronicus (616-2623) The patriarch Benjamin I (623-662) is
said to have rebuilt the monastery after that When the persecution by the
Berbers finally came to an end in the ninth century the bodies of both Saints
Bishoy and Paul of Tammua (Tamweh Tamwa) were returned to the
Monastery of Saint Bishoy
However the monastery was once again pillaged in 1096 which resulted in
its depopulation Then during the reign of patriarch Benjamin II (1327-1339)
considerable restoration of the monastery was undertaken because ants had
destroyed much of the woodwork and the buildings were near collapse
A number of visitors traveled to this monastery during late antiquity and into
more modern times Coppin went there in 1638 and Thevenot visited it in
1657 reporting it as the best of the four Wadi Natrun monasteries Then came
Wansleben in 1672 and Sicard in 1712 Granger made the journey in 1730
Sonnini in 1778 Andreossy in 1799 and Curzon in 1837 In 1839 Tattam is
said to have acquired numerous manuscripts from the monastery and in
1843 Wilkinson discovered thirteen monks in the monastery
However in 1875 when Junkers attempted to visit the monastery he was not
permitted to enter because a European before him had stolen several
manuscripts In 1881 Jullien reported that the monastery had the best water
of any in the Wadi and this was substantiated by Butler in 1883 From these
and other visitors we find that the monastery had twenty monks in 1638 four
in 1712 twelve in 1799 four in 1837 seven in 1875 fourteen in 1896 and
twenty in 1923
The monastery is nearly oblong in shape and surrounded by a defensive wall
The great wall was built in the ninth century and measures about ten meters
high and two meters wide It is one hundred and sixty-six meters on the east
and west and ninety-five meters on the north and south
Originally there were four entrances to the monastery one on each side of the
wall Today there are only two consisting of one on the north and one on the
south The main entrance is a gateway near the western end of the north wall
This gateway which possesses an inner gatehouse and a large carefully built
tower is the best preserved in the Wadi as well as the most complete and
elaborate of its kind of the four remaining monasteries
The southern half of the monastery is occupied by the church and cells of the
monks as well as by a modern patriarchal residence The greater part of the
gardens and the keep are in the northern half
The most interesting building in the monastery is the tower located at the
northwest corner of the monastery Defensive towers or keeps have been a
part of the architecture of Wadi El-Natruns monasteries since the fifth century
This was a time when the Berbers often attacked monasteries in the area
The keep at Saint Bishoy dates to the thirteenth century and is a few years
older than the keep of the Monastery of St Macarius One enters it at the
second floor level by a wooden drawbridge that rests on the roof of the
gatehouseOn the first floor are rooms where food was stored and prepared
One can see traces of an oven a mill for grains a press for grapes as well as
an olive press There is also a well some thirty meters deep
The second floor comprises the living quarters of the monks during the
periods of siege There is also a long corridor and east of this are rooms
which have cupolas supported by brick arches These have now been
transformed into a church dedicated to the Holy Virgin It has a transverse
nave and a triple sanctuary
On the north side of the roof of the tower is the Church of St Michaels one of
five in the monastery The icons on the iconostasis which date to the
eighteenth century have been restored They depict the twelve apostles in
pontifical vestments It is noteworthy that in no other monastery do we find the
Church of Saint Michael so isolated as in the Monastery of Saint Bishoy so it
is probable that at one time the keep had an additional floor like those of the
other monasteries in the Wadi
The other churches really form more of a complex of chapels with the central
and main church dedicated to Saint Bishoy It has been restored and
extended several times but it has been suggested that the most ancient parts
of the church do not predate the fifth attack which occurred between 830 and
848 on the monasteries of Wadi Natrun Indeed nothing remains of the
original church built prior to this and many principal elements of the structure
that we see today probably date from the restoration and remodeling
conducted by Benjamin II around 1330
It has a naos a three-aisled nave including a main center aisle and a western
return aisle a khurus (Choir) and it currently has a tripartite sanctuary (three
alters) The nave has a precious wooden pulpit while the wooden door
separating the two bays of the nave has decorative hexagonal panels with
arabesques and ivory inlays It probably dates to the fourteenth century The
khurus is rectangular in plan and placed transversely in relation to the nave In
the tripartite sanctuary the north one is dedicated to the Holy Virgin and is
separated from the choir by an arched portal It is a particularly long and
narrow room and its structure probably dates to the ninth century The middle
sanctuary is dedicated to Saint Bishoy and is connected with the khurus
through a high portal with ornate wooden panels dating to the Fatimed Period
However its square plan probably dates to the ninth century and its cupola
to the fourteenth The southern sanctuary is dedicated to John the Baptist
and also dates to the time of the renovations made during the fourteenth
century
The church or chapel more properly a parekklesion of St Iskhyrun (Abu
Iskhirun Iskhiron) was apparently added in the eleventh century though the
cupola is part of the renovations made by patriarch Benjamin II It is accessed
from the south side of the khurus of the Church of Saint Bishoy The plan is
almost square and opens on the east into a semi-circular apse which serves
as a sanctuary Here the relics of the holy martyr Saint Iskhyrun are kept
under the altar An icon from the seventeenth century placed on the
iconostasis separating the choir from the sanctuary depicts Iskhyrun on
horseback As is customary a wooden partition separates the nave from the
choir
The baptistery accessed by a narrow passage is located to the north of the
sanctuary of the Church of Saint Iskhyrun The diameter of the stone
baptismal font is ninety-five centimeters Only this monastery and that of al-
Baramus possess baptisteries in the Wadi This is because Coptic families
sometimes wish for their children to be baptized in holy and particularly
venerated places
Remains of wall paintings were recently discovered in the so-called Chapel of
Benjamin which probably date to the second half of the twelfth century The
restoration of the wall paintings in this section of the Monastery is not yet
complete
To the northeast of the main church and accessed from the khurus of that
church through a door set to the left of the tomb of Saint Bishoy is the Church
of the Holy Virgin which is actually dedicated to Benjamin I It features a nave
roofed with a barrel vault The sanctuary almost square in plan is separated
from the nave by a finely worked wooden iconostasis and surmounted by a
cupola This church is used during the winter months for the divine Liturgy
Built in the eleventh or the twelfth century the Church of Saint George is not
used now for services Its entrance is near the southeast corner of the main
church It has two sanctuaries and is roofed with six low cupolas The
monastery contains three refectories The ancient one is situated parallel to
the west end of the main church from which it is separated by a long narrow
vaulted corridor Its entrance is in the middle of the corridor opposite the west
entrance of the church It is a long chamber measuring twenty-seven meters
in length and four and a half meters in width divided into five domed bays by
four transverse arches The central space is roofed with a beautiful
quadripartite vault while the other four have cupolas in which some openings
admit light A masonry table takes up almost the entire length of the hall It is
strangely low only rising thirty-six centimeters Clearly the monks set cross-
legged on the floor Originally monks came here after Sunday liturgy to
celebrate the agape but today the refectory is used as a museum that
exhibits both sacred and secular artifacts
The two other refectories are older The smallest one lies southwest of the
main church At an unknown date it was transformed into the present chapel
of Mari Girgis It consists of a square room with a central pillar from which
spring four arches The third refectory which is now used fro storage lies in
the southeastern corner of the monastery
There is also a bakery and a millhouse in the northeastern corner of the
monastery The latter is the most complete example of its kind in the Wadi
Natrun
Also located on the grounds of the monastery is the Well of the Martyrs which
has been used ever since the time of Anba Bishoy It is said that the Berbers
washed the blood from their swords here after having killed the 49 Martyrs
Monks at the monastery also say that the Martyrs were thrown in the well prior
to being interned at the nearby St Marcarius Monastery It is twelve meters
deep and continues to produce fresh water which is regarded as miraculous
Following his enthronement in November of 1971 His Holiness Pope
Shenouda III selected this monastery as his pontifical residence where he
generally spends two or three days a week For this reason it is therefore the
destination of thousands of Copts who visit Wadi Naturn At one point he was
exiled to this monastery for forty months and during this time he ordained as
many as one hundred young men as monks
In recent years four hundred acres of desert land were acquired for the
monastery much of which has been cultivated Three reservoirs for drinking
water a new library a three-story guest house three large units for monastic
cells as well as lecture and conference buildings have been constructed at
the rear of the old monastery This is also the location of the pontifical
residence and the new Church of Saint Shenuda Here the number of monks
has increased to over 160 though many of these monks now serve in the
restored Upper Egyptian monasteries as well as in Coptic churches overseas
St Mary Monastery - El Sorian
Different sources indicate that the monastery was built around the fifth century There are many proofs the most important of which are The old fortress to the right of entrance of the monastery (even though it was repaired) It is well known that King Xenon (474-491 AD) was the one that built these fortresses as a token to his daughter Saint Hillary who entered monastic life in the wilderness of Shiheet and became well known everywhere There is a source in the library of London of the writings of Saint Yacoub El Serougi that is dated back to 603 AD from El Sorian Monastery Putler mentioned that the partitions of the church of St Mary-El Sorian go back to before 700 AD which resembles those in the Church of St Pishoy and the Church of St Mary-El Baramous These churches are considered the oldest in the wilderness until now Brumster mentioned in his book ldquoGuidance to the Monasteries of the Natroun Valleyrdquo that it was one of the monasteries known by the Theotokos These monasteries appeared in the fifth century after the counsel of Ephesus in 431 AD that discredited the Nestorian heresy Afterwards monasteries were built bearing the name of the Theotokos ldquoMother of Godrdquo and so it was called St Mary-El Sorian Monastery beside St Pishoy Monastery in the eastern wilderness Evelyn White mentioned that the monastery became independently run from the eighth century
Why it is Called El Sorian [The Syrian] Since the fourth century people have come from all over to the wilderness of Shiheet to visit and get blessings of the ascetic monks that reached high spiritual levels of asceticism and worship Examples of those are St Arsanius and St Maximus and Dometius who are still placed in St Mary-El Baramos Monastery There are also remnants of the old monasteries about three kilometers southeast of the monastery including the monastery of St John
Kame Abanoub the Ethiopians the Armenians and St John the Short And because people from all over came to worship the Coptic monks welcomed some Syrian monks for a period of time which is why it became famous of the Syrian [El Sorian] Monastery and also to differentiate it from St Mary-El Baramous Monastery St Mary Monastery is not St John Kame Monastery As mentioned above El Sorian Monastery was from the fifth century while the Monastery of St John Kame is from the ninth century and its ruins still exist Prince Omar Tosson built a pillar for each monastery and wrote its name on it Also the scholar Mohaub visited this monastery in 1088 AD When St John Kame Monastery was destroyed because of white ants between 1413 and 1430 AD his monks went to El Sorian Monastery and carried with them the body of St John Kame and their belongings including a marble stone that is still in El Sorian Church and engraved on it in Coptic the dates of the departure of St John Kame and his disciple St Stefanos
El Sorian Monastery in the Twentieth CenturyThe monastery became quite famous among other monasteries especially in the second half of the twentieth century when it was the leader and the initiator of monastic revival under the encouragement of Bishop Theophilus since he became the abbot of the monastery in 1948 most important of which
Monasticism A group of educated individuals entered monastic life and started working whole-heartedly to revive the monastery that group included those who reconstructed St Macarius Monastery St Paul St Mina and St George [El-Rozaykat] in addition to St Pishoy Monastery the head of which is HH Pope Shenouda III All of these monks were part of El Sorian Monastery and they had a great impact on
the revival of the church The majority of the Holy Synod that represents the leadership of the church areeducated monks that were prior to monastic life servants in their old churches and had a great impact on the priesthood from the spiritual social and intellectual standpoint During that
period a great number of monks were ordained compared to the previous period in which the number usually wouldnrsquot exceed more than twenty or forty the number of monks being ordained now is double or triple that number
Reconstruction In the early fifties when Bishop Theophillus presided over the monastery he demolished the cells that were next to
the Southern wall and built a building for the monks that were four stories high with a beautiful faccedilade It was the first modern building in the monastery and other monasteries adopted the same idea In 1988 another three-story building was constructed on top of which a water tower was built Through the encouragement of HH Pope Shenouda III in 1993 another three-story building was constructed next to that There
were two old bell towers around a guesthouse that was at the east side of St Maryrsquos church one of them is still standing and the other one was demolished Bishop Theophilus built instead of it a high tower at the north of the cells of the monks that the visitors of the monastery can see from far away In 1968 the other tower was built and was even higher than the first one HH Pope Shenouda III [who was Bishop of Education at that time] supervised personally on the construction
The Water Tower In 1955 a big water tower was built under which two water closets were built Father Moussa [the late Bishop Andrawous bishop of Damietta] who was a brilliant engineer from Alexandria was the one that designed and supervised the construction of the water tower That was the first concrete water tower built in the wilderness of
Natroun Prior to that there were only towers that were built out of aluminum and their height did not exceed two meters there were no water fountains in the monastery and only an old primitive water closet In 1988 another water tower was built over the cells of the monks with an electricity-operated water pump
The Guest House To the east of El Sorian Church was a beautiful palace which contained a large hall and many guest rooms that was built by Father Maximus in the year 1914 And in 1974 a guest housebuilding was built in its place that was five stories high and a library of the monastery was transferred to the third floor In addition a small rest house was built in the eighties to the west of El Sorian church on top of an old well and next to it was a big
traditional water pump [sakia] for the monasteryrsquos garden which was transformed after that into a library In 1987 and with the encouragement of HH Pope Shenouda III a two-story building for visitors was built to the west of the monastery
Books of the Monastery In 1951 Bishop Theophilus bought a print-shop for the monastery which was the first of its kind in the Egyptian monasteries and the monks of the monastery ran it and produced important books such as Life of the Orthodox Prayer The Book of the Seven Prayers of Famous Church Saints The Life of Saint John Kame The History of El Sorian Monastery Series of the History of the Patriarchs [four parts] The Three Holy Macari St Basil
the Great His Life Asceticism and Laws and many small booklets that were distributed free of charge like The Life of Mar Ephraim the Syrian Psalm The Lord Has Reigned Saint John Chrysostom Saint Augustine Saint George St Mark St Anna Simon Logios the Stonecutter and
Famous Sayings of Saints about Nativity Epiphany and Resurrection For ten years these sayings are still being read in the mornings of these feasts when the monks get together and read one of them And these books that were produced by El Sorian Monastery had a great impact on the spiritual life of a lot of people and even encouraged some of them to seek the monastic life
Retreat House In 1959 the retreat house was built outside the monastery and was the first one to be built in the monasteries Father Antonious El Soriani [HH Pope Shenouda III] was the guiding father of it and it was receiving large numbers of youth The monastery was enlightening the Christian youth because the quiet atmosphere was a chance for them to grow in prayers fastings spiritual readings meditation and attending
midnight praises and enjoying the desert Especially at sunset when nature coupled with the spiritual guidance of the monks a lot of the youth were led to think seriously about their spiritual lives and yearned to repeat the experience and some of them sought the monastic life And so a lot of the current monks used to spend a lot of time in this house which continued to be a living message of the church for all generations to come
- Coptic Museum Cairo
- History
- What to See
- Hanging Church Cairo
- History
- What to See
- St Georges Church Cairo
- History
- What to See
- Festivals and Events
- History
- What to See
- Mount Sinai
- In the Bible
- Authenticity
- What to See
- St Catherines Monastery Sinai
- In the Bible
- Authenticity
- History
- What to See
- St Pauls Monastery
- History
- What to See
- St Antony Monastery ndash Red Sea
- St Bishoy Monastery
- St Mary Monastery - El Sorian
which is built a church in his honour and is seen on the climb to St Antonyrsquos
cave bears witness to this faithful contemporary of our great hermit About
100 metres further up one reaches a terrace and then St Antonyrsquos blessed
cave
St Antonyrsquos cave is located about 2 km south-east of the Monastery 680
metres above the Red Sea and 276 metres above the Monastery It
comprises 3 parts the terrace the tunnel and the cave The narrow tunnel
connects the outer terrace ndash where one can imagine St Antony would sit and
weave his palm leave baskets ndash with the inner cave where he once dwelt and
is now converted into a small chapel
St Bishoy Monastery
The most eastern surviving Christian monastery in the Wadi el-Natrun of
Egypt is Dier Al Anba Bishoy (Pshoi Bishoi) which was founded by St
Bishoy (Pshoi)
The Monastery of Saint Bishoy is one of the original monasteries of Scetis Its
counterpart monastery is that of the Syrians which was built in the sixth
century by the followers of Severus or the Theodosian monks when concepts
concerning the nature of Christ forced a chrism between many monks in
Egypt
Like the Monastery of Saint Macarius the Monastery of the Romans and the
Monastery of Saint John the Little the Monastery of Saint Bishoy suffered five
sacks by the Berbers Al-Maqrizi who wrote during the fifteenth century
refers specifically to the fourth destruction of the monastery during the
patriarchate of Andronicus (616-2623) The patriarch Benjamin I (623-662) is
said to have rebuilt the monastery after that When the persecution by the
Berbers finally came to an end in the ninth century the bodies of both Saints
Bishoy and Paul of Tammua (Tamweh Tamwa) were returned to the
Monastery of Saint Bishoy
However the monastery was once again pillaged in 1096 which resulted in
its depopulation Then during the reign of patriarch Benjamin II (1327-1339)
considerable restoration of the monastery was undertaken because ants had
destroyed much of the woodwork and the buildings were near collapse
