The Monastery of the Martyrs

The Monastery of the Martyrs by Jimmy Dunn

During the first period of Egyptian monasticism in the early Christian period, the movement grew in the Nile Valley perhaps mostly due to the ascetic zeal of the founding father Saints Pachomius (c !"# $D% and Shenuda of $tripe (c "&& $D% 'n additional to the famous monasteries on the west (an) of the Nile near Sohag )nown as the *hite and the +ed monasteries, there e,isted in the -th and .th Centuries east of $ncient $)hmim the monasteries of /arpocrates (-th century%, Christophrus (.th century% and Colluthus (-th century% $( 0l12a)arim, the 3!th century traveler who visited many of Egypt4s monasteries, mentions three monasteries consisting of St Pachomius at 5ar6anus, $( /al(anah east of $)hmim and St Paul $l12a7rizi (38th century% still refers to the 2onastery of the Seven 2ountains at the entrance to Seven Valleys and the 2onastery of Sa(rah, dedicated to St 2ichael 9oday, there are eight monasteries east of $)hmim, including some of that were recently reactivated 9hese monasteries are dedicated to the 2artyrs, the /oly Virgin, St 2ichael at as1Salamuni, St 9homas at Sawamiah Shar7, St Pachomius the 2artyr, St :eorge (Dair al1 /adid%, St 5isada opposite of 2insha and the Seven 2ountains at 5ir al14$in 9he persecutions of the Christians during the reign of Diocletian and 2a,imian resulted in a large num(er of martyrs 'n ;pper Egypt, they were carried out (y the :overnor $rianus who had come to $)hmim from <ycopolis ($syut% to hunt for Christians in the provinces of Panopolis ($)hmim% and $ntaioupolis (=aw al1>e(ir% Vatican documents mention .3"? Christians who refused to offer sacrifices to the +oman gods and su(se7uently suffered martyrdom in $)hmim *hereas most of the $)hmim martyrs remained anonymous, some of them received special commemoration 9hese included Dioscorus and $esclepius, who were ascetics in the desert east of $)hmim St 2ichael appeared to them and ordered them to witness (efore $rianus 9hey were tortured and finally (eheaded @orty soldiers of the garrison including their captains Philemon and $)ourius 6oined the saints in their martyrdom /owever, Christians were persecuted (y others (esides the +omans 2ercurius and Ephraem, natives of $)hmim, were mon)s in the 9he(aid and suffered martyrdom during the reign of the $rian Emperor Constantius (!!-1!&3% (ecause they upheld the orthodo, faith 2enas the Anew martyrA lived in the -th Century as a hermit near one of the monasteries east of $)hmim /e went to /ermopoplis 2agna (al1$shmunain% where where he was )illed (y the $ra(s
Monastery of the Martyrs (Deir as-Shuhada)

Bn the desert ridge a(out si, )m northeast of $)hmim (seven )m south of the :reco1 +oman 9emple of >hnum at Esna there are three monasteries 9he northern one near as1 Salamuni is dedicated to the $ngel 2ichael, the central one to the 2artyrs and the southern monastery to the /oly Virgin 9he monastery of the 2artyrs lies a(out one )ilometer from the road connecting Esna and Edfu

Exterior of the Monastery of the Martyrs 9his monastery, also )nown as the 2onastery of St $mmonius (Deir 2anawus%, is not to (e identified with the 38th century Church of $sutir (Soter, Savior%, in $)hmim, which according to al12a7rizi (38th century% was also )nown (y the name of the martyrs 9he 2onastery of the 2artyrs (Dair as1Shuhada4% is situated on an elevation at the edge of the desert east of al1 /awawish, 9he 2onastery of the 2artyrs is (uilt within a large necropolis 2any tom(s were desecrated and plundered B(viously they (elong to various periods 9his necropolis provided the large 7uantity of Coptic te,tiles which are e,hi(ited in the art1collections of Europe and $merica $mong these are, for instance, the famous .thC#th century or(iculi with the history of the Bld 9estament Patriarch Doseph *hile the oldest (uilding within the monastery today date (ac) at the earliest to the second half of the eleventh century, many funerary stelae with :ree) inscriptions attest to the more ancient age of the monastic comple, 'n 3-"? (E% +ichard Pococ)e mentioned that the monastery was inha(ited (ut a short time later it was reported that only one priest lived in the monastery

