 One
of the best known monasteries,
and a frequent stop on most tours that stop in Aswan
in far Upper Egypt, is Deir Anba Simaan also known as Deir
Anba Hadra (Hatre), but best known as the Monastery
of St. Simeon. For many tourists, a visit to this
monastery may constitute the only camel ride while in Egypt.
However, there is another monastery in the general vicinity of
Aswan, and in fact conveniently
located in the area of the pharaonic
Tombs of the Nobles midway between the summit of a hill at
Qubbat al-Hawa and the Nile
River. It lies about one kilometer from Elephantine
Island and in fact occupies part of the royal tombs.
This monastery is commonly referred to as that of St.
George (Deir Mari Girgis), but in fact there is no conclusive
evidence of that having been the monastery's actual name. Different
 names
have been associated with this monastery, and it may have been
called the Monastery of St. Laurentius, or the Monastery of
the Savior. Also, the early thirteenth century church
historian, Abu al-Makarim mentions a Monastery of Antony in
the area. Irregardless, it is likely that this much smaller
monastery was a dependency of the considerably larger
Monastery of St. Simeon.
While predating the Fatimid
Period (972-1171), that was the golden era of this
monastery, when a large residential structure of several
stories consisting of a central corridor and sleeping rooms
was built.
The ruins of a church
stand before the pharaonic tomb of Khune. This church, which
follows the plan of an octagon-domed structure, was probably
built after the beginning of the Fatimid Period but before the
end of the eleventh century. Only at the end of the twentieth
century  (1998),
was debris removed from the area of this church, which
unearthed beautiful wall paintings and Coptic (Egyptian
Christian) and Arabic Texts.
In the west wall of the church is an apse adorned with a
two-zoned composition which was a popular style in monastic
painting. The upper section of this composition depicts Christ
in a mandorla. His right hand is raised in a posture of
blessing, while in his left hand he holds a book. The mandorla
is supported by six angels in full flight. Below this scene on
the lower part of the apse, the Holy Virgin stands amidst the
twelve Apostles.
Lower part of Apse depicting the Virgin Mary flanked by the twelve Apostles
To the north of the apse is a long, barrel vaulted room,
where six figures are depicted on its west wall. Five of them
were still living at the time of the painting, evidenced by
their square nimbus (halo). Considerable Coptic texts appear
on the wall, including one significant entry  written
on a layer of plaster which was applied over the paintings. It
bears the date AM 896 (1180 AD), which probably proves that
the wall paintings were executed prior to that date.
There remains considerable conservatory work to be
performed at this monastery, for there are many other Coptic
and Arabic text preserved under a thin layer of plaster. However,
these texts and the murals of the church are very important for
the history of
Christianity and monasticism at Aswan, and the paintings
of the church provide invaluable documentation for the study
of Coptic art at the beginning of the second millennium.
References:
| Title |
Author |
Date |
Publisher |
Reference
Number |
| 2000 Years of Coptic
Christianity |
Meinardus, Otto F. A. |
1999 |
American University in Cairo
Press, The |
ISBN 977 424 5113 |
|
Coptic Monasteries: Egypt's Monastic Art and Architecture |
Gabra, Gawdat |
2002 |
American University in Cairo Press, The |
ISBN 977 424 691 8 |
| Churches and Monasteries of
Egypt and Some Neighboring Countries, The |
Abu Salih, The Armenian,
Edited and Translated by Evetts, B.T.A. |
2001 |
Gorgias Press |
ISBN 0-9715986-7-3 |
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