A number of visitors traveled to this monastery during late antiquity and into
more modern times Coppin went there in 1638 and Thevenot visited it in
1657 reporting it as the best of the four Wadi Natrun monasteries Then came
Wansleben in 1672 and Sicard in 1712 Granger made the journey in 1730
Sonnini in 1778 Andreossy in 1799 and Curzon in 1837 In 1839 Tattam is
said to have acquired numerous manuscripts from the monastery and in
1843 Wilkinson discovered thirteen monks in the monastery
However in 1875 when Junkers attempted to visit the monastery he was not
permitted to enter because a European before him had stolen several
manuscripts In 1881 Jullien reported that the monastery had the best water
of any in the Wadi and this was substantiated by Butler in 1883 From these
and other visitors we find that the monastery had twenty monks in 1638 four
in 1712 twelve in 1799 four in 1837 seven in 1875 fourteen in 1896 and
twenty in 1923
The monastery is nearly oblong in shape and surrounded by a defensive wall
The great wall was built in the ninth century and measures about ten meters
high and two meters wide It is one hundred and sixty-six meters on the east
and west and ninety-five meters on the north and south
Originally there were four entrances to the monastery one on each side of the
wall Today there are only two consisting of one on the north and one on the
south The main entrance is a gateway near the western end of the north wall
This gateway which possesses an inner gatehouse and a large carefully built
tower is the best preserved in the Wadi as well as the most complete and
elaborate of its kind of the four remaining monasteries
The southern half of the monastery is occupied by the church and cells of the
monks as well as by a modern patriarchal residence The greater part of the
gardens and the keep are in the northern half
The most interesting building in the monastery is the tower located at the
northwest corner of the monastery Defensive towers or keeps have been a
part of the architecture of Wadi El-Natruns monasteries since the fifth century
This was a time when the Berbers often attacked monasteries in the area
The keep at Saint Bishoy dates to the thirteenth century and is a few years
older than the keep of the Monastery of St Macarius One enters it at the
second floor level by a wooden drawbridge that rests on the roof of the
gatehouseOn the first floor are rooms where food was stored and prepared
One can see traces of an oven a mill for grains a press for grapes as well as
an olive press There is also a well some thirty meters deep
The second floor comprises the living quarters of the monks during the
periods of siege There is also a long corridor and east of this are rooms
which have cupolas supported by brick arches These have now been
transformed into a church dedicated to the Holy Virgin It has a transverse
nave and a triple sanctuary
On the north side of the roof of the tower is the Church of St Michaels one of
five in the monastery The icons on the iconostasis which date to the
eighteenth century have been restored They depict the twelve apostles in
pontifical vestments It is noteworthy that in no other monastery do we find the
Church of Saint Michael so isolated as in the Monastery of Saint Bishoy so it
is probable that at one time the keep had an additional floor like those of the
other monasteries in the Wadi
The other churches really form more of a complex of chapels with the central
and main church dedicated to Saint Bishoy It has been restored and
extended several times but it has been suggested that the most ancient parts
of the church do not predate the fifth attack which occurred between 830 and
848 on the monasteries of Wadi Natrun Indeed nothing remains of the
original church built prior to this and many principal elements of the structure
that we see today probably date from the restoration and remodeling
conducted by Benjamin II around 1330
It has a naos a three-aisled nave including a main center aisle and a western
return aisle a khurus (Choir) and it currently has a tripartite sanctuary (three
alters) The nave has a precious wooden pulpit while the wooden door
separating the two bays of the nave has decorative hexagonal panels with
arabesques and ivory inlays It probably dates to the fourteenth century The
khurus is rectangular in plan and placed transversely in relation to the nave In
the tripartite sanctuary the north one is dedicated to the Holy Virgin and is
separated from the choir by an arched portal It is a particularly long and
narrow room and its structure probably dates to the ninth century The middle
sanctuary is dedicated to Saint Bishoy and is connected with the khurus
through a high portal with ornate wooden panels dating to the Fatimed Period
However its square plan probably dates to the ninth century and its cupola
to the fourteenth The southern sanctuary is dedicated to John the Baptist
and also dates to the time of the renovations made during the fourteenth
century
The church or chapel more properly a parekklesion of St Iskhyrun (Abu
Iskhirun Iskhiron) was apparently added in the eleventh century though the
cupola is part of the renovations made by patriarch Benjamin II It is accessed
from the south side of the khurus of the Church of Saint Bishoy The plan is
almost square and opens on the east into a semi-circular apse which serves
as a sanctuary Here the relics of the holy martyr Saint Iskhyrun are kept
under the altar An icon from the seventeenth century placed on the
iconostasis separating the choir from the sanctuary depicts Iskhyrun on
horseback As is customary a wooden partition separates the nave from the
choir
The baptistery accessed by a narrow passage is located to the north of the
sanctuary of the Church of Saint Iskhyrun The diameter of the stone
baptismal font is ninety-five centimeters Only this monastery and that of al-
Baramus possess baptisteries in the Wadi This is because Coptic families
sometimes wish for their children to be baptized in holy and particularly
venerated places
Remains of wall paintings were recently discovered in the so-called Chapel of
Benjamin which probably date to the second half of the twelfth century The
restoration of the wall paintings in this section of the Monastery is not yet
complete
To the northeast of the main church and accessed from the khurus of that
church through a door set to the left of the tomb of Saint Bishoy is the Church
of the Holy Virgin which is actually dedicated to Benjamin I It features a nave
roofed with a barrel vault The sanctuary almost square in plan is separated
from the nave by a finely worked wooden iconostasis and surmounted by a
cupola This church is used during the winter months for the divine Liturgy
Built in the eleventh or the twelfth century the Church of Saint George is not
used now for services Its entrance is near the southeast corner of the main
church It has two sanctuaries and is roofed with six low cupolas The
monastery contains three refectories The ancient one is situated parallel to
the west end of the main church from which it is separated by a long narrow
vaulted corridor Its entrance is in the middle of the corridor opposite the west
entrance of the church It is a long chamber measuring twenty-seven meters
in length and four and a half meters in width divided into five domed bays by
four transverse arches The central space is roofed with a beautiful
quadripartite vault while the other four have cupolas in which some openings
admit light A masonry table takes up almost the entire length of the hall It is
strangely low only rising thirty-six centimeters Clearly the monks set cross-
legged on the floor Originally monks came here after Sunday liturgy to
celebrate the agape but today the refectory is used as a museum that
exhibits both sacred and secular artifacts
The two other refectories are older The smallest one lies southwest of the
main church At an unknown date it was transformed into the present chapel
of Mari Girgis It consists of a square room with a central pillar from which
spring four arches The third refectory which is now used fro storage lies in
the southeastern corner of the monastery
There is also a bakery and a millhouse in the northeastern corner of the
monastery The latter is the most complete example of its kind in the Wadi
Natrun
Also located on the grounds of the monastery is the Well of the Martyrs which
has been used ever since the time of Anba Bishoy It is said that the Berbers
washed the blood from their swords here after having killed the 49 Martyrs
Monks at the monastery also say that the Martyrs were thrown in the well prior
to being interned at the nearby St Marcarius Monastery It is twelve meters
deep and continues to produce fresh water which is regarded as miraculous
Following his enthronement in November of 1971 His Holiness Pope
Shenouda III selected this monastery as his pontifical residence where he
generally spends two or three days a week For this reason it is therefore the
destination of thousands of Copts who visit Wadi Naturn At one point he was
exiled to this monastery for forty months and during this time he ordained as
many as one hundred young men as monks
In recent years four hundred acres of desert land were acquired for the
monastery much of which has been cultivated Three reservoirs for drinking
water a new library a three-story guest house three large units for monastic
cells as well as lecture and conference buildings have been constructed at
the rear of the old monastery This is also the location of the pontifical
residence and the new Church of Saint Shenuda Here the number of monks
has increased to over 160 though many of these monks now serve in the
restored Upper Egyptian monasteries as well as in Coptic churches overseas
St Mary Monastery - El Sorian
Different sources indicate that the monastery was built around the fifth century There are many proofs the most important of which are The old fortress to the right of entrance of the monastery (even though it was repaired) It is well known that King Xenon (474-491 AD) was the one that built these fortresses as a token to his daughter Saint Hillary who entered monastic life in the wilderness of Shiheet and became well known everywhere There is a source in the library of London of the writings of Saint Yacoub El Serougi that is dated back to 603 AD from El Sorian Monastery Putler mentioned that the partitions of the church of St Mary-El Sorian go back to before 700 AD which resembles those in the Church of St Pishoy and the Church of St Mary-El Baramous These churches are considered the oldest in the wilderness until now Brumster mentioned in his book ldquoGuidance to the Monasteries of the Natroun Valleyrdquo that it was one of the monasteries known by the Theotokos These monasteries appeared in the fifth century after the counsel of Ephesus in 431 AD that discredited the Nestorian heresy Afterwards monasteries were built bearing the name of the Theotokos ldquoMother of Godrdquo and so it was called St Mary-El Sorian Monastery beside St Pishoy Monastery in the eastern wilderness Evelyn White mentioned that the monastery became independently run from the eighth century
Why it is Called El Sorian [The Syrian] Since the fourth century people have come from all over to the wilderness of Shiheet to visit and get blessings of the ascetic monks that reached high spiritual levels of asceticism and worship Examples of those are St Arsanius and St Maximus and Dometius who are still placed in St Mary-El Baramos Monastery There are also remnants of the old monasteries about three kilometers southeast of the monastery including the monastery of St John
Kame Abanoub the Ethiopians the Armenians and St John the Short And because people from all over came to worship the Coptic monks welcomed some Syrian monks for a period of time which is why it became famous of the Syrian [El Sorian] Monastery and also to differentiate it from St Mary-El Baramous Monastery St Mary Monastery is not St John Kame Monastery As mentioned above El Sorian Monastery was from the fifth century while the Monastery of St John Kame is from the ninth century and its ruins still exist Prince Omar Tosson built a pillar for each monastery and wrote its name on it Also the scholar Mohaub visited this monastery in 1088 AD When St John Kame Monastery was destroyed because of white ants between 1413 and 1430 AD his monks went to El Sorian Monastery and carried with them the body of St John Kame and their belongings including a marble stone that is still in El Sorian Church and engraved on it in Coptic the dates of the departure of St John Kame and his disciple St Stefanos
El Sorian Monastery in the Twentieth CenturyThe monastery became quite famous among other monasteries especially in the second half of the twentieth century when it was the leader and the initiator of monastic revival under the encouragement of Bishop Theophilus since he became the abbot of the monastery in 1948 most important of which
Monasticism A group of educated individuals entered monastic life and started working whole-heartedly to revive the monastery that group included those who reconstructed St Macarius Monastery St Paul St Mina and St George [El-Rozaykat] in addition to St Pishoy Monastery the head of which is HH Pope Shenouda III All of these monks were part of El Sorian Monastery and they had a great impact on
the revival of the church The majority of the Holy Synod that represents the leadership of the church areeducated monks that were prior to monastic life servants in their old churches and had a great impact on the priesthood from the spiritual social and intellectual standpoint During that
period a great number of monks were ordained compared to the previous period in which the number usually wouldnrsquot exceed more than twenty or forty the number of monks being ordained now is double or triple that number
Reconstruction In the early fifties when Bishop Theophillus presided over the monastery he demolished the cells that were next to
the Southern wall and built a building for the monks that were four stories high with a beautiful faccedilade It was the first modern building in the monastery and other monasteries adopted the same idea In 1988 another three-story building was constructed on top of which a water tower was built Through the encouragement of HH Pope Shenouda III in 1993 another three-story building was constructed next to that There
were two old bell towers around a guesthouse that was at the east side of St Maryrsquos church one of them is still standing and the other one was demolished Bishop Theophilus built instead of it a high tower at the north of the cells of the monks that the visitors of the monastery can see from far away In 1968 the other tower was built and was even higher than the first one HH Pope Shenouda III [who was Bishop of Education at that time] supervised personally on the construction
The Water Tower In 1955 a big water tower was built under which two water closets were built Father Moussa [the late Bishop Andrawous bishop of Damietta] who was a brilliant engineer from Alexandria was the one that designed and supervised the construction of the water tower That was the first concrete water tower built in the wilderness of
Natroun Prior to that there were only towers that were built out of aluminum and their height did not exceed two meters there were no water fountains in the monastery and only an old primitive water closet In 1988 another water tower was built over the cells of the monks with an electricity-operated water pump
The Guest House To the east of El Sorian Church was a beautiful palace which contained a large hall and many guest rooms that was built by Father Maximus in the year 1914 And in 1974 a guest housebuilding was built in its place that was five stories high and a library of the monastery was transferred to the third floor In addition a small rest house was built in the eighties to the west of El Sorian church on top of an old well and next to it was a big
traditional water pump [sakia] for the monasteryrsquos garden which was transformed after that into a library In 1987 and with the encouragement of HH Pope Shenouda III a two-story building for visitors was built to the west of the monastery
Books of the Monastery In 1951 Bishop Theophilus bought a print-shop for the monastery which was the first of its kind in the Egyptian monasteries and the monks of the monastery ran it and produced important books such as Life of the Orthodox Prayer The Book of the Seven Prayers of Famous Church Saints The Life of Saint John Kame The History of El Sorian Monastery Series of the History of the Patriarchs [four parts] The Three Holy Macari St Basil
the Great His Life Asceticism and Laws and many small booklets that were distributed free of charge like The Life of Mar Ephraim the Syrian Psalm The Lord Has Reigned Saint John Chrysostom Saint Augustine Saint George St Mark St Anna Simon Logios the Stonecutter and
Famous Sayings of Saints about Nativity Epiphany and Resurrection For ten years these sayings are still being read in the mornings of these feasts when the monks get together and read one of them And these books that were produced by El Sorian Monastery had a great impact on the spiritual life of a lot of people and even encouraged some of them to seek the monastic life
Retreat House In 1959 the retreat house was built outside the monastery and was the first one to be built in the monasteries Father Antonious El Soriani [HH Pope Shenouda III] was the guiding father of it and it was receiving large numbers of youth The monastery was enlightening the Christian youth because the quiet atmosphere was a chance for them to grow in prayers fastings spiritual readings meditation and attending
midnight praises and enjoying the desert Especially at sunset when nature coupled with the spiritual guidance of the monks a lot of the youth were led to think seriously about their spiritual lives and yearned to repeat the experience and some of them sought the monastic life And so a lot of the current monks used to spend a lot of time in this house which continued to be a living message of the church for all generations to come
- Coptic Museum Cairo
- History
- What to See
- Hanging Church Cairo
- History
- What to See
- St Georges Church Cairo
- History
- What to See
- Festivals and Events
- History
- What to See
- Mount Sinai
- In the Bible
- Authenticity
- What to See
- St Catherines Monastery Sinai
- In the Bible
- Authenticity
- History
- What to See
- St Pauls Monastery
- History
- What to See
- St Antony Monastery ndash Red Sea
- St Bishoy Monastery
- St Mary Monastery - El Sorian
The Monastery of Saint Bishoy is one of the original monasteries of Scetis Its
counterpart monastery is that of the Syrians which was built in the sixth
century by the followers of Severus or the Theodosian monks when concepts
concerning the nature of Christ forced a chrism between many monks in
Egypt
Like the Monastery of Saint Macarius the Monastery of the Romans and the
Monastery of Saint John the Little the Monastery of Saint Bishoy suffered five
sacks by the Berbers Al-Maqrizi who wrote during the fifteenth century
refers specifically to the fourth destruction of the monastery during the
patriarchate of Andronicus (616-2623) The patriarch Benjamin I (623-662) is
said to have rebuilt the monastery after that When the persecution by the
Berbers finally came to an end in the ninth century the bodies of both Saints
Bishoy and Paul of Tammua (Tamweh Tamwa) were returned to the
Monastery of Saint Bishoy
However the monastery was once again pillaged in 1096 which resulted in
its depopulation Then during the reign of patriarch Benjamin II (1327-1339)
considerable restoration of the monastery was undertaken because ants had
destroyed much of the woodwork and the buildings were near collapse
A number of visitors traveled to this monastery during late antiquity and into
more modern times Coppin went there in 1638 and Thevenot visited it in
1657 reporting it as the best of the four Wadi Natrun monasteries Then came
Wansleben in 1672 and Sicard in 1712 Granger made the journey in 1730
Sonnini in 1778 Andreossy in 1799 and Curzon in 1837 In 1839 Tattam is
said to have acquired numerous manuscripts from the monastery and in
1843 Wilkinson discovered thirteen monks in the monastery
However in 1875 when Junkers attempted to visit the monastery he was not
permitted to enter because a European before him had stolen several
manuscripts In 1881 Jullien reported that the monastery had the best water
of any in the Wadi and this was substantiated by Butler in 1883 From these
and other visitors we find that the monastery had twenty monks in 1638 four
in 1712 twelve in 1799 four in 1837 seven in 1875 fourteen in 1896 and
twenty in 1923
The monastery is nearly oblong in shape and surrounded by a defensive wall
The great wall was built in the ninth century and measures about ten meters
high and two meters wide It is one hundred and sixty-six meters on the east
and west and ninety-five meters on the north and south
Originally there were four entrances to the monastery one on each side of the
wall Today there are only two consisting of one on the north and one on the