$ wall, (uilt of mud1(ric)s a(out three meters high, encloses the 2onastery ;pon entry through the western gate one reaches an e,tensive outer courtyard with F" tom(s (elonging to nota(le citizens of ancient $)hmim and al1/awawish 9he inner court is separated from the outer court (y another mud1(ric) wall $ passage leads from the inner court to the church (actually two churches attached to each other%, which e,tends to the eastern section of the outer wall 9he southern of the two churches is undou(tedly the oldest of the two dating to a(out the 33th or 3Fth century 'ts structure is similar to that of the church of Deir al1@a)huri 't has a naos that consists of a nave divided into two s7uare spaces, each of which are covered (y cupolas 9here are two small side aisles that serve as am(ulatories, a )hurus (choir% and a sanctuary with two ad6acent rooms 9he north room serves as a (aptistery 9he northern of the two churches was almost certainly (uilt soon after the southern church 't has two aisles, a )hurus and two sanctuaries $pparently, at a later date, three additional sanctuaries were added to the south side of the churches, and one on the north 5oth the north and south churches are interestingly (oth architecturally and pictorially Noteworthy is the device which here replaces the iconostasis (screen% which usually separates the sanctuaries from the nave /ere, simple little columns separated (y small doors and windows fulfill this function 9he three original, central sanctuaries of the two churches are dedicated to the /oly Virgin (or perhaps, Saint :regory, south%, the /oly 2artyrs (center% and Saint 2ichael (north% Bnly the central sanctuary has a wooden ci(orium, which consists of a freestanding vaulted canopy supported (y columns 9he iconography of this ci(orium corresponds to that of the Church of St 2ercurius ($(4s1 Saifain% in $)hmim and may (e assigned to the 3.th or 3#th century 9he sanctuaries and choirs of the two churches are decorated with fine wall paintings, though in rather (ad condition 2any of these are as old as the two churches

Interior View of the the church at the Monastery of the Martyrs 'n the southern sanctuary, Christ is represented (etween the archangels 2iachel and :a(riel and two saints who are pro(a(ly 5asil and :regory 9he walls of the sanctuary (hai)al% of the 2artyrs (center% are adorned with several paintings of Coptic crosses with the shroud 9hese designs are undou(tedly copies of the famous 33th century apse1fresco of the Church of St Shenuda in the *hite 2onastery (Dai al1$(iad% west of Sohag 'n the lower part of the sanctuary are depictions with the image of the /oly Virgin enthroned (etween the archangels 2ichael and :a(riel

9he concha (a semidome% of the apse has an image of Christ Pantocrator (ruler of the universe% surrounded (y the apocalyptic sym(ols of the evangelists, consisting of an o,, lion,

human (eing and eagle Saints Peter and Stephen are presented on the arch that divides the choir from this sanctuary 9he screen of the sanctuary dedicated to the 2artyrs has an inlaid Coptic te,t dating to the 3.th or 3#th Century, which reads A5e greeted church, thou mansion of angels A 'n the north sanctuary, one finds again the iconography of Christ Pantocrator and the archangels 'n the choir of the north church, two warrior saints on horse(ac) are portrayed, consisting of Saint 9heodore to the north and Saint Claudius to the south Nota(ly, from this monastery comes the now famous 5oo) of Prover(s that was discovered in 3#?", which is one of the earliest complete papyrus manuscripts in e,istence 't contains a translation of the Prover(s of Solomon into the $)hmin dialect 't was pro(a(ly written in the "th century, and is one of the longest te,ts in this dialect ever preserved