Monday, 2010-12-20
On our way back from Alexandria we stopped for a couple of hours at a Coptic Christian monastery, founded in the 4th century. To get there we turned off the desert highway and drove about 10 miles along a dirt road through desert areas and at least one desert town of small buildings lining the road. The monastery itself has large grounds with many different kinds of farms on it. These lands are worked and are clearly more lush than the area we had driven through. We were taken about by a monk who was probably about 60 but who has been in the monastery only since 1996. He was a veterinarian previously. His English was good as he had lived in the USA for six years. He took us through much of the compound, into the area where there were cells that had been lived in by monks from the 11th century. Each was in an adobe structure with thick walls and an opening in the ceiling for ventilation. There were two small rooms in each: one with a narrow bed. Here the monk would sleep and pray. The other room was to keep books and working materials – like pieces for constructing rosaries. It was also the place where he would eat. There was no plumbing – a single toilet was in the passageway outside for the use of all of the solitary monks. I believe that some of these cells are still in use.
Most of the 180 or so monks living there now do not live a solitary life. They live in community like most religious, working, praying, and eating. For the few who do chose to live as a solitary they must wait about 20 years within the regular community before seeking permission of the bishop who rules their monastery. They begin by adopting that life only one day a week, gradually building to longer periods. It would be a very difficult way to live, psychologically, and they must make sure that the person is suited to it. The monastery now has 17 novices.
Egypt is a republic and a secular state but it is not secular in the way that Canada or most of the USA is. Eighty percent of the population is Muslim and the other twenty percent is Coptic Christian. As I mentioned in an earlier post most of the women here wear head scarves completely covering their hair. Those who are Coptic do not. Our guide is a Coptic Christian and though he kids around a lot, especially with the young people on the tour, he is very sincerely pious when he speaks of his religious faith. He talks about the miracles of various saints associated with the monastery without a hint of scepticism. He spoke once of the invasion of Egypt by the Arab Muslims in the 7th century. When Alexander the Great came, he had been careful to integrate the Greek gods with those of the Egyptians. The Arabs did not approach conquest in this way. For the first years they allowed everyone to continue as they had been religiously, but as they secured the country they demanded that everyone either convert to Islam, or, pay high fees to them each year, or, be put to death. Most took the first option. Maged speaks indignantly of this conquest and of the fact that Egyptians now speak Arabic as their first language. We are not Arabs, he says. We are Egyptians.
Our veterinarian/monk showed into a fortress area in the centre of the compound. Here the monks had sealed themselves, sometimes for months when the area was under attack from the Berbers. There are very new areas as well. A large Cathedral church was opened there in 2002, built by the monks under the direction of one of their number who is an architect. In the inner area where an altar would be in a western Christian church, was an enormous painting of the risen Christ, seated and looking quite happy. It is a contrast to the western view of Christ, always on the cross and surrounded by mourners.
After the tour we were taken to a visitors’ refectory and given lunch: a bowl of cooked beans, pita bread, and tea. Very simple but sustaining fare. No chocolate anywhere in sight. We returned to our van and got out our snacks. Before we left one of the monks asked us some questions about what the visit to the monastery had meant to us spiritually. A few people made a comment personal to them. He gave us a brief homily about getting closer to the Lord and about the necessity of reading the bible every day. No one commented on any of this later which I found interesting, because this is a crowd that makes jokes about just about everything.
We returned to Cairo after leaving the monastery. The rest of the crew have gone off for an overly expensive (and I’ve heard hokey) light and sound show at the pyramids. Mark and I are relaxing at the hotel and will soon go out for a walk and some supper. Tomorrow we will go to the Egyptian museum and to the pyramids. Tomorrow night we board a train for an overnight trip to Aswan. I may not be able to send a post tomorrow, but I will be thinking of all you folks and will report on all happenings once we get settled at Aswan.
Take care. Brenda.
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