Coptic Monasteries Egypt's Monastic Art and Architecture

by Gabra, Gawdat; Vivian, Tim

• ISBN13: 9789774246913
• ISBN10: 9774246918
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2010-10-15
• Publisher: The American University in Cairo Press

Summary

Egypt, the birthplace of communal monasticism, has a rich store of monasteries and monastic art. Coptic Monasteries takes the reader on a tour of the best preserved and most significant of these ancient religious centers, documenting in exhaustive detail the richness and the glory of the Coptic heritage. An informative introduction by Tim Vivian brings to life the early Christian era, with background information on the origins of the Coptic Church as well as its rites and ceremonies, sketches of some of monasticism's founding figures, and accounts of some of the difficulties they faced, from religious schism to nomadic attacks. Gawdat Gabra's expert commentary, complemented by almost one hundred full-color photographs of newly restored wall paintings and architectural features, covers monasteries from Aswan to Wadi al-Natrun. Ranging across a thousand years of history, Gabra's observations will make any reader an expert on the composition and content of some of Egypt's most outstanding religious art, the salient architectural features of each monastery, as well as the ongoing process of restoration that has returned much of their original vibrancy to these works. A unique and invaluable historical record, Coptic Monasteries is equally an in-depth, on-the-spot guide to these living monuments or an armchair trip back in time to the roots of one of the world's oldest Christian traditions.

Author Biography

GAWDAT GABRA has been the director of the Coptic Museum in Cairo since 1985 and is the author of several books and numerous articles on Coptic studies. He is the editor of Be Thou There: The Holy Family's Journey in Egypt (AUC Press, 2001).

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations	vii
Preface	xiii
Introduction	1	(5)
Chronology	6	(4)
The Coptic Orthodox Church	10	(25)
Tim Vivian
The Meaning of the Term ``Copt''	10	(1)
History of the Coptic Church	11	(7)
Rites and Ceremonies of the Coptic Church	18	(2)
Monasticism	20	(15)
Origins	20	(2)
St. Antony and the History of Early Monasticism	22	(3)
The Monasteries of Wadi al-Natrun (Scetis)	25	(1)
The Pachomian Koinonia	26	(1)
The End of the First Golden Era	27	(2)
Monastic Life	29	(6)
The Monasteries of Wadi al-Natrun	35	(29)
The Monastery of al-Baramus	38	(5)
The Monastery of St. Pshoi	43	(4)
The Monastery of the Syrians	47	(9)
The Monastery of St. Macarius	56	(8)
The Monastery of the Archangel in al-Faiyum	64	(8)
The Monasteries of the Eastern Desert	72	(22)
The Monastery of St. Antony	73	(14)
The Chapel of the Four Living Creatures	78	(1)
The Cross	79	(8)
The Monastery of St. Paul	87	(7)
The Monasteries of Sohag	94	(11)
The Monastery of St. Shenute (The White Monastery)	94	(7)
The Church	96	(5)
The Monastery of St. Pshoi (The Red Monastery)	101	(4)
The Monasteries of Aswan	105	(10)
The Monastery at Qubbat al-Hawa	105	(3)
The Monastery of Anba Hatre (St. Simeon)	108	(7)
Ruined Monasteries	115	(9)
The Monastery of St. Apollo at Bawit	116	(4)
The Monastery of St. Jeremiah at Saqqara	120	(4)
Bibliography	124	(10)
Glossary	134	(2)
Index	136