Ivory - Coptic Wiki

atzei chayim

atzei chayim pl. n. Hebrew (ah-TSAY khigh-YEEM) Literally, “trees of life.” The poles to which a Torah scroll is attached. The ends of the poles, which are generally made of wood or ivory, protrude to serve as handles for lifting and carrying the Torah and rolling it to the next section of text. plural noun …

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Coptic art in the Coptic museum

Culture, Heritage / By Armia FAYEZ

Coptic art in the Coptic museum Coptic art began to emerge in Egypt around 300 A.D. In form, style, and content it was quite different from the art of Pharaonic Egypt. How’ did this come about? Broadly speaking, there were two causes. The first is that indigenous Egyptian art had been in contact with the …

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The churches of old cairo

Places, Heritage / By Armia FAYEZ

The churches of old Cairo INTRODUCTION Cairo has been the capital of Egypt for more than one thousand years, but the actual city and history of Cairo are the legacy of many previous capitals of Egypt, of great cultural centers and successive civilizations founded there. The earliest was a predynastic settlement dating from the 4th …

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The Art of Coptic Churches

Heritage / By Armia FAYEZ

The Art of Coptic Churches WE WENT TO THE CHURCH while the elders of the monastery went with us. There were pictures of monks on the wall of the place, representing our monastic fathers: Antony the Great and Apa Pachom and Apa Paule and Apa Makarios.21 These were on one side and the archbishops of …

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The Church of St. Theodore (MINYA)

Places / By Armia FAYEZ

The Church of St. Theodore (MINYA) THE CHURCH OF ST. THEODORE is all that remains from the Monastery of al-Sanquriya. It is located on the east bank of Bahr Yusuf about thirteen miles west of the city of Beni Mazar in the Minya governorate. The church and a cemetery are surrounded by an enclosure wall. …

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John of Shmoun and Coptic Identity

Eminent, Heritage / By Armia FAYEZ

John of Shmoun and Coptic Identity After the Council of Chalcedon in ad 451 and in particular after the Arab conquest of Egypt in ad 641, the need to demonstrate Coptic self identification became more important than before.[1] Usually, there is the need to stress one’s identity and define or form its features when one …

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Christianity in Asyut in Modern History

History / By Armia FAYEZ

Christianity in Asyut in Modern History A Historical Introduction By the second half of the eighteenth century, Asyut had taken Girga’s place as the capital of Upper Egypt. With Muhammad ‘Ali’s interest in administratively organizing Egypt’s governorates, the construction of the governorate building in Asyut began in 1811. In 1822, Asyut’s population was around seventeen …

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Khurus, the entrance to the southern altar room. Above the entrance are two equestrian saints; on the half-column, the Virgin enthroned -with Child (eighth century).

The Monastery of the Syrians (WADI AL-NATRUN)

Places / By Armia FAYEZ

The Monastery of the Syrians (WADI AL-NATRUN) The monastery of the MOTHER OF GOD OF THE SYRIANS, as it has become known, was established in the sixth century, as a double monastery of the Monastery of St. Pshoi. According to tradition, a certain Marutha from Tigrit (Takrit, in present-day Iraq) bought the monastery for his …

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The Hanging Church (OLD CAIRO)

Places / By Armia FAYEZ

The Hanging Church (OLD CAIRO) JL HE CHURCH OF THE HOLY VIRGIN was built on the remains of one of the gates of the Roman fortress, Babylon. This high position earned her the name ‘the Hanging’ or ‘the Suspended’ (al-Mu’allaqa) Church. Medieval Western pilgrims referred to the church as “the Church of the Steps” (the …

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The Church of the Holy Virgin (HARAT ZUWAYLA)

Places / By Armia FAYEZ

The Church of the Holy Virgin (HARAT ZUWAYLA) THE CHURCH COMPLEX OF HARAT ZUWAYLA, situated in the center of the busy shopping district of Muski and Khan al-Khalili, consists of three churches. The main church is dedicated to the Virgin Mary, the northern church to St. Mercurius, and the upper church to St. George. The …

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