south The main entrance is a gateway near the western end of the north wall
This gateway which possesses an inner gatehouse and a large carefully built
tower is the best preserved in the Wadi as well as the most complete and
elaborate of its kind of the four remaining monasteries
The southern half of the monastery is occupied by the church and cells of the
monks as well as by a modern patriarchal residence The greater part of the
gardens and the keep are in the northern half
The most interesting building in the monastery is the tower located at the
northwest corner of the monastery Defensive towers or keeps have been a
part of the architecture of Wadi El-Natruns monasteries since the fifth century
This was a time when the Berbers often attacked monasteries in the area
The keep at Saint Bishoy dates to the thirteenth century and is a few years
older than the keep of the Monastery of St Macarius One enters it at the
second floor level by a wooden drawbridge that rests on the roof of the
gatehouseOn the first floor are rooms where food was stored and prepared
One can see traces of an oven a mill for grains a press for grapes as well as
an olive press There is also a well some thirty meters deep
The second floor comprises the living quarters of the monks during the
periods of siege There is also a long corridor and east of this are rooms
which have cupolas supported by brick arches These have now been
transformed into a church dedicated to the Holy Virgin It has a transverse
nave and a triple sanctuary
On the north side of the roof of the tower is the Church of St Michaels one of
five in the monastery The icons on the iconostasis which date to the
eighteenth century have been restored They depict the twelve apostles in
pontifical vestments It is noteworthy that in no other monastery do we find the
Church of Saint Michael so isolated as in the Monastery of Saint Bishoy so it
is probable that at one time the keep had an additional floor like those of the
other monasteries in the Wadi
The other churches really form more of a complex of chapels with the central
and main church dedicated to Saint Bishoy It has been restored and
extended several times but it has been suggested that the most ancient parts
of the church do not predate the fifth attack which occurred between 830 and
848 on the monasteries of Wadi Natrun Indeed nothing remains of the
original church built prior to this and many principal elements of the structure
that we see today probably date from the restoration and remodeling
conducted by Benjamin II around 1330
It has a naos a three-aisled nave including a main center aisle and a western
return aisle a khurus (Choir) and it currently has a tripartite sanctuary (three
alters) The nave has a precious wooden pulpit while the wooden door
separating the two bays of the nave has decorative hexagonal panels with
arabesques and ivory inlays It probably dates to the fourteenth century The
khurus is rectangular in plan and placed transversely in relation to the nave In
the tripartite sanctuary the north one is dedicated to the Holy Virgin and is
separated from the choir by an arched portal It is a particularly long and
narrow room and its structure probably dates to the ninth century The middle
sanctuary is dedicated to Saint Bishoy and is connected with the khurus
through a high portal with ornate wooden panels dating to the Fatimed Period
However its square plan probably dates to the ninth century and its cupola
to the fourteenth The southern sanctuary is dedicated to John the Baptist
and also dates to the time of the renovations made during the fourteenth
century
The church or chapel more properly a parekklesion of St Iskhyrun (Abu
Iskhirun Iskhiron) was apparently added in the eleventh century though the
cupola is part of the renovations made by patriarch Benjamin II It is accessed
from the south side of the khurus of the Church of Saint Bishoy The plan is
almost square and opens on the east into a semi-circular apse which serves
as a sanctuary Here the relics of the holy martyr Saint Iskhyrun are kept
under the altar An icon from the seventeenth century placed on the
iconostasis separating the choir from the sanctuary depicts Iskhyrun on
horseback As is customary a wooden partition separates the nave from the
choir
The baptistery accessed by a narrow passage is located to the north of the
sanctuary of the Church of Saint Iskhyrun The diameter of the stone
baptismal font is ninety-five centimeters Only this monastery and that of al-
Baramus possess baptisteries in the Wadi This is because Coptic families
sometimes wish for their children to be baptized in holy and particularly
venerated places
Remains of wall paintings were recently discovered in the so-called Chapel of
Benjamin which probably date to the second half of the twelfth century The
restoration of the wall paintings in this section of the Monastery is not yet
complete
To the northeast of the main church and accessed from the khurus of that
church through a door set to the left of the tomb of Saint Bishoy is the Church
of the Holy Virgin which is actually dedicated to Benjamin I It features a nave
roofed with a barrel vault The sanctuary almost square in plan is separated
from the nave by a finely worked wooden iconostasis and surmounted by a
cupola This church is used during the winter months for the divine Liturgy
Built in the eleventh or the twelfth century the Church of Saint George is not
used now for services Its entrance is near the southeast corner of the main
church It has two sanctuaries and is roofed with six low cupolas The
monastery contains three refectories The ancient one is situated parallel to
the west end of the main church from which it is separated by a long narrow
vaulted corridor Its entrance is in the middle of the corridor opposite the west
entrance of the church It is a long chamber measuring twenty-seven meters
in length and four and a half meters in width divided into five domed bays by
four transverse arches The central space is roofed with a beautiful
quadripartite vault while the other four have cupolas in which some openings
admit light A masonry table takes up almost the entire length of the hall It is
strangely low only rising thirty-six centimeters Clearly the monks set cross-
legged on the floor Originally monks came here after Sunday liturgy to
celebrate the agape but today the refectory is used as a museum that
exhibits both sacred and secular artifacts
The two other refectories are older The smallest one lies southwest of the
main church At an unknown date it was transformed into the present chapel
of Mari Girgis It consists of a square room with a central pillar from which
spring four arches The third refectory which is now used fro storage lies in
the southeastern corner of the monastery
There is also a bakery and a millhouse in the northeastern corner of the
monastery The latter is the most complete example of its kind in the Wadi
Natrun
Also located on the grounds of the monastery is the Well of the Martyrs which
has been used ever since the time of Anba Bishoy It is said that the Berbers
washed the blood from their swords here after having killed the 49 Martyrs
Monks at the monastery also say that the Martyrs were thrown in the well prior
to being interned at the nearby St Marcarius Monastery It is twelve meters
deep and continues to produce fresh water which is regarded as miraculous
Following his enthronement in November of 1971 His Holiness Pope
Shenouda III selected this monastery as his pontifical residence where he
generally spends two or three days a week For this reason it is therefore the
destination of thousands of Copts who visit Wadi Naturn At one point he was
exiled to this monastery for forty months and during this time he ordained as
many as one hundred young men as monks
In recent years four hundred acres of desert land were acquired for the
monastery much of which has been cultivated Three reservoirs for drinking
water a new library a three-story guest house three large units for monastic
cells as well as lecture and conference buildings have been constructed at
the rear of the old monastery This is also the location of the pontifical
residence and the new Church of Saint Shenuda Here the number of monks
has increased to over 160 though many of these monks now serve in the
restored Upper Egyptian monasteries as well as in Coptic churches overseas
St Mary Monastery - El Sorian
Different sources indicate that the monastery was built around the fifth century There are many proofs the most important of which are The old fortress to the right of entrance of the monastery (even though it was repaired) It is well known that King Xenon (474-491 AD) was the one that built these fortresses as a token to his daughter Saint Hillary who entered monastic life in the wilderness of Shiheet and became well known everywhere There is a source in the library of London of the writings of Saint Yacoub El Serougi that is dated back to 603 AD from El Sorian Monastery Putler mentioned that the partitions of the church of St Mary-El Sorian go back to before 700 AD which resembles those in the Church of St Pishoy and the Church of St Mary-El Baramous These churches are considered the oldest in the wilderness until now Brumster mentioned in his book ldquoGuidance to the Monasteries of the Natroun Valleyrdquo that it was one of the monasteries known by the Theotokos These monasteries appeared in the fifth century after the counsel of Ephesus in 431 AD that discredited the Nestorian heresy Afterwards monasteries were built bearing the name of the Theotokos ldquoMother of Godrdquo and so it was called St Mary-El Sorian Monastery beside St Pishoy Monastery in the eastern wilderness Evelyn White mentioned that the monastery became independently run from the eighth century
Why it is Called El Sorian [The Syrian] Since the fourth century people have come from all over to the wilderness of Shiheet to visit and get blessings of the ascetic monks that reached high spiritual levels of asceticism and worship Examples of those are St Arsanius and St Maximus and Dometius who are still placed in St Mary-El Baramos Monastery There are also remnants of the old monasteries about three kilometers southeast of the monastery including the monastery of St John
Kame Abanoub the Ethiopians the Armenians and St John the Short And because people from all over came to worship the Coptic monks welcomed some Syrian monks for a period of time which is why it became famous of the Syrian [El Sorian] Monastery and also to differentiate it from St Mary-El Baramous Monastery St Mary Monastery is not St John Kame Monastery As mentioned above El Sorian Monastery was from the fifth century while the Monastery of St John Kame is from the ninth century and its ruins still exist Prince Omar Tosson built a pillar for each monastery and wrote its name on it Also the scholar Mohaub visited this monastery in 1088 AD When St John Kame Monastery was destroyed because of white ants between 1413 and 1430 AD his monks went to El Sorian Monastery and carried with them the body of St John Kame and their belongings including a marble stone that is still in El Sorian Church and engraved on it in Coptic the dates of the departure of St John Kame and his disciple St Stefanos
El Sorian Monastery in the Twentieth CenturyThe monastery became quite famous among other monasteries especially in the second half of the twentieth century when it was the leader and the initiator of monastic revival under the encouragement of Bishop Theophilus since he became the abbot of the monastery in 1948 most important of which
Monasticism A group of educated individuals entered monastic life and started working whole-heartedly to revive the monastery that group included those who reconstructed St Macarius Monastery St Paul St Mina and St George [El-Rozaykat] in addition to St Pishoy Monastery the head of which is HH Pope Shenouda III All of these monks were part of El Sorian Monastery and they had a great impact on
the revival of the church The majority of the Holy Synod that represents the leadership of the church areeducated monks that were prior to monastic life servants in their old churches and had a great impact on the priesthood from the spiritual social and intellectual standpoint During that
period a great number of monks were ordained compared to the previous period in which the number usually wouldnrsquot exceed more than twenty or forty the number of monks being ordained now is double or triple that number
Reconstruction In the early fifties when Bishop Theophillus presided over the monastery he demolished the cells that were next to
the Southern wall and built a building for the monks that were four stories high with a beautiful faccedilade It was the first modern building in the monastery and other monasteries adopted the same idea In 1988 another three-story building was constructed on top of which a water tower was built Through the encouragement of HH Pope Shenouda III in 1993 another three-story building was constructed next to that There
were two old bell towers around a guesthouse that was at the east side of St Maryrsquos church one of them is still standing and the other one was demolished Bishop Theophilus built instead of it a high tower at the north of the cells of the monks that the visitors of the monastery can see from far away In 1968 the other tower was built and was even higher than the first one HH Pope Shenouda III [who was Bishop of Education at that time] supervised personally on the construction
The Water Tower In 1955 a big water tower was built under which two water closets were built Father Moussa [the late Bishop Andrawous bishop of Damietta] who was a brilliant engineer from Alexandria was the one that designed and supervised the construction of the water tower That was the first concrete water tower built in the wilderness of
Natroun Prior to that there were only towers that were built out of aluminum and their height did not exceed two meters there were no water fountains in the monastery and only an old primitive water closet In 1988 another water tower was built over the cells of the monks with an electricity-operated water pump
The Guest House To the east of El Sorian Church was a beautiful palace which contained a large hall and many guest rooms that was built by Father Maximus in the year 1914 And in 1974 a guest housebuilding was built in its place that was five stories high and a library of the monastery was transferred to the third floor In addition a small rest house was built in the eighties to the west of El Sorian church on top of an old well and next to it was a big
traditional water pump [sakia] for the monasteryrsquos garden which was transformed after that into a library In 1987 and with the encouragement of HH Pope Shenouda III a two-story building for visitors was built to the west of the monastery
Books of the Monastery In 1951 Bishop Theophilus bought a print-shop for the monastery which was the first of its kind in the Egyptian monasteries and the monks of the monastery ran it and produced important books such as Life of the Orthodox Prayer The Book of the Seven Prayers of Famous Church Saints The Life of Saint John Kame The History of El Sorian Monastery Series of the History of the Patriarchs [four parts] The Three Holy Macari St Basil
the Great His Life Asceticism and Laws and many small booklets that were distributed free of charge like The Life of Mar Ephraim the Syrian Psalm The Lord Has Reigned Saint John Chrysostom Saint Augustine Saint George St Mark St Anna Simon Logios the Stonecutter and
Famous Sayings of Saints about Nativity Epiphany and Resurrection For ten years these sayings are still being read in the mornings of these feasts when the monks get together and read one of them And these books that were produced by El Sorian Monastery had a great impact on the spiritual life of a lot of people and even encouraged some of them to seek the monastic life
Retreat House In 1959 the retreat house was built outside the monastery and was the first one to be built in the monasteries Father Antonious El Soriani [HH Pope Shenouda III] was the guiding father of it and it was receiving large numbers of youth The monastery was enlightening the Christian youth because the quiet atmosphere was a chance for them to grow in prayers fastings spiritual readings meditation and attending
midnight praises and enjoying the desert Especially at sunset when nature coupled with the spiritual guidance of the monks a lot of the youth were led to think seriously about their spiritual lives and yearned to repeat the experience and some of them sought the monastic life And so a lot of the current monks used to spend a lot of time in this house which continued to be a living message of the church for all generations to come
- Coptic Museum Cairo
- History
- What to See
- Hanging Church Cairo
- History
- What to See
- St Georges Church Cairo
- History
- What to See
- Festivals and Events
- History
- What to See
- Mount Sinai
- In the Bible
- Authenticity
- What to See
- St Catherines Monastery Sinai
- In the Bible
- Authenticity
- History
- What to See
- St Pauls Monastery
- History
- What to See
- St Antony Monastery ndash Red Sea
- St Bishoy Monastery
- St Mary Monastery - El Sorian
A number of visitors traveled to this monastery during late antiquity and into
more modern times Coppin went there in 1638 and Thevenot visited it in
1657 reporting it as the best of the four Wadi Natrun monasteries Then came
Wansleben in 1672 and Sicard in 1712 Granger made the journey in 1730
Sonnini in 1778 Andreossy in 1799 and Curzon in 1837 In 1839 Tattam is
said to have acquired numerous manuscripts from the monastery and in
1843 Wilkinson discovered thirteen monks in the monastery
However in 1875 when Junkers attempted to visit the monastery he was not
permitted to enter because a European before him had stolen several
manuscripts In 1881 Jullien reported that the monastery had the best water
of any in the Wadi and this was substantiated by Butler in 1883 From these
and other visitors we find that the monastery had twenty monks in 1638 four
in 1712 twelve in 1799 four in 1837 seven in 1875 fourteen in 1896 and
twenty in 1923
The monastery is nearly oblong in shape and surrounded by a defensive wall
The great wall was built in the ninth century and measures about ten meters
high and two meters wide It is one hundred and sixty-six meters on the east
and west and ninety-five meters on the north and south
Originally there were four entrances to the monastery one on each side of the
wall Today there are only two consisting of one on the north and one on the
south The main entrance is a gateway near the western end of the north wall
This gateway which possesses an inner gatehouse and a large carefully built
tower is the best preserved in the Wadi as well as the most complete and
elaborate of its kind of the four remaining monasteries
The southern half of the monastery is occupied by the church and cells of the
monks as well as by a modern patriarchal residence The greater part of the
gardens and the keep are in the northern half
The most interesting building in the monastery is the tower located at the
northwest corner of the monastery Defensive towers or keeps have been a
part of the architecture of Wadi El-Natruns monasteries since the fifth century
This was a time when the Berbers often attacked monasteries in the area
The keep at Saint Bishoy dates to the thirteenth century and is a few years
older than the keep of the Monastery of St Macarius One enters it at the
second floor level by a wooden drawbridge that rests on the roof of the
gatehouseOn the first floor are rooms where food was stored and prepared
One can see traces of an oven a mill for grains a press for grapes as well as
an olive press There is also a well some thirty meters deep
The second floor comprises the living quarters of the monks during the
periods of siege There is also a long corridor and east of this are rooms
which have cupolas supported by brick arches These have now been
transformed into a church dedicated to the Holy Virgin It has a transverse
nave and a triple sanctuary
On the north side of the roof of the tower is the Church of St Michaels one of
five in the monastery The icons on the iconostasis which date to the
eighteenth century have been restored They depict the twelve apostles in
pontifical vestments It is noteworthy that in no other monastery do we find the
Church of Saint Michael so isolated as in the Monastery of Saint Bishoy so it
is probable that at one time the keep had an additional floor like those of the
other monasteries in the Wadi
The other churches really form more of a complex of chapels with the central
and main church dedicated to Saint Bishoy It has been restored and
extended several times but it has been suggested that the most ancient parts
of the church do not predate the fifth attack which occurred between 830 and
848 on the monasteries of Wadi Natrun Indeed nothing remains of the
original church built prior to this and many principal elements of the structure
that we see today probably date from the restoration and remodeling
conducted by Benjamin II around 1330
