Symposium-cum-pilgrimage
The Coptic Symposium scheduled for next month will be hosted in Fayoum at Deir Al-Azab, more popularly known as Deir Anba Abra'am (Monastery of Saint Abra'am). Jill Kamil describes the chosen venue and the cult of the saint
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A monk descends to the Monastery of the Archangel Gabriel after visiting the hermitages at Al-Naqlun. The Fayoum depression can be seen in the distance
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Fayoum is a large, natural depression in the Western Desert about 100 kilometres south of Cairo. It is not an oasis, since it owes its exceptional fertility not to subterranean springs but to Nile water that reaches it through the Bahr Al-Youssef (Joseph's Canal). Barren desert all but encircles the depression, stretching over an area of 214sq kms, whipped by sand and dotted with rocky outcrops much sought after by Christian ascetics from as early as the end of the third century.
By the fifth century hundreds of hermitages and monastic centres had sprung up in Fayoum. The earliest in the region is the one dedicated to the Archangel Gabriel (Deir Al-Malak Ghubrial) on the slopes of the hilly range known as Gabal Al- Naqlun, situated between the Fayoum depression and the Nile valley. Further south, in the desert of Qalamun, is the Monastery of Saint Samuel. However, the monastery to which pilgrims flock in increasing numbers year by year is Deir Anba Abra'am, built in honour of a modern saint who was venerated in his own lifetime and canonised half a century after his death. And it is in this monastery that the Coptic Symposium will take place next month.
Deir Anba Abra'am was built in honour of a much loved and respected holy man who served as bishop of the area between 1881 and 1914. He became known as the "father of the poor", not because of his humble origins (he was born to a simple family in the village of Izbat Jaldah near Minya in 1829) but because he was known as a particularly pious man who cared about the poor. At the age of 19 he took his monastic vows at Deir Al-Muharraq near Assiut, first as a novice and later as the head of the community.
Anba Abra'am was respected for the manner in which he conducted his life and for his miracles. He cured the sick, helped solve personal and social problems, was kind and charitable, and was such an inspiration to the surrounding, mostly impoverished communities that he became a living saint. So many humble people flocked to the monastery of Deir Al-Muharraq that he travelled northward to Wadi Al-Natrun, where he took up residence in the Monastery of Al- Baramus intending to devote the rest of his life to biblical studies.
As soon as news of his whereabouts was made known, however, he was again sought by the poor and the needy -- and not only by Egyptians. News of his piety and healing was made known around the Christian world, and pilgrims came from abroad to seek him out. His sayings were widely quoted and his continuing miracles provided proof of his sanctity. In 1881 Patriarch Cyril V ordained him the Bishop of Fayoum, Beni Suef and Giza, where his reputation as a living saint continued to grow.
When he died in 1914 his funeral was attended by more than 10,000 mourners, among them many Muslims. His body was placed in a tomb that he himself had prepared under the south altar of the Church of St Mercurius at Deir Al-Azab, a 12th or 13th-century foundation which had ceased to function as a monastery in the 18th century. Anba Abra'am was canonised by the Coptic Orthodox Church in 1964, and in 1987 his relics were taken from a coffin in this modest tomb, where it had lain under the altar for nearly 75 years, and placed in a newly built shrine in the monastery, which soon took his name.
Today the reliquary and memorabilia of Anba Abra'am have become the focus of an ever- growing cult. On view in the shrine are pieces of a coloured shawl and a tunic used by the saintly man during mass, his writings, icons, an incense burner, and the remains of a portable altar. There are wooden crosses and one in silver, and a wooden chalice and silver trays for Holy Communion. The relics of Anba Abra'am, still uncorrupted, lie wrapped in a bolster in a glassed-in reliquary. A series of large paintings on canvas by the Coptic painter Basilius Nasif adorn the reliquary. The original coffin on the saint is also on view in the shrine.
This reliquary fits into the growing corpus of modern Coptic saints, following a tradition that has survived from the early centuries of the Christian era. Another example, this time in the Monastery of St Antony, is that of Father Yustus El- Antony, a saint venerated for his humility, piety, and for being a source of healing. Father Yustus El-Antony joined the monastery as a monk in 1941, and when he died in 1976 his relics were placed in a reliquary together with his portrait. The portraits in both reliquaries, that of Anba Abra'am in Fayoum and that of Father Yustus in the Monastery of St Antony, are realistic. While the latter shows a simple man in humble posture, the former recalls to mind the bishop's ecclesiastical role; he is depicted in ceremonial dress.
Papers presented at the seminar, which is scheduled to take place between 5 and 10 February, include observations on the importance of Fayoum for Coptic studies, the hermitages at Naqlun and various monastic centres including Deir Al-Banat, Umm Al-Buraygat, Medinet Madi Al-Fayoum, and the preservation of wall paintings in the church of the Archangel Gabriel. The papers include details of the excavation of Christian burials, archaeological remains of everyday life in Fayoum, basketry from excavations, glass and metal objects, and linguistic studies.
The last Coptic studies symposium was held at Wadi Al-Natrun in February 2002. This year's event, which will be attended by academics, bishops, monks and Copts from at home and abroad, is confidently expected to be equally successful.
