Monastery of Saint Pishoy
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Location within Egypt
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| Monastery information | |
|---|---|
| Other names | Deir Abu Bishoy |
| Established | 4th century |
| Dedicated to | Saint Pishoy |
| Diocese | Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria |
| People | |
| Founder(s) | Saint Pishoy |
| Important associated figures | Pope Gabriel VIII Pope Macarius III Pope Shenouda III Saint Paul of Tammah |
| Site | |
| Location | Wadi El Natrun |
| Country |  Egypt |
| Coordinates | Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. |
| Public access | Yes |
The Monastery of Saint Pishoy (also spelled Bishoy, Pshoi, or Bishoi[1]) in Wadi El Natrun (the Nitrian Desert), Beheira Governorate, Egypt, is the most famous Coptic Orthodox monastery named after Saint Pishoy. It is the easternmost monastery among the four current monasteries of the Nitrian Desert.
Contents
Foundation and ancient history
The monastery was founded by Saint Pishoy in the fourth century AD.[2] On 13 December 841 AD (4 Koiak) 557 AM, Pope Joseph I fulfilled the desire of Saint Pishoy and moved his body as well as that of Saint Paul of Tammah to this monastery. Up to that date, the bodies of the two saints were at the monastery of Saint Pishoy at Deir el-Bersha. Today, the two bodies lie in the main church of the Coptic Orthodox Monastery of Saint Pishoy in the Nitrian Desert.
Modern history
Today, the Monastery of Saint Pishoy contains the relics of Saint Pishoy, Saint Paul of Tammah, as well as the relics of other saints. Eyewitnesses recount that the body of Saint Pishoy remains incorrupt. Pope Shenouda III is also interred there.
The monastery has five churches, the main one being named after Saint Pishoy. The other churches are named after the Virgin Mary, Saint Iskhiron, Saint George, and Archangel Michael. The monastery is surrounded by a keep, which was built in the fifth century AD to protect the monastery against the attacks of the Berbers. An initial castle was built early in the twentieth century, but was later replaced by a four-storied castle built by Pope Shenouda III. In addition, the monastery contains a well known as the Well of the Martyrs. Coptic tradition says that the Berbers washed their swords in this well after having killed the Forty Nine Elder Martyrs of Scetes, and subsequently threw the bodies of the martyrs in the well before Christians buried the bodies in the nearby Monastery of Saint Macarius the Great.
Under Shenouda III, Pope of the Coptic Orthodox Church from 1971 to 2012, new land around the monastery was purchased and developed. Poultry, cattle breeding and dairy facilities were developed. Ancient buildings and churches were restored, and cells for monks, retreat houses, a papal residence, annexes for a reception area, an auditorium, conference rooms, fences and gates were built. Shenouda was buried here after his death in March 2012.
Popes from the Monastery of St. Pishoy
- Pope Gabriel VIII (1525–1570)
- Pope Macarius III (1942–1945)
Abbot
As of 2015[update] the bishop and abbot of the Monastery of Saint Pishoy was Sarapamon (Serapis Amon).
Other monasteries named after Saint Pishoy
- The Monastery of Saint Pishoy at Deir El Barsha, near Mallawi
- The Monastery of Saint Pishoy at Armant, east of Armant
Other monasteries of the Nitrian Desert
See also
References
Links
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Monasteries in Egypt
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Upper Egypt: |
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| Middle Egypt: |
Monastery of Saint Parsoma
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| Lower Egypt: | |||
| Eastern Desert: | |||
| Scetes: |
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| Sinai: | |||
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- Pages with broken file links
- Articles containing potentially dated statements from 2015
- Christian monasteries in Egypt
- Coptic Orthodox monasteries
- Oriental Orthodox congregations established in the 6th century
- Christian monasteries established in the 6th century
- Buildings and structures in Beheira Governorate