It has a naos a three-aisled nave including a main center aisle and a western
return aisle a khurus (Choir) and it currently has a tripartite sanctuary (three
alters) The nave has a precious wooden pulpit while the wooden door
separating the two bays of the nave has decorative hexagonal panels with
arabesques and ivory inlays It probably dates to the fourteenth century The
khurus is rectangular in plan and placed transversely in relation to the nave In
the tripartite sanctuary the north one is dedicated to the Holy Virgin and is
separated from the choir by an arched portal It is a particularly long and
narrow room and its structure probably dates to the ninth century The middle
sanctuary is dedicated to Saint Bishoy and is connected with the khurus
through a high portal with ornate wooden panels dating to the Fatimed Period
However its square plan probably dates to the ninth century and its cupola
to the fourteenth The southern sanctuary is dedicated to John the Baptist
and also dates to the time of the renovations made during the fourteenth
century
The church or chapel more properly a parekklesion of St Iskhyrun (Abu
Iskhirun Iskhiron) was apparently added in the eleventh century though the
cupola is part of the renovations made by patriarch Benjamin II It is accessed
from the south side of the khurus of the Church of Saint Bishoy The plan is
almost square and opens on the east into a semi-circular apse which serves
as a sanctuary Here the relics of the holy martyr Saint Iskhyrun are kept
under the altar An icon from the seventeenth century placed on the
iconostasis separating the choir from the sanctuary depicts Iskhyrun on
horseback As is customary a wooden partition separates the nave from the
choir
The baptistery accessed by a narrow passage is located to the north of the
sanctuary of the Church of Saint Iskhyrun The diameter of the stone
baptismal font is ninety-five centimeters Only this monastery and that of al-
Baramus possess baptisteries in the Wadi This is because Coptic families
sometimes wish for their children to be baptized in holy and particularly
venerated places
Remains of wall paintings were recently discovered in the so-called Chapel of
Benjamin which probably date to the second half of the twelfth century The
restoration of the wall paintings in this section of the Monastery is not yet
complete
To the northeast of the main church and accessed from the khurus of that
church through a door set to the left of the tomb of Saint Bishoy is the Church
of the Holy Virgin which is actually dedicated to Benjamin I It features a nave
roofed with a barrel vault The sanctuary almost square in plan is separated
from the nave by a finely worked wooden iconostasis and surmounted by a
cupola This church is used during the winter months for the divine Liturgy
Built in the eleventh or the twelfth century the Church of Saint George is not
used now for services Its entrance is near the southeast corner of the main
church It has two sanctuaries and is roofed with six low cupolas The
monastery contains three refectories The ancient one is situated parallel to
the west end of the main church from which it is separated by a long narrow
vaulted corridor Its entrance is in the middle of the corridor opposite the west
entrance of the church It is a long chamber measuring twenty-seven meters
in length and four and a half meters in width divided into five domed bays by
four transverse arches The central space is roofed with a beautiful
quadripartite vault while the other four have cupolas in which some openings
admit light A masonry table takes up almost the entire length of the hall It is
strangely low only rising thirty-six centimeters Clearly the monks set cross-
legged on the floor Originally monks came here after Sunday liturgy to
celebrate the agape but today the refectory is used as a museum that
exhibits both sacred and secular artifacts
The two other refectories are older The smallest one lies southwest of the
main church At an unknown date it was transformed into the present chapel
of Mari Girgis It consists of a square room with a central pillar from which
spring four arches The third refectory which is now used fro storage lies in
the southeastern corner of the monastery
There is also a bakery and a millhouse in the northeastern corner of the
monastery The latter is the most complete example of its kind in the Wadi
Natrun
Also located on the grounds of the monastery is the Well of the Martyrs which
has been used ever since the time of Anba Bishoy It is said that the Berbers
washed the blood from their swords here after having killed the 49 Martyrs
Monks at the monastery also say that the Martyrs were thrown in the well prior
to being interned at the nearby St Marcarius Monastery It is twelve meters
deep and continues to produce fresh water which is regarded as miraculous
Following his enthronement in November of 1971 His Holiness Pope
Shenouda III selected this monastery as his pontifical residence where he
generally spends two or three days a week For this reason it is therefore the
destination of thousands of Copts who visit Wadi Naturn At one point he was
exiled to this monastery for forty months and during this time he ordained as
many as one hundred young men as monks
In recent years four hundred acres of desert land were acquired for the
monastery much of which has been cultivated Three reservoirs for drinking
water a new library a three-story guest house three large units for monastic
cells as well as lecture and conference buildings have been constructed at
the rear of the old monastery This is also the location of the pontifical
residence and the new Church of Saint Shenuda Here the number of monks
has increased to over 160 though many of these monks now serve in the
restored Upper Egyptian monasteries as well as in Coptic churches overseas
St Mary Monastery - El Sorian
Different sources indicate that the monastery was built around the fifth century There are many proofs the most important of which are The old fortress to the right of entrance of the monastery (even though it was repaired) It is well known that King Xenon (474-491 AD) was the one that built these fortresses as a token to his daughter Saint Hillary who entered monastic life in the wilderness of Shiheet and became well known everywhere There is a source in the library of London of the writings of Saint Yacoub El Serougi that is dated back to 603 AD from El Sorian Monastery Putler mentioned that the partitions of the church of St Mary-El Sorian go back to before 700 AD which resembles those in the Church of St Pishoy and the Church of St Mary-El Baramous These churches are considered the oldest in the wilderness until now Brumster mentioned in his book ldquoGuidance to the Monasteries of the Natroun Valleyrdquo that it was one of the monasteries known by the Theotokos These monasteries appeared in the fifth century after the counsel of Ephesus in 431 AD that discredited the Nestorian heresy Afterwards monasteries were built bearing the name of the Theotokos ldquoMother of Godrdquo and so it was called St Mary-El Sorian Monastery beside St Pishoy Monastery in the eastern wilderness Evelyn White mentioned that the monastery became independently run from the eighth century
Why it is Called El Sorian [The Syrian] Since the fourth century people have come from all over to the wilderness of Shiheet to visit and get blessings of the ascetic monks that reached high spiritual levels of asceticism and worship Examples of those are St Arsanius and St Maximus and Dometius who are still placed in St Mary-El Baramos Monastery There are also remnants of the old monasteries about three kilometers southeast of the monastery including the monastery of St John
Kame Abanoub the Ethiopians the Armenians and St John the Short And because people from all over came to worship the Coptic monks welcomed some Syrian monks for a period of time which is why it became famous of the Syrian [El Sorian] Monastery and also to differentiate it from St Mary-El Baramous Monastery St Mary Monastery is not St John Kame Monastery As mentioned above El Sorian Monastery was from the fifth century while the Monastery of St John Kame is from the ninth century and its ruins still exist Prince Omar Tosson built a pillar for each monastery and wrote its name on it Also the scholar Mohaub visited this monastery in 1088 AD When St John Kame Monastery was destroyed because of white ants between 1413 and 1430 AD his monks went to El Sorian Monastery and carried with them the body of St John Kame and their belongings including a marble stone that is still in El Sorian Church and engraved on it in Coptic the dates of the departure of St John Kame and his disciple St Stefanos
El Sorian Monastery in the Twentieth CenturyThe monastery became quite famous among other monasteries especially in the second half of the twentieth century when it was the leader and the initiator of monastic revival under the encouragement of Bishop Theophilus since he became the abbot of the monastery in 1948 most important of which
Monasticism A group of educated individuals entered monastic life and started working whole-heartedly to revive the monastery that group included those who reconstructed St Macarius Monastery St Paul St Mina and St George [El-Rozaykat] in addition to St Pishoy Monastery the head of which is HH Pope Shenouda III All of these monks were part of El Sorian Monastery and they had a great impact on
the revival of the church The majority of the Holy Synod that represents the leadership of the church areeducated monks that were prior to monastic life servants in their old churches and had a great impact on the priesthood from the spiritual social and intellectual standpoint During that
period a great number of monks were ordained compared to the previous period in which the number usually wouldnrsquot exceed more than twenty or forty the number of monks being ordained now is double or triple that number
Reconstruction In the early fifties when Bishop Theophillus presided over the monastery he demolished the cells that were next to
the Southern wall and built a building for the monks that were four stories high with a beautiful faccedilade It was the first modern building in the monastery and other monasteries adopted the same idea In 1988 another three-story building was constructed on top of which a water tower was built Through the encouragement of HH Pope Shenouda III in 1993 another three-story building was constructed next to that There
were two old bell towers around a guesthouse that was at the east side of St Maryrsquos church one of them is still standing and the other one was demolished Bishop Theophilus built instead of it a high tower at the north of the cells of the monks that the visitors of the monastery can see from far away In 1968 the other tower was built and was even higher than the first one HH Pope Shenouda III [who was Bishop of Education at that time] supervised personally on the construction
The Water Tower In 1955 a big water tower was built under which two water closets were built Father Moussa [the late Bishop Andrawous bishop of Damietta] who was a brilliant engineer from Alexandria was the one that designed and supervised the construction of the water tower That was the first concrete water tower built in the wilderness of
Natroun Prior to that there were only towers that were built out of aluminum and their height did not exceed two meters there were no water fountains in the monastery and only an old primitive water closet In 1988 another water tower was built over the cells of the monks with an electricity-operated water pump
The Guest House To the east of El Sorian Church was a beautiful palace which contained a large hall and many guest rooms that was built by Father Maximus in the year 1914 And in 1974 a guest housebuilding was built in its place that was five stories high and a library of the monastery was transferred to the third floor In addition a small rest house was built in the eighties to the west of El Sorian church on top of an old well and next to it was a big
traditional water pump [sakia] for the monasteryrsquos garden which was transformed after that into a library In 1987 and with the encouragement of HH Pope Shenouda III a two-story building for visitors was built to the west of the monastery
Books of the Monastery In 1951 Bishop Theophilus bought a print-shop for the monastery which was the first of its kind in the Egyptian monasteries and the monks of the monastery ran it and produced important books such as Life of the Orthodox Prayer The Book of the Seven Prayers of Famous Church Saints The Life of Saint John Kame The History of El Sorian Monastery Series of the History of the Patriarchs [four parts] The Three Holy Macari St Basil
the Great His Life Asceticism and Laws and many small booklets that were distributed free of charge like The Life of Mar Ephraim the Syrian Psalm The Lord Has Reigned Saint John Chrysostom Saint Augustine Saint George St Mark St Anna Simon Logios the Stonecutter and
Famous Sayings of Saints about Nativity Epiphany and Resurrection For ten years these sayings are still being read in the mornings of these feasts when the monks get together and read one of them And these books that were produced by El Sorian Monastery had a great impact on the spiritual life of a lot of people and even encouraged some of them to seek the monastic life
Retreat House In 1959 the retreat house was built outside the monastery and was the first one to be built in the monasteries Father Antonious El Soriani [HH Pope Shenouda III] was the guiding father of it and it was receiving large numbers of youth The monastery was enlightening the Christian youth because the quiet atmosphere was a chance for them to grow in prayers fastings spiritual readings meditation and attending
midnight praises and enjoying the desert Especially at sunset when nature coupled with the spiritual guidance of the monks a lot of the youth were led to think seriously about their spiritual lives and yearned to repeat the experience and some of them sought the monastic life And so a lot of the current monks used to spend a lot of time in this house which continued to be a living message of the church for all generations to come
- Coptic Museum Cairo
- History
- What to See
- Hanging Church Cairo
- History
- What to See
- St Georges Church Cairo
- History
- What to See
- Festivals and Events
- History
- What to See
- Mount Sinai
- In the Bible
- Authenticity
- What to See
- St Catherines Monastery Sinai
- In the Bible
- Authenticity
- History
- What to See
- St Pauls Monastery
- History
- What to See
- St Antony Monastery ndash Red Sea
- St Bishoy Monastery
- St Mary Monastery - El Sorian
The southern half of the monastery is occupied by the church and cells of the
monks as well as by a modern patriarchal residence The greater part of the
gardens and the keep are in the northern half
The most interesting building in the monastery is the tower located at the
northwest corner of the monastery Defensive towers or keeps have been a
part of the architecture of Wadi El-Natruns monasteries since the fifth century
This was a time when the Berbers often attacked monasteries in the area
The keep at Saint Bishoy dates to the thirteenth century and is a few years
older than the keep of the Monastery of St Macarius One enters it at the
second floor level by a wooden drawbridge that rests on the roof of the
gatehouseOn the first floor are rooms where food was stored and prepared
One can see traces of an oven a mill for grains a press for grapes as well as
an olive press There is also a well some thirty meters deep
The second floor comprises the living quarters of the monks during the
periods of siege There is also a long corridor and east of this are rooms
which have cupolas supported by brick arches These have now been
transformed into a church dedicated to the Holy Virgin It has a transverse
nave and a triple sanctuary
On the north side of the roof of the tower is the Church of St Michaels one of
five in the monastery The icons on the iconostasis which date to the
eighteenth century have been restored They depict the twelve apostles in
pontifical vestments It is noteworthy that in no other monastery do we find the
Church of Saint Michael so isolated as in the Monastery of Saint Bishoy so it
is probable that at one time the keep had an additional floor like those of the
other monasteries in the Wadi
The other churches really form more of a complex of chapels with the central
and main church dedicated to Saint Bishoy It has been restored and
extended several times but it has been suggested that the most ancient parts
of the church do not predate the fifth attack which occurred between 830 and
848 on the monasteries of Wadi Natrun Indeed nothing remains of the
original church built prior to this and many principal elements of the structure
that we see today probably date from the restoration and remodeling
conducted by Benjamin II around 1330
It has a naos a three-aisled nave including a main center aisle and a western
return aisle a khurus (Choir) and it currently has a tripartite sanctuary (three
alters) The nave has a precious wooden pulpit while the wooden door
separating the two bays of the nave has decorative hexagonal panels with
arabesques and ivory inlays It probably dates to the fourteenth century The
khurus is rectangular in plan and placed transversely in relation to the nave In
the tripartite sanctuary the north one is dedicated to the Holy Virgin and is
separated from the choir by an arched portal It is a particularly long and
narrow room and its structure probably dates to the ninth century The middle
sanctuary is dedicated to Saint Bishoy and is connected with the khurus
through a high portal with ornate wooden panels dating to the Fatimed Period
However its square plan probably dates to the ninth century and its cupola
to the fourteenth The southern sanctuary is dedicated to John the Baptist
and also dates to the time of the renovations made during the fourteenth
century
The church or chapel more properly a parekklesion of St Iskhyrun (Abu
Iskhirun Iskhiron) was apparently added in the eleventh century though the
cupola is part of the renovations made by patriarch Benjamin II It is accessed
from the south side of the khurus of the Church of Saint Bishoy The plan is
almost square and opens on the east into a semi-circular apse which serves
as a sanctuary Here the relics of the holy martyr Saint Iskhyrun are kept
under the altar An icon from the seventeenth century placed on the
iconostasis separating the choir from the sanctuary depicts Iskhyrun on
horseback As is customary a wooden partition separates the nave from the
choir
The baptistery accessed by a narrow passage is located to the north of the
sanctuary of the Church of Saint Iskhyrun The diameter of the stone
baptismal font is ninety-five centimeters Only this monastery and that of al-
Baramus possess baptisteries in the Wadi This is because Coptic families
sometimes wish for their children to be baptized in holy and particularly
venerated places
Remains of wall paintings were recently discovered in the so-called Chapel of
Benjamin which probably date to the second half of the twelfth century The
restoration of the wall paintings in this section of the Monastery is not yet
complete
To the northeast of the main church and accessed from the khurus of that
church through a door set to the left of the tomb of Saint Bishoy is the Church
of the Holy Virgin which is actually dedicated to Benjamin I It features a nave
roofed with a barrel vault The sanctuary almost square in plan is separated
from the nave by a finely worked wooden iconostasis and surmounted by a
cupola This church is used during the winter months for the divine Liturgy
Built in the eleventh or the twelfth century the Church of Saint George is not
used now for services Its entrance is near the southeast corner of the main
church It has two sanctuaries and is roofed with six low cupolas The
monastery contains three refectories The ancient one is situated parallel to
the west end of the main church from which it is separated by a long narrow
vaulted corridor Its entrance is in the middle of the corridor opposite the west
entrance of the church It is a long chamber measuring twenty-seven meters
in length and four and a half meters in width divided into five domed bays by
four transverse arches The central space is roofed with a beautiful
quadripartite vault while the other four have cupolas in which some openings
admit light A masonry table takes up almost the entire length of the hall It is
strangely low only rising thirty-six centimeters Clearly the monks set cross-
legged on the floor Originally monks came here after Sunday liturgy to
celebrate the agape but today the refectory is used as a museum that
exhibits both sacred and secular artifacts
The two other refectories are older The smallest one lies southwest of the
main church At an unknown date it was transformed into the present chapel
of Mari Girgis It consists of a square room with a central pillar from which
spring four arches The third refectory which is now used fro storage lies in
the southeastern corner of the monastery
