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THE MONASTERY OF AL-MUHARRAQ (Dayr al-Muharraq) near the mountains of Qusqam is considered the most sacred of the Holy Family pilgrimage centers in Egypt. According to tradition, the Holy Family stayed here for more than six months in an old abandoned house on the edge of the desert at the end of their journey through Egypt. The History of the Churches and Monasteries of Egypt (ca. twelfth century) tells this story and adds that after his resurrection, Christ traveled back to Qusqam on a cloud, in the company of his mother and the apostles. He consecrated their former home as a church, , the first church in Egypt. Near the church was a well, blessed by Christ, whose water cured diseases and to which pilgrims came in multitudes?
The author has based his account on The Vision of Theophilus, which is attributed to Patriarch Theophilus (d. 412?), but the text is most likely the work of a later writer. This source records the journey of the Holy Family, the miraculous events during their sojourn in Egypt, and the foundation of the first church at the place that was to become the Church of the Virgin in the Monastery of the Holy Virgin. The consecration of the church, fulfilling Isaiah’s prophesy, “On that day there will be a church in the center of the land of Egypt” (Is. 19:19), is still commemorated each year on November 15.
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Historical facts on the monastery are scarce. Originally, it belonged to the Upper Egyptian monasteries that followed the Pachomian Rule and has undoubtedly been rebuilt and renovated several times. The History of the Churches and Monasteries of Egypt mentions the restoration of a keep. Four monks from the Monastery of the Holy Virgin became patriarchs in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. In the thirteenth to the eighteenth century, groups of Ethiopian monks lived in the monastery, which was one of their stops on their way from Ethiopia to Jerusalem.
Today, the Monastery of the Holy Virgin is situated in a sea of fertile fields. The crenelated enclosure walls with gates (1910-1928) give the impression of a medieval castle. The ancient Church of the Virgin and the keep belong to the oldest part of the monastery. Like the keep, the present church building was most probably part of a twelfth-century renovation. However, the extensive renovations and reconstructions at the end of the nineteenth and early twentieth century dominate the current appearance of the monastery.
The veneration of the Holy Family and the reputation of the first church make the Monastery of the Holy Virgin one of the oldest and most beloved pilgrimage goals in Egypt. Every June, thousands of people gather at the monastery to celebrate the feast of the Virgin Mary.
Fig. 26.6. Qusqam, selected collection of antiquities. Photographs by Fr. Maximous al-Muharraqi.
Fig. 26.6. Qusqam, selected collection of antiquities. Photographs by Fr. Maximous al-Muharraqi.
This altar stone of the main altar was previously used as a tombstone for a man named Colluthos in the year 746.
This altar stone of the main altar was previously used as a tombstone for a man named Colluthos in the year 746.
The reused columns were placed upside down. RIGHT: the well on the ground floor of the keep.
The reused columns were placed upside down. RIGHT: the well on the ground floor of the keep.
Fig. 26.1. Qusqam, the archaeological area. Photograph by Fr. Maximous al-Muharraqi.
Fig. 26.1. Qusqam, the archaeological area. Photograph by Fr. Maximous al-Muharraqi.
The ancient Church of the Virgin Mary, view from the nave to the sanctuary. According to tradition, Christ consecrated the house ivhere the family lived during their stay in Egypt as a church, the first church in Egypt. The present building most probably dates to the twelfth century.
The ancient Church of the Virgin Mary, view from the nave to the sanctuary. According to tradition, Christ consecrated the house ivhere the family lived during their stay in Egypt as a church, the first church in Egypt. The present building most probably dates to the twelfth century.
The interior of the keep with the Chapel of the Archangel Michael with a wooden lectern.
The interior of the keep with the Chapel of the Archangel Michael with a wooden lectern.
Fig. 26.2. Qusqam, two iconostases in the ancient Church of the Holy Virgin Mary. Photograph by Fr. Maximous al-Muharraqi.
Fig. 26.2. Qusqam, two iconostases in the ancient Church of the Holy Virgin Mary. Photograph by Fr. Maximous al-Muharraqi.
Fig. 26.5. Anba Abram, bishop of the Fayoum and Giza (left); St. Hegomen Mikhail al-Buhairi al-Muharraqi (right). Photograph by Fr. Maximous al-Muharraqi.
Fig. 26.5. Anba Abram, bishop of the Fayoum and Giza (left); St. Hegomen Mikhail al-Buhairi al-Muharraqi (right). Photograph by Fr. Maximous al-Muharraqi.
Fig. 26.3. Qusqam, selected ornamental carvings on the outside walls of the keep. Photographs by Fr. Maximous al-Muharraqi.
Fig. 26.3. Qusqam, selected ornamental carvings on the outside walls of the keep. Photographs by Fr. Maximous al-Muharraqi.
Fig. 26.4. Qusqam, marble iconostasis of St. George Church. Photograph by Fr. Maximous al-Muharraqi.
Fig. 26.4. Qusqam, marble iconostasis of St. George Church. Photograph by Fr. Maximous al-Muharraqi.
The Quarry Church of the Virgin.
The Quarry Church of the Virgin.
The Ark or Throne of the Chalice (Kursi al-kas). During liturgy, the prepared chalice is put in the Ark until Holy Communion. The icon painter A[na]stasi al-Qudsi al-Rumi decorated the Ark with The Last Supper (photograph), the Virgin and Child and the archangels Michael and Gabriel (dated am 1581/ad 1864-1865).
The Ark or Throne of the Chalice (Kursi al-kas). During liturgy, the prepared chalice is put in the Ark until Holy Communion. The icon painter A[na]stasi al-Qudsi al-Rumi decorated the Ark with The Last Supper (photograph), the Virgin and Child and the archangels Michael and Gabriel (dated am 1581/ad 1864-1865).
The interior of the keep with the Chapel of the Archangel Michael with a wooden lectern.
The interior of the keep with the Chapel of the Archangel Michael with a wooden lectern.