Institut français d'Archéologie orientale - Page 2 of 16

Symbols In Coptic Art

SYMBOLS IN COPTIC ART Alpha and Omega Alpha and omega (A and W) are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. In Middle Eastern astrology, they are related to the cosmos, the signs of the zodiac, and the twenty-four hours of the day. In Egyptian alchemy they are linked to the good genius, …

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Claude Sicard (1676-1726)

Eminent / By Armia FAYEZ

CLAUDE SICARD (1676-1726) A French Jesuit missionary in Egypt (1712-1726), where he was dedicated to the service of lepers. He was particularly interested in the monasteries of Wadi al-Natrun as well as those of Saint Antony and Saint Paul on the Red Sea. On account of his apostolic mission, which took him all over the …

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Shams Al-Din (Munisis)

Places / By Armia FAYEZ

SHAMS AL-DIN (Munisis) A small Romano-Byzantine village a little more than one mile to the north of Bars in the south of the oasis of Khargah and at the fork of the great track heading from Hibis toward the southwest in the direction of Dush and the valley. This village contains a small church with …

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Emile Gaston Chassinat (1868-1948)

Eminent / By Arsanious Adel

EMILE GASTON CHASSINAT (1868-1948) A French Egyptologist and Coptologist. He was born in Paris and studied under Gaston Maspero at the Ecole des Hautes Etudes and under Eugène Revillout and Paul Pierret at the Louvre. He was appointed to the Egyptian department of the Louvre in 1894 and joined the Institut français d’Archéologie orientale in Cairo …

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Calendar, Seasons, And Coptic Liturgy

Liturgy / By Arsanious Adel

CALENDAR, SEASONS, AND COPTIC LITURGY The three seasons of the Coptic calendar, a survival from pharaonic Egypt and based on agricultural activities, are commemorated by special prayers incorporated into the divine liturgies. The seasons and prayers appropriate to each, as computed according to the Gregorian calendar of the twentieth century, are as follows. The Nile-flood …

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Serge Sauneron (D. 1976)

Eminent / By Armia FAYEZ

SERGE SAUNERON (d. 1976) A French Egyptologist. He studied at the Ecole Normale Supérieure and received the doctorat d’etat at the Sorbonne. He was member, librarian, associate director, and finally director of the Institut français d’Archéologie orientale in Cairo from 1969 until the accident that caused his death. Sauneron studied Coptic at the Institut Catholique, …

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Saint Cyril I Or Cyril Of Alexandria

Eminent / By Arsanious Adel

SAINT CYRIL I or Cyril of Alexandria The twenty-fourth patriarch of the See of Saint Mark (412-444), who is reckoned one of the greatest prelates of Christian antiquity (feast day: 3 Abib). Cyril spent his early years at Dayr Anba Maqar in the Nitrian Valley, which had become noted as a center of theological studies. …

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Dayr Al-Barshah And Dayr Al-Nakhlah

Places / By Armia FAYEZ

DAYR AL-BARSHAH and DAYR AL-NAKHLAH [The first name is that of a village south of DAYR ABU HINNIS. It is a modern village, inhabited by Copts on the site of an old monastery, of which—apart from the old church—no parts worth mentioning have survived. The second is that of a village near the first, around …

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Dayr Al-Fakhuri

Places / By Armia FAYEZ

DAYR AL-FAKHURI History The “Monastery of the Potter” (it is not known whence this appellation comes) is situated on the edge of the desert, about 6 miles (9 km) north of Isna, near the ancient Asphynis (present-day Asfun al-Mata‘nah). The monastery also bears the name of “Matthew the Poor.” This personage, whose Life survives (or …

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Dayr Al-‘Asal (Minyat Bani Khasib)

Places / By Armia FAYEZ

DAYR AL-‘ASAL (Minyat Bani Khasib) This monastery, which ancient authors spoke of, seems to have disappeared. Yaqut (1866-1873, Vol. 2, p. 681) described it as very well situated and populated by numerous monks. Ibn Duqmaq (1893, p. 16) mentioned it with Abyuhah 9 miles (15 km) to the south of Minya. ABU SALIH THE ARMENIAN …

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