There is also a bakery and a millhouse in the northeastern corner of the
monastery The latter is the most complete example of its kind in the Wadi
Natrun
Also located on the grounds of the monastery is the Well of the Martyrs which
has been used ever since the time of Anba Bishoy It is said that the Berbers
washed the blood from their swords here after having killed the 49 Martyrs
Monks at the monastery also say that the Martyrs were thrown in the well prior
to being interned at the nearby St Marcarius Monastery It is twelve meters
deep and continues to produce fresh water which is regarded as miraculous
Following his enthronement in November of 1971 His Holiness Pope
Shenouda III selected this monastery as his pontifical residence where he
generally spends two or three days a week For this reason it is therefore the
destination of thousands of Copts who visit Wadi Naturn At one point he was
exiled to this monastery for forty months and during this time he ordained as
many as one hundred young men as monks
In recent years four hundred acres of desert land were acquired for the
monastery much of which has been cultivated Three reservoirs for drinking
water a new library a three-story guest house three large units for monastic
cells as well as lecture and conference buildings have been constructed at
the rear of the old monastery This is also the location of the pontifical
residence and the new Church of Saint Shenuda Here the number of monks
has increased to over 160 though many of these monks now serve in the
restored Upper Egyptian monasteries as well as in Coptic churches overseas
St Mary Monastery - El Sorian
Different sources indicate that the monastery was built around the fifth century There are many proofs the most important of which are The old fortress to the right of entrance of the monastery (even though it was repaired) It is well known that King Xenon (474-491 AD) was the one that built these fortresses as a token to his daughter Saint Hillary who entered monastic life in the wilderness of Shiheet and became well known everywhere There is a source in the library of London of the writings of Saint Yacoub El Serougi that is dated back to 603 AD from El Sorian Monastery Putler mentioned that the partitions of the church of St Mary-El Sorian go back to before 700 AD which resembles those in the Church of St Pishoy and the Church of St Mary-El Baramous These churches are considered the oldest in the wilderness until now Brumster mentioned in his book ldquoGuidance to the Monasteries of the Natroun Valleyrdquo that it was one of the monasteries known by the Theotokos These monasteries appeared in the fifth century after the counsel of Ephesus in 431 AD that discredited the Nestorian heresy Afterwards monasteries were built bearing the name of the Theotokos ldquoMother of Godrdquo and so it was called St Mary-El Sorian Monastery beside St Pishoy Monastery in the eastern wilderness Evelyn White mentioned that the monastery became independently run from the eighth century
Why it is Called El Sorian [The Syrian] Since the fourth century people have come from all over to the wilderness of Shiheet to visit and get blessings of the ascetic monks that reached high spiritual levels of asceticism and worship Examples of those are St Arsanius and St Maximus and Dometius who are still placed in St Mary-El Baramos Monastery There are also remnants of the old monasteries about three kilometers southeast of the monastery including the monastery of St John
Kame Abanoub the Ethiopians the Armenians and St John the Short And because people from all over came to worship the Coptic monks welcomed some Syrian monks for a period of time which is why it became famous of the Syrian [El Sorian] Monastery and also to differentiate it from St Mary-El Baramous Monastery St Mary Monastery is not St John Kame Monastery As mentioned above El Sorian Monastery was from the fifth century while the Monastery of St John Kame is from the ninth century and its ruins still exist Prince Omar Tosson built a pillar for each monastery and wrote its name on it Also the scholar Mohaub visited this monastery in 1088 AD When St John Kame Monastery was destroyed because of white ants between 1413 and 1430 AD his monks went to El Sorian Monastery and carried with them the body of St John Kame and their belongings including a marble stone that is still in El Sorian Church and engraved on it in Coptic the dates of the departure of St John Kame and his disciple St Stefanos
El Sorian Monastery in the Twentieth CenturyThe monastery became quite famous among other monasteries especially in the second half of the twentieth century when it was the leader and the initiator of monastic revival under the encouragement of Bishop Theophilus since he became the abbot of the monastery in 1948 most important of which
Monasticism A group of educated individuals entered monastic life and started working whole-heartedly to revive the monastery that group included those who reconstructed St Macarius Monastery St Paul St Mina and St George [El-Rozaykat] in addition to St Pishoy Monastery the head of which is HH Pope Shenouda III All of these monks were part of El Sorian Monastery and they had a great impact on
the revival of the church The majority of the Holy Synod that represents the leadership of the church areeducated monks that were prior to monastic life servants in their old churches and had a great impact on the priesthood from the spiritual social and intellectual standpoint During that
period a great number of monks were ordained compared to the previous period in which the number usually wouldnrsquot exceed more than twenty or forty the number of monks being ordained now is double or triple that number
Reconstruction In the early fifties when Bishop Theophillus presided over the monastery he demolished the cells that were next to
the Southern wall and built a building for the monks that were four stories high with a beautiful faccedilade It was the first modern building in the monastery and other monasteries adopted the same idea In 1988 another three-story building was constructed on top of which a water tower was built Through the encouragement of HH Pope Shenouda III in 1993 another three-story building was constructed next to that There
were two old bell towers around a guesthouse that was at the east side of St Maryrsquos church one of them is still standing and the other one was demolished Bishop Theophilus built instead of it a high tower at the north of the cells of the monks that the visitors of the monastery can see from far away In 1968 the other tower was built and was even higher than the first one HH Pope Shenouda III [who was Bishop of Education at that time] supervised personally on the construction
The Water Tower In 1955 a big water tower was built under which two water closets were built Father Moussa [the late Bishop Andrawous bishop of Damietta] who was a brilliant engineer from Alexandria was the one that designed and supervised the construction of the water tower That was the first concrete water tower built in the wilderness of
Natroun Prior to that there were only towers that were built out of aluminum and their height did not exceed two meters there were no water fountains in the monastery and only an old primitive water closet In 1988 another water tower was built over the cells of the monks with an electricity-operated water pump
The Guest House To the east of El Sorian Church was a beautiful palace which contained a large hall and many guest rooms that was built by Father Maximus in the year 1914 And in 1974 a guest housebuilding was built in its place that was five stories high and a library of the monastery was transferred to the third floor In addition a small rest house was built in the eighties to the west of El Sorian church on top of an old well and next to it was a big
traditional water pump [sakia] for the monasteryrsquos garden which was transformed after that into a library In 1987 and with the encouragement of HH Pope Shenouda III a two-story building for visitors was built to the west of the monastery
Books of the Monastery In 1951 Bishop Theophilus bought a print-shop for the monastery which was the first of its kind in the Egyptian monasteries and the monks of the monastery ran it and produced important books such as Life of the Orthodox Prayer The Book of the Seven Prayers of Famous Church Saints The Life of Saint John Kame The History of El Sorian Monastery Series of the History of the Patriarchs [four parts] The Three Holy Macari St Basil
the Great His Life Asceticism and Laws and many small booklets that were distributed free of charge like The Life of Mar Ephraim the Syrian Psalm The Lord Has Reigned Saint John Chrysostom Saint Augustine Saint George St Mark St Anna Simon Logios the Stonecutter and
Famous Sayings of Saints about Nativity Epiphany and Resurrection For ten years these sayings are still being read in the mornings of these feasts when the monks get together and read one of them And these books that were produced by El Sorian Monastery had a great impact on the spiritual life of a lot of people and even encouraged some of them to seek the monastic life
Retreat House In 1959 the retreat house was built outside the monastery and was the first one to be built in the monasteries Father Antonious El Soriani [HH Pope Shenouda III] was the guiding father of it and it was receiving large numbers of youth The monastery was enlightening the Christian youth because the quiet atmosphere was a chance for them to grow in prayers fastings spiritual readings meditation and attending
midnight praises and enjoying the desert Especially at sunset when nature coupled with the spiritual guidance of the monks a lot of the youth were led to think seriously about their spiritual lives and yearned to repeat the experience and some of them sought the monastic life And so a lot of the current monks used to spend a lot of time in this house which continued to be a living message of the church for all generations to come
- Coptic Museum Cairo
- History
- What to See
- Hanging Church Cairo
- History
- What to See
- St Georges Church Cairo
- History
- What to See
- Festivals and Events
- History
- What to See
- Mount Sinai
- In the Bible
- Authenticity
- What to See
- St Catherines Monastery Sinai
- In the Bible
- Authenticity
- History
- What to See
- St Pauls Monastery
- History
- What to See
- St Antony Monastery ndash Red Sea
- St Bishoy Monastery
- St Mary Monastery - El Sorian
The second floor comprises the living quarters of the monks during the
periods of siege There is also a long corridor and east of this are rooms
which have cupolas supported by brick arches These have now been
transformed into a church dedicated to the Holy Virgin It has a transverse
nave and a triple sanctuary
On the north side of the roof of the tower is the Church of St Michaels one of
five in the monastery The icons on the iconostasis which date to the
eighteenth century have been restored They depict the twelve apostles in
pontifical vestments It is noteworthy that in no other monastery do we find the
Church of Saint Michael so isolated as in the Monastery of Saint Bishoy so it
is probable that at one time the keep had an additional floor like those of the
other monasteries in the Wadi
The other churches really form more of a complex of chapels with the central
and main church dedicated to Saint Bishoy It has been restored and
extended several times but it has been suggested that the most ancient parts
of the church do not predate the fifth attack which occurred between 830 and
848 on the monasteries of Wadi Natrun Indeed nothing remains of the
original church built prior to this and many principal elements of the structure
that we see today probably date from the restoration and remodeling
conducted by Benjamin II around 1330
It has a naos a three-aisled nave including a main center aisle and a western
return aisle a khurus (Choir) and it currently has a tripartite sanctuary (three
alters) The nave has a precious wooden pulpit while the wooden door
separating the two bays of the nave has decorative hexagonal panels with
arabesques and ivory inlays It probably dates to the fourteenth century The
khurus is rectangular in plan and placed transversely in relation to the nave In
the tripartite sanctuary the north one is dedicated to the Holy Virgin and is
separated from the choir by an arched portal It is a particularly long and
narrow room and its structure probably dates to the ninth century The middle
sanctuary is dedicated to Saint Bishoy and is connected with the khurus
through a high portal with ornate wooden panels dating to the Fatimed Period
However its square plan probably dates to the ninth century and its cupola
to the fourteenth The southern sanctuary is dedicated to John the Baptist
and also dates to the time of the renovations made during the fourteenth
century
The church or chapel more properly a parekklesion of St Iskhyrun (Abu
Iskhirun Iskhiron) was apparently added in the eleventh century though the
cupola is part of the renovations made by patriarch Benjamin II It is accessed
from the south side of the khurus of the Church of Saint Bishoy The plan is
almost square and opens on the east into a semi-circular apse which serves
as a sanctuary Here the relics of the holy martyr Saint Iskhyrun are kept
under the altar An icon from the seventeenth century placed on the
iconostasis separating the choir from the sanctuary depicts Iskhyrun on
horseback As is customary a wooden partition separates the nave from the
choir
The baptistery accessed by a narrow passage is located to the north of the
sanctuary of the Church of Saint Iskhyrun The diameter of the stone
baptismal font is ninety-five centimeters Only this monastery and that of al-
Baramus possess baptisteries in the Wadi This is because Coptic families
sometimes wish for their children to be baptized in holy and particularly
venerated places
Remains of wall paintings were recently discovered in the so-called Chapel of
Benjamin which probably date to the second half of the twelfth century The
restoration of the wall paintings in this section of the Monastery is not yet
complete
To the northeast of the main church and accessed from the khurus of that
church through a door set to the left of the tomb of Saint Bishoy is the Church
of the Holy Virgin which is actually dedicated to Benjamin I It features a nave
roofed with a barrel vault The sanctuary almost square in plan is separated
from the nave by a finely worked wooden iconostasis and surmounted by a
cupola This church is used during the winter months for the divine Liturgy
Built in the eleventh or the twelfth century the Church of Saint George is not
used now for services Its entrance is near the southeast corner of the main
church It has two sanctuaries and is roofed with six low cupolas The
monastery contains three refectories The ancient one is situated parallel to
the west end of the main church from which it is separated by a long narrow
vaulted corridor Its entrance is in the middle of the corridor opposite the west
entrance of the church It is a long chamber measuring twenty-seven meters
in length and four and a half meters in width divided into five domed bays by
four transverse arches The central space is roofed with a beautiful
quadripartite vault while the other four have cupolas in which some openings
admit light A masonry table takes up almost the entire length of the hall It is
strangely low only rising thirty-six centimeters Clearly the monks set cross-
legged on the floor Originally monks came here after Sunday liturgy to
celebrate the agape but today the refectory is used as a museum that
exhibits both sacred and secular artifacts
The two other refectories are older The smallest one lies southwest of the
main church At an unknown date it was transformed into the present chapel
of Mari Girgis It consists of a square room with a central pillar from which
spring four arches The third refectory which is now used fro storage lies in
the southeastern corner of the monastery
There is also a bakery and a millhouse in the northeastern corner of the
monastery The latter is the most complete example of its kind in the Wadi
Natrun
Also located on the grounds of the monastery is the Well of the Martyrs which
has been used ever since the time of Anba Bishoy It is said that the Berbers
washed the blood from their swords here after having killed the 49 Martyrs
Monks at the monastery also say that the Martyrs were thrown in the well prior
to being interned at the nearby St Marcarius Monastery It is twelve meters
deep and continues to produce fresh water which is regarded as miraculous
Following his enthronement in November of 1971 His Holiness Pope
Shenouda III selected this monastery as his pontifical residence where he
generally spends two or three days a week For this reason it is therefore the
destination of thousands of Copts who visit Wadi Naturn At one point he was
exiled to this monastery for forty months and during this time he ordained as
many as one hundred young men as monks
In recent years four hundred acres of desert land were acquired for the
monastery much of which has been cultivated Three reservoirs for drinking
water a new library a three-story guest house three large units for monastic
cells as well as lecture and conference buildings have been constructed at
the rear of the old monastery This is also the location of the pontifical
residence and the new Church of Saint Shenuda Here the number of monks
has increased to over 160 though many of these monks now serve in the
restored Upper Egyptian monasteries as well as in Coptic churches overseas
St Mary Monastery - El Sorian
Different sources indicate that the monastery was built around the fifth century There are many proofs the most important of which are The old fortress to the right of entrance of the monastery (even though it was repaired) It is well known that King Xenon (474-491 AD) was the one that built these fortresses as a token to his daughter Saint Hillary who entered monastic life in the wilderness of Shiheet and became well known everywhere There is a source in the library of London of the writings of Saint Yacoub El Serougi that is dated back to 603 AD from El Sorian Monastery Putler mentioned that the partitions of the church of St Mary-El Sorian go back to before 700 AD which resembles those in the Church of St Pishoy and the Church of St Mary-El Baramous These churches are considered the oldest in the wilderness until now Brumster mentioned in his book ldquoGuidance to the Monasteries of the Natroun Valleyrdquo that it was one of the monasteries known by the Theotokos These monasteries appeared in the fifth century after the counsel of Ephesus in 431 AD that discredited the Nestorian heresy Afterwards monasteries were built bearing the name of the Theotokos ldquoMother of Godrdquo and so it was called St Mary-El Sorian Monastery beside St Pishoy Monastery in the eastern wilderness Evelyn White mentioned that the monastery became independently run from the eighth century
Why it is Called El Sorian [The Syrian] Since the fourth century people have come from all over to the wilderness of Shiheet to visit and get blessings of the ascetic monks that reached high spiritual levels of asceticism and worship Examples of those are St Arsanius and St Maximus and Dometius who are still placed in St Mary-El Baramos Monastery There are also remnants of the old monasteries about three kilometers southeast of the monastery including the monastery of St John
Kame Abanoub the Ethiopians the Armenians and St John the Short And because people from all over came to worship the Coptic monks welcomed some Syrian monks for a period of time which is why it became famous of the Syrian [El Sorian] Monastery and also to differentiate it from St Mary-El Baramous Monastery St Mary Monastery is not St John Kame Monastery As mentioned above El Sorian Monastery was from the fifth century while the Monastery of St John Kame is from the ninth century and its ruins still exist Prince Omar Tosson built a pillar for each monastery and wrote its name on it Also the scholar Mohaub visited this monastery in 1088 AD When St John Kame Monastery was destroyed because of white ants between 1413 and 1430 AD his monks went to El Sorian Monastery and carried with them the body of St John Kame and their belongings including a marble stone that is still in El Sorian Church and engraved on it in Coptic the dates of the departure of St John Kame and his disciple St Stefanos
El Sorian Monastery in the Twentieth CenturyThe monastery became quite famous among other monasteries especially in the second half of the twentieth century when it was the leader and the initiator of monastic revival under the encouragement of Bishop Theophilus since he became the abbot of the monastery in 1948 most important of which
Monasticism A group of educated individuals entered monastic life and started working whole-heartedly to revive the monastery that group included those who reconstructed St Macarius Monastery St Paul St Mina and St George [El-Rozaykat] in addition to St Pishoy Monastery the head of which is HH Pope Shenouda III All of these monks were part of El Sorian Monastery and they had a great impact on
