Deir el-Anbā Bisāda - Deir el-Anbā Bisāda

Deir el-Anba Bisada (Arabic:دير الأنبا بسادة الأسقف‎, Dair al-Anbā Bisāda al-Usquf, „Monastery of the Bishop's Father Bisāda“) Is a monastery about 18 kilometers south-southeast of Achmīm and immediately north of the village of el-Aḥāiwa Scharq (Arabic:الاحايوة شرق) On the eastern side of the Nile. The hamlet of ed-Deir (نجع الدير‎, Naǧʿ ad-Dair). The monastery is 150 meters from the Nile. The legend of St. Psote / Bisāda is closely linked to the Diocletian persecution of Christians.

background

The monastery is the St. Psote / Pšōti / Pisada, Arabic Bisāda, consecrated. According to tradition, it is said to date from the 13th century. As Grossmann explains,^[1] the monastery could have existed as early as the 6th century. He believes that the construction date of the oldest building documents still preserved today was in the early Umayyad period (beginning of the 7th century).

The Legend Psote worked after - he lived at the beginning of the 4th century - in his youth as a shepherd for his father. A boy named Agrippidos / Agrippida accompanied him as an assistant. Both ways of life differed significantly: Psote grew up as a devout Christian, while Agrippidos was brought up in a secular manner.

Psote later retired to the desert as an ascetic. From the patriarch Petros I. († 311) he later received the office of bishop for the city of Psoi / Ibsāy (also Ptolemaïs Hermiou), today's Minschāt, which is located at about the same point on the west side of the Nile.

Agrippidos was drafted into the Roman army as a soldier at the time of the Persian attack. He was able to work his way up at the imperial court and married the daughter of Emperor Numerian. After his death he became emperor himself under the name Diocletian. Out of anger against the patriarch of Antioch, Cyrus, who let the son of the Persian king escape from captivity, he had Christianity outlawed and his followers persecuted.

At the time of Prefect Arianus, Psote himself was a victim of this persecution of Christians. After he refused to renounce his belief, he was thrown in prison, tortured, and beheaded a few days later.

It is not known whether Psote ever founded a monastery. After the end of the persecution of Christians, his body was brought here and a memorial church was built over it, from which the monastery emerged.

The monastery was already built by Richard Pococke (1704–1765, travel 1737/1738)^[2] mentioned. In 1894 father Michel Jullien (1827–1911) visited^[3] the monastery. With the exception of a survey, there has not yet been a comprehensive study of the monastery.^[4]

getting there

The monastery can be reached by car or taxi. In Sōhāg one crosses the Nile to get to the east side and then continues to Achmīm. Then follow road number 21 from Achmīm to Girgā until you reach the monastery. It's right on the west side of the street.

Tourist Attractions

The monastery is surrounded by an adobe wall with the entrance on the north side. The church is located on the east side of the monastery wall. The accommodation for the priests is located on the southern outer wall of the church.

Today's church either emerged from two separate churches or was later supplemented by the southern building. Both parts are still separated today by a wooden decorative grille and are not aligned.

The church is a Breithauskirche and consists of two transepts. The main building is divided into three equal sections (yokes), the southern into two. The ceiling consists of domes that rest on mighty pillars. The walls and dome are plastered and whitewashed, but otherwise have no decoration.

The church is so peculiarly asymmetrical. The front door of the church leads to the right and not the middle Heikal (Holy of Holies) of the northern building. The fact that the main Heikal has always been located here is supported by the larger dome in front of this Heikal, which, however, was built later than the Heikal. The Heikal only becomes the middle one with the addition of the southern building.

The north building has three heicals, namely for St. Georg (left, north), for St. Virgin and for St. Psote / Bisāda. Above the screen of the former hangs a portrait of the venerated saints, above the screen of the Heikal of the Psote there is a depiction of the Last Supper, portraits of the Virgin with her child and Christ as well as those of the twelve apostles. On the left wall of the east transept is a reliquary for Father Psote and Father Ghalīnīkūs (Arabic:الأنبا غلينيكوس‎, al-Anbā Ghalīnīkūs).

To the right of the Heikal of St. Psote a low door in a sloping wall leads to a chapel with two rooms. A decorated limestone block is walled up above the door, which is adorned with a handle cross and other ornaments. In this chapel are the relics of St. Psote, his brother and his sister.

In the southern extension there are two more heicals, namely for St. Damiana and the Archangel Michael. The floor plan of the southern extension does not quite match the northern part, but the design of the wooden screen wall is similar.

activities

Special services are held every year on January 5th (27th Kiakh) and August 3rd (27th Abib), the day of the martyrdom of St. Psote and the consecration, instead.

respect

Gender segregation prevails in Coptic churches. Women go to mass in the right (southern) part of the church, men or their families accompanied by men in the left part of the church.

kitchen

Restaurants can be found in the city Sōhāg.

accommodation

Accommodation can be found in the city Sōhāg.

trips

A visit to the monastery can be compared to that of the monastery Mār Girgis el-Hadīdī and the monuments in the city Achmīm connect.

literature

• Meinardus, Otto F. A.: Christian Egypt, ancient and modern. Cairo: American University at Cairo Press, 1977 (2nd edition), ISBN 978-977-201-496-5 , P. 411 f.
• Timm, Stefan: Dēr Anbā Bisāda. In:Christian Coptic Egypt in Arab times; Vol. 2: D - F. Wiesbaden: Reichert, 1984, Supplements to the Tübingen Atlas of the Middle East: Series B, Geisteswissenschaften; 41.2, ISBN 978-3-88226-209-4 , P. 660 f.
• Orlandi, Tito: Psote of Psoi, Saint. In:Atiya, Aziz Suryal (Ed.): The Coptic Encyclopedia; Vol. 6: Muha - Pulp. new York: Macmillan, 1991, ISBN 978-0-02-897035-6 , P. 2031 f.
• Coquin, René-Georges; Martin, Maurice; McNally, Shela: Dayr Anbā Bisāda. In:Atiya, Aziz Suryal (Ed.): The Coptic Encyclopedia; Vol. 3: Cros - Ethi. new York: Macmillan, 1991, ISBN 978-0-02-897026-4 , Pp. 732-733.
• Grossmann, Peter: Christian architecture in Egypt. Suffering: Brill, 2002, Handbook of Oriental Studies; Dept. 1: The Near and Middle East; 62, ISBN 978-90-04-12128-7 , Pp. 544–546, fig. 161.

Web links

• Coptic Synaxar (Martyrology) for 27. Kiahk (Coptic Orthodox Church Network)

Individual evidence