the revival of the church The majority of the Holy Synod that represents the leadership of the church areeducated monks that were prior to monastic life servants in their old churches and had a great impact on the priesthood from the spiritual social and intellectual standpoint During that
period a great number of monks were ordained compared to the previous period in which the number usually wouldnrsquot exceed more than twenty or forty the number of monks being ordained now is double or triple that number
Reconstruction In the early fifties when Bishop Theophillus presided over the monastery he demolished the cells that were next to
the Southern wall and built a building for the monks that were four stories high with a beautiful faccedilade It was the first modern building in the monastery and other monasteries adopted the same idea In 1988 another three-story building was constructed on top of which a water tower was built Through the encouragement of HH Pope Shenouda III in 1993 another three-story building was constructed next to that There
were two old bell towers around a guesthouse that was at the east side of St Maryrsquos church one of them is still standing and the other one was demolished Bishop Theophilus built instead of it a high tower at the north of the cells of the monks that the visitors of the monastery can see from far away In 1968 the other tower was built and was even higher than the first one HH Pope Shenouda III [who was Bishop of Education at that time] supervised personally on the construction
The Water Tower In 1955 a big water tower was built under which two water closets were built Father Moussa [the late Bishop Andrawous bishop of Damietta] who was a brilliant engineer from Alexandria was the one that designed and supervised the construction of the water tower That was the first concrete water tower built in the wilderness of
Natroun Prior to that there were only towers that were built out of aluminum and their height did not exceed two meters there were no water fountains in the monastery and only an old primitive water closet In 1988 another water tower was built over the cells of the monks with an electricity-operated water pump
The Guest House To the east of El Sorian Church was a beautiful palace which contained a large hall and many guest rooms that was built by Father Maximus in the year 1914 And in 1974 a guest housebuilding was built in its place that was five stories high and a library of the monastery was transferred to the third floor In addition a small rest house was built in the eighties to the west of El Sorian church on top of an old well and next to it was a big
traditional water pump [sakia] for the monasteryrsquos garden which was transformed after that into a library In 1987 and with the encouragement of HH Pope Shenouda III a two-story building for visitors was built to the west of the monastery
Books of the Monastery In 1951 Bishop Theophilus bought a print-shop for the monastery which was the first of its kind in the Egyptian monasteries and the monks of the monastery ran it and produced important books such as Life of the Orthodox Prayer The Book of the Seven Prayers of Famous Church Saints The Life of Saint John Kame The History of El Sorian Monastery Series of the History of the Patriarchs [four parts] The Three Holy Macari St Basil
the Great His Life Asceticism and Laws and many small booklets that were distributed free of charge like The Life of Mar Ephraim the Syrian Psalm The Lord Has Reigned Saint John Chrysostom Saint Augustine Saint George St Mark St Anna Simon Logios the Stonecutter and
Famous Sayings of Saints about Nativity Epiphany and Resurrection For ten years these sayings are still being read in the mornings of these feasts when the monks get together and read one of them And these books that were produced by El Sorian Monastery had a great impact on the spiritual life of a lot of people and even encouraged some of them to seek the monastic life
Retreat House In 1959 the retreat house was built outside the monastery and was the first one to be built in the monasteries Father Antonious El Soriani [HH Pope Shenouda III] was the guiding father of it and it was receiving large numbers of youth The monastery was enlightening the Christian youth because the quiet atmosphere was a chance for them to grow in prayers fastings spiritual readings meditation and attending
midnight praises and enjoying the desert Especially at sunset when nature coupled with the spiritual guidance of the monks a lot of the youth were led to think seriously about their spiritual lives and yearned to repeat the experience and some of them sought the monastic life And so a lot of the current monks used to spend a lot of time in this house which continued to be a living message of the church for all generations to come
- Coptic Museum Cairo
- History
- What to See
- Hanging Church Cairo
- History
- What to See
- St Georges Church Cairo
- History
- What to See
- Festivals and Events
- History
- What to See
- Mount Sinai
- In the Bible
- Authenticity
- What to See
- St Catherines Monastery Sinai
- In the Bible
- Authenticity
- History
- What to See
- St Pauls Monastery
- History
- What to See
- St Antony Monastery ndash Red Sea
- St Bishoy Monastery
- St Mary Monastery - El Sorian
and also dates to the time of the renovations made during the fourteenth
century
The church or chapel more properly a parekklesion of St Iskhyrun (Abu
Iskhirun Iskhiron) was apparently added in the eleventh century though the
cupola is part of the renovations made by patriarch Benjamin II It is accessed
from the south side of the khurus of the Church of Saint Bishoy The plan is
almost square and opens on the east into a semi-circular apse which serves
as a sanctuary Here the relics of the holy martyr Saint Iskhyrun are kept
under the altar An icon from the seventeenth century placed on the
iconostasis separating the choir from the sanctuary depicts Iskhyrun on
horseback As is customary a wooden partition separates the nave from the
choir
The baptistery accessed by a narrow passage is located to the north of the
sanctuary of the Church of Saint Iskhyrun The diameter of the stone
baptismal font is ninety-five centimeters Only this monastery and that of al-
Baramus possess baptisteries in the Wadi This is because Coptic families
sometimes wish for their children to be baptized in holy and particularly
venerated places
Remains of wall paintings were recently discovered in the so-called Chapel of
Benjamin which probably date to the second half of the twelfth century The
restoration of the wall paintings in this section of the Monastery is not yet
complete
To the northeast of the main church and accessed from the khurus of that
church through a door set to the left of the tomb of Saint Bishoy is the Church
of the Holy Virgin which is actually dedicated to Benjamin I It features a nave
roofed with a barrel vault The sanctuary almost square in plan is separated
from the nave by a finely worked wooden iconostasis and surmounted by a
cupola This church is used during the winter months for the divine Liturgy
Built in the eleventh or the twelfth century the Church of Saint George is not
used now for services Its entrance is near the southeast corner of the main
church It has two sanctuaries and is roofed with six low cupolas The
monastery contains three refectories The ancient one is situated parallel to
the west end of the main church from which it is separated by a long narrow
vaulted corridor Its entrance is in the middle of the corridor opposite the west
entrance of the church It is a long chamber measuring twenty-seven meters
in length and four and a half meters in width divided into five domed bays by
four transverse arches The central space is roofed with a beautiful
quadripartite vault while the other four have cupolas in which some openings
admit light A masonry table takes up almost the entire length of the hall It is
strangely low only rising thirty-six centimeters Clearly the monks set cross-
legged on the floor Originally monks came here after Sunday liturgy to
celebrate the agape but today the refectory is used as a museum that
exhibits both sacred and secular artifacts
The two other refectories are older The smallest one lies southwest of the
main church At an unknown date it was transformed into the present chapel
of Mari Girgis It consists of a square room with a central pillar from which
spring four arches The third refectory which is now used fro storage lies in
the southeastern corner of the monastery
There is also a bakery and a millhouse in the northeastern corner of the
monastery The latter is the most complete example of its kind in the Wadi
Natrun
Also located on the grounds of the monastery is the Well of the Martyrs which
has been used ever since the time of Anba Bishoy It is said that the Berbers
washed the blood from their swords here after having killed the 49 Martyrs
Monks at the monastery also say that the Martyrs were thrown in the well prior
to being interned at the nearby St Marcarius Monastery It is twelve meters
deep and continues to produce fresh water which is regarded as miraculous
Following his enthronement in November of 1971 His Holiness Pope
Shenouda III selected this monastery as his pontifical residence where he
generally spends two or three days a week For this reason it is therefore the
destination of thousands of Copts who visit Wadi Naturn At one point he was
exiled to this monastery for forty months and during this time he ordained as
many as one hundred young men as monks
In recent years four hundred acres of desert land were acquired for the
monastery much of which has been cultivated Three reservoirs for drinking
water a new library a three-story guest house three large units for monastic
cells as well as lecture and conference buildings have been constructed at
the rear of the old monastery This is also the location of the pontifical
residence and the new Church of Saint Shenuda Here the number of monks
has increased to over 160 though many of these monks now serve in the
restored Upper Egyptian monasteries as well as in Coptic churches overseas
St Mary Monastery - El Sorian
Different sources indicate that the monastery was built around the fifth century There are many proofs the most important of which are The old fortress to the right of entrance of the monastery (even though it was repaired) It is well known that King Xenon (474-491 AD) was the one that built these fortresses as a token to his daughter Saint Hillary who entered monastic life in the wilderness of Shiheet and became well known everywhere There is a source in the library of London of the writings of Saint Yacoub El Serougi that is dated back to 603 AD from El Sorian Monastery Putler mentioned that the partitions of the church of St Mary-El Sorian go back to before 700 AD which resembles those in the Church of St Pishoy and the Church of St Mary-El Baramous These churches are considered the oldest in the wilderness until now Brumster mentioned in his book ldquoGuidance to the Monasteries of the Natroun Valleyrdquo that it was one of the monasteries known by the Theotokos These monasteries appeared in the fifth century after the counsel of Ephesus in 431 AD that discredited the Nestorian heresy Afterwards monasteries were built bearing the name of the Theotokos ldquoMother of Godrdquo and so it was called St Mary-El Sorian Monastery beside St Pishoy Monastery in the eastern wilderness Evelyn White mentioned that the monastery became independently run from the eighth century
Why it is Called El Sorian [The Syrian] Since the fourth century people have come from all over to the wilderness of Shiheet to visit and get blessings of the ascetic monks that reached high spiritual levels of asceticism and worship Examples of those are St Arsanius and St Maximus and Dometius who are still placed in St Mary-El Baramos Monastery There are also remnants of the old monasteries about three kilometers southeast of the monastery including the monastery of St John
Kame Abanoub the Ethiopians the Armenians and St John the Short And because people from all over came to worship the Coptic monks welcomed some Syrian monks for a period of time which is why it became famous of the Syrian [El Sorian] Monastery and also to differentiate it from St Mary-El Baramous Monastery St Mary Monastery is not St John Kame Monastery As mentioned above El Sorian Monastery was from the fifth century while the Monastery of St John Kame is from the ninth century and its ruins still exist Prince Omar Tosson built a pillar for each monastery and wrote its name on it Also the scholar Mohaub visited this monastery in 1088 AD When St John Kame Monastery was destroyed because of white ants between 1413 and 1430 AD his monks went to El Sorian Monastery and carried with them the body of St John Kame and their belongings including a marble stone that is still in El Sorian Church and engraved on it in Coptic the dates of the departure of St John Kame and his disciple St Stefanos
El Sorian Monastery in the Twentieth CenturyThe monastery became quite famous among other monasteries especially in the second half of the twentieth century when it was the leader and the initiator of monastic revival under the encouragement of Bishop Theophilus since he became the abbot of the monastery in 1948 most important of which
Monasticism A group of educated individuals entered monastic life and started working whole-heartedly to revive the monastery that group included those who reconstructed St Macarius Monastery St Paul St Mina and St George [El-Rozaykat] in addition to St Pishoy Monastery the head of which is HH Pope Shenouda III All of these monks were part of El Sorian Monastery and they had a great impact on
the revival of the church The majority of the Holy Synod that represents the leadership of the church areeducated monks that were prior to monastic life servants in their old churches and had a great impact on the priesthood from the spiritual social and intellectual standpoint During that
period a great number of monks were ordained compared to the previous period in which the number usually wouldnrsquot exceed more than twenty or forty the number of monks being ordained now is double or triple that number
Reconstruction In the early fifties when Bishop Theophillus presided over the monastery he demolished the cells that were next to
the Southern wall and built a building for the monks that were four stories high with a beautiful faccedilade It was the first modern building in the monastery and other monasteries adopted the same idea In 1988 another three-story building was constructed on top of which a water tower was built Through the encouragement of HH Pope Shenouda III in 1993 another three-story building was constructed next to that There
were two old bell towers around a guesthouse that was at the east side of St Maryrsquos church one of them is still standing and the other one was demolished Bishop Theophilus built instead of it a high tower at the north of the cells of the monks that the visitors of the monastery can see from far away In 1968 the other tower was built and was even higher than the first one HH Pope Shenouda III [who was Bishop of Education at that time] supervised personally on the construction
The Water Tower In 1955 a big water tower was built under which two water closets were built Father Moussa [the late Bishop Andrawous bishop of Damietta] who was a brilliant engineer from Alexandria was the one that designed and supervised the construction of the water tower That was the first concrete water tower built in the wilderness of
Natroun Prior to that there were only towers that were built out of aluminum and their height did not exceed two meters there were no water fountains in the monastery and only an old primitive water closet In 1988 another water tower was built over the cells of the monks with an electricity-operated water pump
The Guest House To the east of El Sorian Church was a beautiful palace which contained a large hall and many guest rooms that was built by Father Maximus in the year 1914 And in 1974 a guest housebuilding was built in its place that was five stories high and a library of the monastery was transferred to the third floor In addition a small rest house was built in the eighties to the west of El Sorian church on top of an old well and next to it was a big
traditional water pump [sakia] for the monasteryrsquos garden which was transformed after that into a library In 1987 and with the encouragement of HH Pope Shenouda III a two-story building for visitors was built to the west of the monastery
Books of the Monastery In 1951 Bishop Theophilus bought a print-shop for the monastery which was the first of its kind in the Egyptian monasteries and the monks of the monastery ran it and produced important books such as Life of the Orthodox Prayer The Book of the Seven Prayers of Famous Church Saints The Life of Saint John Kame The History of El Sorian Monastery Series of the History of the Patriarchs [four parts] The Three Holy Macari St Basil
the Great His Life Asceticism and Laws and many small booklets that were distributed free of charge like The Life of Mar Ephraim the Syrian Psalm The Lord Has Reigned Saint John Chrysostom Saint Augustine Saint George St Mark St Anna Simon Logios the Stonecutter and
Famous Sayings of Saints about Nativity Epiphany and Resurrection For ten years these sayings are still being read in the mornings of these feasts when the monks get together and read one of them And these books that were produced by El Sorian Monastery had a great impact on the spiritual life of a lot of people and even encouraged some of them to seek the monastic life
Retreat House In 1959 the retreat house was built outside the monastery and was the first one to be built in the monasteries Father Antonious El Soriani [HH Pope Shenouda III] was the guiding father of it and it was receiving large numbers of youth The monastery was enlightening the Christian youth because the quiet atmosphere was a chance for them to grow in prayers fastings spiritual readings meditation and attending
midnight praises and enjoying the desert Especially at sunset when nature coupled with the spiritual guidance of the monks a lot of the youth were led to think seriously about their spiritual lives and yearned to repeat the experience and some of them sought the monastic life And so a lot of the current monks used to spend a lot of time in this house which continued to be a living message of the church for all generations to come
- Coptic Museum Cairo
- History
- What to See
- Hanging Church Cairo
- History
- What to See
- St Georges Church Cairo
- History
- What to See
- Festivals and Events
- History
- What to See
- Mount Sinai
- In the Bible
- Authenticity
- What to See
- St Catherines Monastery Sinai
- In the Bible
- Authenticity
- History
- What to See
- St Pauls Monastery
- History
- What to See
- St Antony Monastery ndash Red Sea
- St Bishoy Monastery
- St Mary Monastery - El Sorian
of the Holy Virgin which is actually dedicated to Benjamin I It features a nave
roofed with a barrel vault The sanctuary almost square in plan is separated
from the nave by a finely worked wooden iconostasis and surmounted by a
cupola This church is used during the winter months for the divine Liturgy
Built in the eleventh or the twelfth century the Church of Saint George is not
used now for services Its entrance is near the southeast corner of the main
church It has two sanctuaries and is roofed with six low cupolas The
monastery contains three refectories The ancient one is situated parallel to
the west end of the main church from which it is separated by a long narrow
vaulted corridor Its entrance is in the middle of the corridor opposite the west
entrance of the church It is a long chamber measuring twenty-seven meters
in length and four and a half meters in width divided into five domed bays by
four transverse arches The central space is roofed with a beautiful
quadripartite vault while the other four have cupolas in which some openings
admit light A masonry table takes up almost the entire length of the hall It is
strangely low only rising thirty-six centimeters Clearly the monks set cross-
legged on the floor Originally monks came here after Sunday liturgy to
celebrate the agape but today the refectory is used as a museum that
exhibits both sacred and secular artifacts
The two other refectories are older The smallest one lies southwest of the
main church At an unknown date it was transformed into the present chapel
of Mari Girgis It consists of a square room with a central pillar from which
spring four arches The third refectory which is now used fro storage lies in
the southeastern corner of the monastery
There is also a bakery and a millhouse in the northeastern corner of the
monastery The latter is the most complete example of its kind in the Wadi
Natrun
Also located on the grounds of the monastery is the Well of the Martyrs which
has been used ever since the time of Anba Bishoy It is said that the Berbers
washed the blood from their swords here after having killed the 49 Martyrs
Monks at the monastery also say that the Martyrs were thrown in the well prior
to being interned at the nearby St Marcarius Monastery It is twelve meters
deep and continues to produce fresh water which is regarded as miraculous
Following his enthronement in November of 1971 His Holiness Pope
Shenouda III selected this monastery as his pontifical residence where he
generally spends two or three days a week For this reason it is therefore the
destination of thousands of Copts who visit Wadi Naturn At one point he was
exiled to this monastery for forty months and during this time he ordained as
many as one hundred young men as monks
In recent years four hundred acres of desert land were acquired for the
monastery much of which has been cultivated Three reservoirs for drinking
water a new library a three-story guest house three large units for monastic
cells as well as lecture and conference buildings have been constructed at
the rear of the old monastery This is also the location of the pontifical
residence and the new Church of Saint Shenuda Here the number of monks
has increased to over 160 though many of these monks now serve in the
restored Upper Egyptian monasteries as well as in Coptic churches overseas
St Mary Monastery - El Sorian
Different sources indicate that the monastery was built around the fifth century There are many proofs the most important of which are The old fortress to the right of entrance of the monastery (even though it was repaired) It is well known that King Xenon (474-491 AD) was the one that built these fortresses as a token to his daughter Saint Hillary who entered monastic life in the wilderness of Shiheet and became well known everywhere There is a source in the library of London of the writings of Saint Yacoub El Serougi that is dated back to 603 AD from El Sorian Monastery Putler mentioned that the partitions of the church of St Mary-El Sorian go back to before 700 AD which resembles those in the Church of St Pishoy and the Church of St Mary-El Baramous These churches are considered the oldest in the wilderness until now Brumster mentioned in his book ldquoGuidance to the Monasteries of the Natroun Valleyrdquo that it was one of the monasteries known by the Theotokos These monasteries appeared in the fifth century after the counsel of Ephesus in 431 AD that discredited the Nestorian heresy Afterwards monasteries were built bearing the name of the Theotokos ldquoMother of Godrdquo and so it was called St Mary-El Sorian Monastery beside St Pishoy Monastery in the eastern wilderness Evelyn White mentioned that the monastery became independently run from the eighth century
Why it is Called El Sorian [The Syrian] Since the fourth century people have come from all over to the wilderness of Shiheet to visit and get blessings of the ascetic monks that reached high spiritual levels of asceticism and worship Examples of those are St Arsanius and St Maximus and Dometius who are still placed in St Mary-El Baramos Monastery There are also remnants of the old monasteries about three kilometers southeast of the monastery including the monastery of St John
Kame Abanoub the Ethiopians the Armenians and St John the Short And because people from all over came to worship the Coptic monks welcomed some Syrian monks for a period of time which is why it became famous of the Syrian [El Sorian] Monastery and also to differentiate it from St Mary-El Baramous Monastery St Mary Monastery is not St John Kame Monastery As mentioned above El Sorian Monastery was from the fifth century while the Monastery of St John Kame is from the ninth century and its ruins still exist Prince Omar Tosson built a pillar for each monastery and wrote its name on it Also the scholar Mohaub visited this monastery in 1088 AD When St John Kame Monastery was destroyed because of white ants between 1413 and 1430 AD his monks went to El Sorian Monastery and carried with them the body of St John Kame and their belongings including a marble stone that is still in El Sorian Church and engraved on it in Coptic the dates of the departure of St John Kame and his disciple St Stefanos
El Sorian Monastery in the Twentieth CenturyThe monastery became quite famous among other monasteries especially in the second half of the twentieth century when it was the leader and the initiator of monastic revival under the encouragement of Bishop Theophilus since he became the abbot of the monastery in 1948 most important of which
Monasticism A group of educated individuals entered monastic life and started working whole-heartedly to revive the monastery that group included those who reconstructed St Macarius Monastery St Paul St Mina and St George [El-Rozaykat] in addition to St Pishoy Monastery the head of which is HH Pope Shenouda III All of these monks were part of El Sorian Monastery and they had a great impact on
the revival of the church The majority of the Holy Synod that represents the leadership of the church areeducated monks that were prior to monastic life servants in their old churches and had a great impact on the priesthood from the spiritual social and intellectual standpoint During that
period a great number of monks were ordained compared to the previous period in which the number usually wouldnrsquot exceed more than twenty or forty the number of monks being ordained now is double or triple that number
Reconstruction In the early fifties when Bishop Theophillus presided over the monastery he demolished the cells that were next to
the Southern wall and built a building for the monks that were four stories high with a beautiful faccedilade It was the first modern building in the monastery and other monasteries adopted the same idea In 1988 another three-story building was constructed on top of which a water tower was built Through the encouragement of HH Pope Shenouda III in 1993 another three-story building was constructed next to that There
were two old bell towers around a guesthouse that was at the east side of St Maryrsquos church one of them is still standing and the other one was demolished Bishop Theophilus built instead of it a high tower at the north of the cells of the monks that the visitors of the monastery can see from far away In 1968 the other tower was built and was even higher than the first one HH Pope Shenouda III [who was Bishop of Education at that time] supervised personally on the construction
The Water Tower In 1955 a big water tower was built under which two water closets were built Father Moussa [the late Bishop Andrawous bishop of Damietta] who was a brilliant engineer from Alexandria was the one that designed and supervised the construction of the water tower That was the first concrete water tower built in the wilderness of
Natroun Prior to that there were only towers that were built out of aluminum and their height did not exceed two meters there were no water fountains in the monastery and only an old primitive water closet In 1988 another water tower was built over the cells of the monks with an electricity-operated water pump
The Guest House To the east of El Sorian Church was a beautiful palace which contained a large hall and many guest rooms that was built by Father Maximus in the year 1914 And in 1974 a guest housebuilding was built in its place that was five stories high and a library of the monastery was transferred to the third floor In addition a small rest house was built in the eighties to the west of El Sorian church on top of an old well and next to it was a big
traditional water pump [sakia] for the monasteryrsquos garden which was transformed after that into a library In 1987 and with the encouragement of HH Pope Shenouda III a two-story building for visitors was built to the west of the monastery
Books of the Monastery In 1951 Bishop Theophilus bought a print-shop for the monastery which was the first of its kind in the Egyptian monasteries and the monks of the monastery ran it and produced important books such as Life of the Orthodox Prayer The Book of the Seven Prayers of Famous Church Saints The Life of Saint John Kame The History of El Sorian Monastery Series of the History of the Patriarchs [four parts] The Three Holy Macari St Basil
the Great His Life Asceticism and Laws and many small booklets that were distributed free of charge like The Life of Mar Ephraim the Syrian Psalm The Lord Has Reigned Saint John Chrysostom Saint Augustine Saint George St Mark St Anna Simon Logios the Stonecutter and
Famous Sayings of Saints about Nativity Epiphany and Resurrection For ten years these sayings are still being read in the mornings of these feasts when the monks get together and read one of them And these books that were produced by El Sorian Monastery had a great impact on the spiritual life of a lot of people and even encouraged some of them to seek the monastic life
Retreat House In 1959 the retreat house was built outside the monastery and was the first one to be built in the monasteries Father Antonious El Soriani [HH Pope Shenouda III] was the guiding father of it and it was receiving large numbers of youth The monastery was enlightening the Christian youth because the quiet atmosphere was a chance for them to grow in prayers fastings spiritual readings meditation and attending
midnight praises and enjoying the desert Especially at sunset when nature coupled with the spiritual guidance of the monks a lot of the youth were led to think seriously about their spiritual lives and yearned to repeat the experience and some of them sought the monastic life And so a lot of the current monks used to spend a lot of time in this house which continued to be a living message of the church for all generations to come
- Coptic Museum Cairo
- History
- What to See
- Hanging Church Cairo
- History
- What to See
- St Georges Church Cairo
- History
- What to See
- Festivals and Events
- History
- What to See
- Mount Sinai
- In the Bible
- Authenticity
- What to See
- St Catherines Monastery Sinai
- In the Bible
- Authenticity
- History
- What to See
- St Pauls Monastery
- History
- What to See
- St Antony Monastery ndash Red Sea
- St Bishoy Monastery
- St Mary Monastery - El Sorian
There is also a bakery and a millhouse in the northeastern corner of the
monastery The latter is the most complete example of its kind in the Wadi
Natrun
Also located on the grounds of the monastery is the Well of the Martyrs which
has been used ever since the time of Anba Bishoy It is said that the Berbers
washed the blood from their swords here after having killed the 49 Martyrs
Monks at the monastery also say that the Martyrs were thrown in the well prior
to being interned at the nearby St Marcarius Monastery It is twelve meters
deep and continues to produce fresh water which is regarded as miraculous
Following his enthronement in November of 1971 His Holiness Pope
Shenouda III selected this monastery as his pontifical residence where he
generally spends two or three days a week For this reason it is therefore the
destination of thousands of Copts who visit Wadi Naturn At one point he was
exiled to this monastery for forty months and during this time he ordained as
many as one hundred young men as monks
In recent years four hundred acres of desert land were acquired for the
monastery much of which has been cultivated Three reservoirs for drinking
water a new library a three-story guest house three large units for monastic
cells as well as lecture and conference buildings have been constructed at
the rear of the old monastery This is also the location of the pontifical
residence and the new Church of Saint Shenuda Here the number of monks
has increased to over 160 though many of these monks now serve in the
restored Upper Egyptian monasteries as well as in Coptic churches overseas
St Mary Monastery - El Sorian
Different sources indicate that the monastery was built around the fifth century There are many proofs the most important of which are The old fortress to the right of entrance of the monastery (even though it was repaired) It is well known that King Xenon (474-491 AD) was the one that built these fortresses as a token to his daughter Saint Hillary who entered monastic life in the wilderness of Shiheet and became well known everywhere There is a source in the library of London of the writings of Saint Yacoub El Serougi that is dated back to 603 AD from El Sorian Monastery Putler mentioned that the partitions of the church of St Mary-El Sorian go back to before 700 AD which resembles those in the Church of St Pishoy and the Church of St Mary-El Baramous These churches are considered the oldest in the wilderness until now Brumster mentioned in his book ldquoGuidance to the Monasteries of the Natroun Valleyrdquo that it was one of the monasteries known by the Theotokos These monasteries appeared in the fifth century after the counsel of Ephesus in 431 AD that discredited the Nestorian heresy Afterwards monasteries were built bearing the name of the Theotokos ldquoMother of Godrdquo and so it was called St Mary-El Sorian Monastery beside St Pishoy Monastery in the eastern wilderness Evelyn White mentioned that the monastery became independently run from the eighth century
Why it is Called El Sorian [The Syrian] Since the fourth century people have come from all over to the wilderness of Shiheet to visit and get blessings of the ascetic monks that reached high spiritual levels of asceticism and worship Examples of those are St Arsanius and St Maximus and Dometius who are still placed in St Mary-El Baramos Monastery There are also remnants of the old monasteries about three kilometers southeast of the monastery including the monastery of St John
Kame Abanoub the Ethiopians the Armenians and St John the Short And because people from all over came to worship the Coptic monks welcomed some Syrian monks for a period of time which is why it became famous of the Syrian [El Sorian] Monastery and also to differentiate it from St Mary-El Baramous Monastery St Mary Monastery is not St John Kame Monastery As mentioned above El Sorian Monastery was from the fifth century while the Monastery of St John Kame is from the ninth century and its ruins still exist Prince Omar Tosson built a pillar for each monastery and wrote its name on it Also the scholar Mohaub visited this monastery in 1088 AD When St John Kame Monastery was destroyed because of white ants between 1413 and 1430 AD his monks went to El Sorian Monastery and carried with them the body of St John Kame and their belongings including a marble stone that is still in El Sorian Church and engraved on it in Coptic the dates of the departure of St John Kame and his disciple St Stefanos
El Sorian Monastery in the Twentieth CenturyThe monastery became quite famous among other monasteries especially in the second half of the twentieth century when it was the leader and the initiator of monastic revival under the encouragement of Bishop Theophilus since he became the abbot of the monastery in 1948 most important of which
Monasticism A group of educated individuals entered monastic life and started working whole-heartedly to revive the monastery that group included those who reconstructed St Macarius Monastery St Paul St Mina and St George [El-Rozaykat] in addition to St Pishoy Monastery the head of which is HH Pope Shenouda III All of these monks were part of El Sorian Monastery and they had a great impact on
the revival of the church The majority of the Holy Synod that represents the leadership of the church areeducated monks that were prior to monastic life servants in their old churches and had a great impact on the priesthood from the spiritual social and intellectual standpoint During that
period a great number of monks were ordained compared to the previous period in which the number usually wouldnrsquot exceed more than twenty or forty the number of monks being ordained now is double or triple that number
Reconstruction In the early fifties when Bishop Theophillus presided over the monastery he demolished the cells that were next to
the Southern wall and built a building for the monks that were four stories high with a beautiful faccedilade It was the first modern building in the monastery and other monasteries adopted the same idea In 1988 another three-story building was constructed on top of which a water tower was built Through the encouragement of HH Pope Shenouda III in 1993 another three-story building was constructed next to that There
were two old bell towers around a guesthouse that was at the east side of St Maryrsquos church one of them is still standing and the other one was demolished Bishop Theophilus built instead of it a high tower at the north of the cells of the monks that the visitors of the monastery can see from far away In 1968 the other tower was built and was even higher than the first one HH Pope Shenouda III [who was Bishop of Education at that time] supervised personally on the construction
The Water Tower In 1955 a big water tower was built under which two water closets were built Father Moussa [the late Bishop Andrawous bishop of Damietta] who was a brilliant engineer from Alexandria was the one that designed and supervised the construction of the water tower That was the first concrete water tower built in the wilderness of
Natroun Prior to that there were only towers that were built out of aluminum and their height did not exceed two meters there were no water fountains in the monastery and only an old primitive water closet In 1988 another water tower was built over the cells of the monks with an electricity-operated water pump
The Guest House To the east of El Sorian Church was a beautiful palace which contained a large hall and many guest rooms that was built by Father Maximus in the year 1914 And in 1974 a guest housebuilding was built in its place that was five stories high and a library of the monastery was transferred to the third floor In addition a small rest house was built in the eighties to the west of El Sorian church on top of an old well and next to it was a big
traditional water pump [sakia] for the monasteryrsquos garden which was transformed after that into a library In 1987 and with the encouragement of HH Pope Shenouda III a two-story building for visitors was built to the west of the monastery
Books of the Monastery In 1951 Bishop Theophilus bought a print-shop for the monastery which was the first of its kind in the Egyptian monasteries and the monks of the monastery ran it and produced important books such as Life of the Orthodox Prayer The Book of the Seven Prayers of Famous Church Saints The Life of Saint John Kame The History of El Sorian Monastery Series of the History of the Patriarchs [four parts] The Three Holy Macari St Basil
the Great His Life Asceticism and Laws and many small booklets that were distributed free of charge like The Life of Mar Ephraim the Syrian Psalm The Lord Has Reigned Saint John Chrysostom Saint Augustine Saint George St Mark St Anna Simon Logios the Stonecutter and
Famous Sayings of Saints about Nativity Epiphany and Resurrection For ten years these sayings are still being read in the mornings of these feasts when the monks get together and read one of them And these books that were produced by El Sorian Monastery had a great impact on the spiritual life of a lot of people and even encouraged some of them to seek the monastic life
Retreat House In 1959 the retreat house was built outside the monastery and was the first one to be built in the monasteries Father Antonious El Soriani [HH Pope Shenouda III] was the guiding father of it and it was receiving large numbers of youth The monastery was enlightening the Christian youth because the quiet atmosphere was a chance for them to grow in prayers fastings spiritual readings meditation and attending
midnight praises and enjoying the desert Especially at sunset when nature coupled with the spiritual guidance of the monks a lot of the youth were led to think seriously about their spiritual lives and yearned to repeat the experience and some of them sought the monastic life And so a lot of the current monks used to spend a lot of time in this house which continued to be a living message of the church for all generations to come
- Coptic Museum Cairo
- History
- What to See
- Hanging Church Cairo
- History
- What to See
- St Georges Church Cairo
- History
- What to See
- Festivals and Events
- History
- What to See
- Mount Sinai
- In the Bible
- Authenticity
- What to See
- St Catherines Monastery Sinai
- In the Bible
- Authenticity
- History
- What to See
- St Pauls Monastery
- History
- What to See
- St Antony Monastery ndash Red Sea
- St Bishoy Monastery
- St Mary Monastery - El Sorian
St Mary Monastery - El Sorian
Different sources indicate that the monastery was built around the fifth century There are many proofs the most important of which are The old fortress to the right of entrance of the monastery (even though it was repaired) It is well known that King Xenon (474-491 AD) was the one that built these fortresses as a token to his daughter Saint Hillary who entered monastic life in the wilderness of Shiheet and became well known everywhere There is a source in the library of London of the writings of Saint Yacoub El Serougi that is dated back to 603 AD from El Sorian Monastery Putler mentioned that the partitions of the church of St Mary-El Sorian go back to before 700 AD which resembles those in the Church of St Pishoy and the Church of St Mary-El Baramous These churches are considered the oldest in the wilderness until now Brumster mentioned in his book ldquoGuidance to the Monasteries of the Natroun Valleyrdquo that it was one of the monasteries known by the Theotokos These monasteries appeared in the fifth century after the counsel of Ephesus in 431 AD that discredited the Nestorian heresy Afterwards monasteries were built bearing the name of the Theotokos ldquoMother of Godrdquo and so it was called St Mary-El Sorian Monastery beside St Pishoy Monastery in the eastern wilderness Evelyn White mentioned that the monastery became independently run from the eighth century
Why it is Called El Sorian [The Syrian] Since the fourth century people have come from all over to the wilderness of Shiheet to visit and get blessings of the ascetic monks that reached high spiritual levels of asceticism and worship Examples of those are St Arsanius and St Maximus and Dometius who are still placed in St Mary-El Baramos Monastery There are also remnants of the old monasteries about three kilometers southeast of the monastery including the monastery of St John
Kame Abanoub the Ethiopians the Armenians and St John the Short And because people from all over came to worship the Coptic monks welcomed some Syrian monks for a period of time which is why it became famous of the Syrian [El Sorian] Monastery and also to differentiate it from St Mary-El Baramous Monastery St Mary Monastery is not St John Kame Monastery As mentioned above El Sorian Monastery was from the fifth century while the Monastery of St John Kame is from the ninth century and its ruins still exist Prince Omar Tosson built a pillar for each monastery and wrote its name on it Also the scholar Mohaub visited this monastery in 1088 AD When St John Kame Monastery was destroyed because of white ants between 1413 and 1430 AD his monks went to El Sorian Monastery and carried with them the body of St John Kame and their belongings including a marble stone that is still in El Sorian Church and engraved on it in Coptic the dates of the departure of St John Kame and his disciple St Stefanos
El Sorian Monastery in the Twentieth CenturyThe monastery became quite famous among other monasteries especially in the second half of the twentieth century when it was the leader and the initiator of monastic revival under the encouragement of Bishop Theophilus since he became the abbot of the monastery in 1948 most important of which
Monasticism A group of educated individuals entered monastic life and started working whole-heartedly to revive the monastery that group included those who reconstructed St Macarius Monastery St Paul St Mina and St George [El-Rozaykat] in addition to St Pishoy Monastery the head of which is HH Pope Shenouda III All of these monks were part of El Sorian Monastery and they had a great impact on
the revival of the church The majority of the Holy Synod that represents the leadership of the church areeducated monks that were prior to monastic life servants in their old churches and had a great impact on the priesthood from the spiritual social and intellectual standpoint During that
period a great number of monks were ordained compared to the previous period in which the number usually wouldnrsquot exceed more than twenty or forty the number of monks being ordained now is double or triple that number
Reconstruction In the early fifties when Bishop Theophillus presided over the monastery he demolished the cells that were next to
the Southern wall and built a building for the monks that were four stories high with a beautiful faccedilade It was the first modern building in the monastery and other monasteries adopted the same idea In 1988 another three-story building was constructed on top of which a water tower was built Through the encouragement of HH Pope Shenouda III in 1993 another three-story building was constructed next to that There
were two old bell towers around a guesthouse that was at the east side of St Maryrsquos church one of them is still standing and the other one was demolished Bishop Theophilus built instead of it a high tower at the north of the cells of the monks that the visitors of the monastery can see from far away In 1968 the other tower was built and was even higher than the first one HH Pope Shenouda III [who was Bishop of Education at that time] supervised personally on the construction
The Water Tower In 1955 a big water tower was built under which two water closets were built Father Moussa [the late Bishop Andrawous bishop of Damietta] who was a brilliant engineer from Alexandria was the one that designed and supervised the construction of the water tower That was the first concrete water tower built in the wilderness of
Natroun Prior to that there were only towers that were built out of aluminum and their height did not exceed two meters there were no water fountains in the monastery and only an old primitive water closet In 1988 another water tower was built over the cells of the monks with an electricity-operated water pump
The Guest House To the east of El Sorian Church was a beautiful palace which contained a large hall and many guest rooms that was built by Father Maximus in the year 1914 And in 1974 a guest housebuilding was built in its place that was five stories high and a library of the monastery was transferred to the third floor In addition a small rest house was built in the eighties to the west of El Sorian church on top of an old well and next to it was a big
traditional water pump [sakia] for the monasteryrsquos garden which was transformed after that into a library In 1987 and with the encouragement of HH Pope Shenouda III a two-story building for visitors was built to the west of the monastery
Books of the Monastery In 1951 Bishop Theophilus bought a print-shop for the monastery which was the first of its kind in the Egyptian monasteries and the monks of the monastery ran it and produced important books such as Life of the Orthodox Prayer The Book of the Seven Prayers of Famous Church Saints The Life of Saint John Kame The History of El Sorian Monastery Series of the History of the Patriarchs [four parts] The Three Holy Macari St Basil
the Great His Life Asceticism and Laws and many small booklets that were distributed free of charge like The Life of Mar Ephraim the Syrian Psalm The Lord Has Reigned Saint John Chrysostom Saint Augustine Saint George St Mark St Anna Simon Logios the Stonecutter and
Famous Sayings of Saints about Nativity Epiphany and Resurrection For ten years these sayings are still being read in the mornings of these feasts when the monks get together and read one of them And these books that were produced by El Sorian Monastery had a great impact on the spiritual life of a lot of people and even encouraged some of them to seek the monastic life
Retreat House In 1959 the retreat house was built outside the monastery and was the first one to be built in the monasteries Father Antonious El Soriani [HH Pope Shenouda III] was the guiding father of it and it was receiving large numbers of youth The monastery was enlightening the Christian youth because the quiet atmosphere was a chance for them to grow in prayers fastings spiritual readings meditation and attending
midnight praises and enjoying the desert Especially at sunset when nature coupled with the spiritual guidance of the monks a lot of the youth were led to think seriously about their spiritual lives and yearned to repeat the experience and some of them sought the monastic life And so a lot of the current monks used to spend a lot of time in this house which continued to be a living message of the church for all generations to come
- Coptic Museum Cairo
- History
- What to See
- Hanging Church Cairo
- History
- What to See
- St Georges Church Cairo
- History
- What to See
- Festivals and Events
- History
- What to See
- Mount Sinai
- In the Bible
- Authenticity
- What to See
- St Catherines Monastery Sinai
- In the Bible
- Authenticity
- History
- What to See
- St Pauls Monastery
- History
- What to See
- St Antony Monastery ndash Red Sea
- St Bishoy Monastery
- St Mary Monastery - El Sorian
Kame Abanoub the Ethiopians the Armenians and St John the Short And because people from all over came to worship the Coptic monks welcomed some Syrian monks for a period of time which is why it became famous of the Syrian [El Sorian] Monastery and also to differentiate it from St Mary-El Baramous Monastery St Mary Monastery is not St John Kame Monastery As mentioned above El Sorian Monastery was from the fifth century while the Monastery of St John Kame is from the ninth century and its ruins still exist Prince Omar Tosson built a pillar for each monastery and wrote its name on it Also the scholar Mohaub visited this monastery in 1088 AD When St John Kame Monastery was destroyed because of white ants between 1413 and 1430 AD his monks went to El Sorian Monastery and carried with them the body of St John Kame and their belongings including a marble stone that is still in El Sorian Church and engraved on it in Coptic the dates of the departure of St John Kame and his disciple St Stefanos
El Sorian Monastery in the Twentieth CenturyThe monastery became quite famous among other monasteries especially in the second half of the twentieth century when it was the leader and the initiator of monastic revival under the encouragement of Bishop Theophilus since he became the abbot of the monastery in 1948 most important of which
Monasticism A group of educated individuals entered monastic life and started working whole-heartedly to revive the monastery that group included those who reconstructed St Macarius Monastery St Paul St Mina and St George [El-Rozaykat] in addition to St Pishoy Monastery the head of which is HH Pope Shenouda III All of these monks were part of El Sorian Monastery and they had a great impact on
the revival of the church The majority of the Holy Synod that represents the leadership of the church areeducated monks that were prior to monastic life servants in their old churches and had a great impact on the priesthood from the spiritual social and intellectual standpoint During that
period a great number of monks were ordained compared to the previous period in which the number usually wouldnrsquot exceed more than twenty or forty the number of monks being ordained now is double or triple that number
Reconstruction In the early fifties when Bishop Theophillus presided over the monastery he demolished the cells that were next to
the Southern wall and built a building for the monks that were four stories high with a beautiful faccedilade It was the first modern building in the monastery and other monasteries adopted the same idea In 1988 another three-story building was constructed on top of which a water tower was built Through the encouragement of HH Pope Shenouda III in 1993 another three-story building was constructed next to that There
were two old bell towers around a guesthouse that was at the east side of St Maryrsquos church one of them is still standing and the other one was demolished Bishop Theophilus built instead of it a high tower at the north of the cells of the monks that the visitors of the monastery can see from far away In 1968 the other tower was built and was even higher than the first one HH Pope Shenouda III [who was Bishop of Education at that time] supervised personally on the construction
The Water Tower In 1955 a big water tower was built under which two water closets were built Father Moussa [the late Bishop Andrawous bishop of Damietta] who was a brilliant engineer from Alexandria was the one that designed and supervised the construction of the water tower That was the first concrete water tower built in the wilderness of
Natroun Prior to that there were only towers that were built out of aluminum and their height did not exceed two meters there were no water fountains in the monastery and only an old primitive water closet In 1988 another water tower was built over the cells of the monks with an electricity-operated water pump
The Guest House To the east of El Sorian Church was a beautiful palace which contained a large hall and many guest rooms that was built by Father Maximus in the year 1914 And in 1974 a guest housebuilding was built in its place that was five stories high and a library of the monastery was transferred to the third floor In addition a small rest house was built in the eighties to the west of El Sorian church on top of an old well and next to it was a big
traditional water pump [sakia] for the monasteryrsquos garden which was transformed after that into a library In 1987 and with the encouragement of HH Pope Shenouda III a two-story building for visitors was built to the west of the monastery
Books of the Monastery In 1951 Bishop Theophilus bought a print-shop for the monastery which was the first of its kind in the Egyptian monasteries and the monks of the monastery ran it and produced important books such as Life of the Orthodox Prayer The Book of the Seven Prayers of Famous Church Saints The Life of Saint John Kame The History of El Sorian Monastery Series of the History of the Patriarchs [four parts] The Three Holy Macari St Basil
the Great His Life Asceticism and Laws and many small booklets that were distributed free of charge like The Life of Mar Ephraim the Syrian Psalm The Lord Has Reigned Saint John Chrysostom Saint Augustine Saint George St Mark St Anna Simon Logios the Stonecutter and
Famous Sayings of Saints about Nativity Epiphany and Resurrection For ten years these sayings are still being read in the mornings of these feasts when the monks get together and read one of them And these books that were produced by El Sorian Monastery had a great impact on the spiritual life of a lot of people and even encouraged some of them to seek the monastic life
Retreat House In 1959 the retreat house was built outside the monastery and was the first one to be built in the monasteries Father Antonious El Soriani [HH Pope Shenouda III] was the guiding father of it and it was receiving large numbers of youth The monastery was enlightening the Christian youth because the quiet atmosphere was a chance for them to grow in prayers fastings spiritual readings meditation and attending
midnight praises and enjoying the desert Especially at sunset when nature coupled with the spiritual guidance of the monks a lot of the youth were led to think seriously about their spiritual lives and yearned to repeat the experience and some of them sought the monastic life And so a lot of the current monks used to spend a lot of time in this house which continued to be a living message of the church for all generations to come
- Coptic Museum Cairo
- History
- What to See
- Hanging Church Cairo
- History
- What to See
- St Georges Church Cairo
- History
- What to See
- Festivals and Events
- History
- What to See
- Mount Sinai
- In the Bible
- Authenticity
- What to See
- St Catherines Monastery Sinai
- In the Bible
- Authenticity
- History
- What to See
- St Pauls Monastery
- History
- What to See
- St Antony Monastery ndash Red Sea
- St Bishoy Monastery
- St Mary Monastery - El Sorian
were two old bell towers around a guesthouse that was at the east side of St Maryrsquos church one of them is still standing and the other one was demolished Bishop Theophilus built instead of it a high tower at the north of the cells of the monks that the visitors of the monastery can see from far away In 1968 the other tower was built and was even higher than the first one HH Pope Shenouda III [who was Bishop of Education at that time] supervised personally on the construction
The Water Tower In 1955 a big water tower was built under which two water closets were built Father Moussa [the late Bishop Andrawous bishop of Damietta] who was a brilliant engineer from Alexandria was the one that designed and supervised the construction of the water tower That was the first concrete water tower built in the wilderness of
Natroun Prior to that there were only towers that were built out of aluminum and their height did not exceed two meters there were no water fountains in the monastery and only an old primitive water closet In 1988 another water tower was built over the cells of the monks with an electricity-operated water pump
The Guest House To the east of El Sorian Church was a beautiful palace which contained a large hall and many guest rooms that was built by Father Maximus in the year 1914 And in 1974 a guest housebuilding was built in its place that was five stories high and a library of the monastery was transferred to the third floor In addition a small rest house was built in the eighties to the west of El Sorian church on top of an old well and next to it was a big
traditional water pump [sakia] for the monasteryrsquos garden which was transformed after that into a library In 1987 and with the encouragement of HH Pope Shenouda III a two-story building for visitors was built to the west of the monastery
Books of the Monastery In 1951 Bishop Theophilus bought a print-shop for the monastery which was the first of its kind in the Egyptian monasteries and the monks of the monastery ran it and produced important books such as Life of the Orthodox Prayer The Book of the Seven Prayers of Famous Church Saints The Life of Saint John Kame The History of El Sorian Monastery Series of the History of the Patriarchs [four parts] The Three Holy Macari St Basil
the Great His Life Asceticism and Laws and many small booklets that were distributed free of charge like The Life of Mar Ephraim the Syrian Psalm The Lord Has Reigned Saint John Chrysostom Saint Augustine Saint George St Mark St Anna Simon Logios the Stonecutter and
Famous Sayings of Saints about Nativity Epiphany and Resurrection For ten years these sayings are still being read in the mornings of these feasts when the monks get together and read one of them And these books that were produced by El Sorian Monastery had a great impact on the spiritual life of a lot of people and even encouraged some of them to seek the monastic life
Retreat House In 1959 the retreat house was built outside the monastery and was the first one to be built in the monasteries Father Antonious El Soriani [HH Pope Shenouda III] was the guiding father of it and it was receiving large numbers of youth The monastery was enlightening the Christian youth because the quiet atmosphere was a chance for them to grow in prayers fastings spiritual readings meditation and attending
midnight praises and enjoying the desert Especially at sunset when nature coupled with the spiritual guidance of the monks a lot of the youth were led to think seriously about their spiritual lives and yearned to repeat the experience and some of them sought the monastic life And so a lot of the current monks used to spend a lot of time in this house which continued to be a living message of the church for all generations to come
- Coptic Museum Cairo
- History
- What to See
- Hanging Church Cairo
- History
- What to See
- St Georges Church Cairo
- History
- What to See
- Festivals and Events
- History
- What to See
- Mount Sinai
- In the Bible
- Authenticity
- What to See
- St Catherines Monastery Sinai
- In the Bible
- Authenticity
- History
- What to See
- St Pauls Monastery
- History
- What to See
- St Antony Monastery ndash Red Sea
- St Bishoy Monastery
- St Mary Monastery - El Sorian
Famous Sayings of Saints about Nativity Epiphany and Resurrection For ten years these sayings are still being read in the mornings of these feasts when the monks get together and read one of them And these books that were produced by El Sorian Monastery had a great impact on the spiritual life of a lot of people and even encouraged some of them to seek the monastic life
Retreat House In 1959 the retreat house was built outside the monastery and was the first one to be built in the monasteries Father Antonious El Soriani [HH Pope Shenouda III] was the guiding father of it and it was receiving large numbers of youth The monastery was enlightening the Christian youth because the quiet atmosphere was a chance for them to grow in prayers fastings spiritual readings meditation and attending
midnight praises and enjoying the desert Especially at sunset when nature coupled with the spiritual guidance of the monks a lot of the youth were led to think seriously about their spiritual lives and yearned to repeat the experience and some of them sought the monastic life And so a lot of the current monks used to spend a lot of time in this house which continued to be a living message of the church for all generations to come
- Coptic Museum Cairo
- History
- What to See
- Hanging Church Cairo
- History
- What to See
- St Georges Church Cairo
- History
- What to See
- Festivals and Events
- History
- What to See
- Mount Sinai
- In the Bible
- Authenticity
- What to See
- St Catherines Monastery Sinai
- In the Bible
- Authenticity
- History
- What to See
- St Pauls Monastery
- History
- What to See
- St Antony Monastery ndash Red Sea
- St Bishoy Monastery
- St Mary Monastery - El Sorian
top related