On June 1-6, 2024, a delegation of monastics of the Russian Orthodox Church led by Metropolitan Isidore of Smolensk and Dorogobuzh visited the temples and monasteries of Middle Egypt and the ancient monasteries of the Eastern Desert near the Red Sea within the framework of the pilgrimage to the Christian shrines of Egypt.
A delegation of monks of the Russian Orthodox Church led by Metropolitan Isidore of Smolensk and Dorogobuzh visited the temples and monasteries of Middle Egypt and the ancient monasteries of the Eastern Desert near the Red Sea.
On June 1, having traveled from the Nitria Desert (Wadi al-Natrun), the pilgrims arrived in the city of Samalut, located on the banks of the Nile in the province of al-Minya. This is the birthplace of the new martyrs of the Coptic Church who were killed for their confession of faith in Christ on the Libyan coast of the Mediterranean Sea in 2015. The delegation from Russia visited the church consecrated in the name of these martyrs, as well as the cave church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, built on the site of one of the stops of the Holy Family in Egypt, worshiped their shrines and communicated with relatives and friends of the new martyrs. The guests from Russia were welcomed by Metropolitan Paphnutiy, Metropolitan of Samalut and Taha el-Amida, with whom they had fraternal communion.
On June 2, Sunday, the delegation headed further south in Egypt to the province of Assiut to visit the El Muharraq Monastery of the Blessed Virgin Mary — the place where the Holy Family lived for more than three years. It is located approximately in the geographical center Egypt, and Egyptian Christians relate to it the prophetic words of the prophet Isaiah: «In that day the altar to the Lord will be in the midst of the land of Egypt ...» (Is. 19:19). Arriving at the monastery early in the morning, Metropolitan Isidore, accompanied by members of the delegation in the clergy, celebrated the Divine Liturgy in one of the churches of the monastery, consecrated in the name of St. Mark the Apostle and Evangelist. Members of the parish of the Russian Orthodox Church in Hurghada prayed at the Liturgy. At the monastery, where hundreds of pilgrims from all over Egypt flock daily, the guests from Russia were welcomed by its abbot, Bishop Vukol, who gave a tour of the vast territory of the monastery and the seminary located within its walls.
Further the pilgrims' path led to the Red Sea desert, where the great shrines of the Christian world are located, the monasteries of St. Anthony the Great and St. Paul of Thebes.
The path of the pilgrims went on to the Red Sea desert, where the great shrines of the Christian world are located.
On June 4, the delegation visited the monastery of St. Paul of Thebes. The pilgrims worshiped the tomb of the ascetic, located on the very spot where once miraculously appeared from the desert lions dug the deceased elder's grave near the cave cell, in which this God's benefactor asceticized. The guests learned about the history of the monastery, worshipped its shrines, saw the ancient mill and the ancient refectory, as well as the spring of St. Paul, which It flows from a height of about 300 meters and every day gives the brethren about four cubic meters of water. On the same day Bishop Anthony of Volgodonsk and Salsk, accompanied by members of the delegation in the clergy, celebrated the Divine Liturgy in the monastery church in the name of St. Mark the ascetic, built in the cave where the cell of this saint of the XIII century was located. Members of the parish of the Russian Orthodox Church in Hurghada prayed at the Liturgy.
The representatives of the Moscow Patriarchate were cordially received by the abbot of the monastery, the chairman of the Patriarchal Commission for Monasteries and Monasticism of the Coptic Church, Bishop Daniel. During the meeting Metropolitan Isidore addressed words of gratitude to Bishop Daniel for organizing and ensuring the pilgrimage visit of representatives of Russian monasticism to Egypt and for the opportunity to celebrate the Divine Liturgy in one of the most ancient Christian monasteries. In turn, Vladyka Daniel noted the importance of bilateral cooperation in the field of monasticism and wished the pilgrims from Russia a favorable visit.
On June 5, Russian pilgrims visited another ancient monastery of the Eastern Desert — the Monastery of St. Anthony the Great. This monastery, built at the beginning of the IV century near the mountain, where in a cave cell of the
Members of the delegation of the Russian Orthodox Church ascended the mountain and visited the cell of St. Anthony, where he ascended for about 70 years.
Members of the delegation of the Russian Orthodox Church climbed the mountain and visited the cell of St. Anthony, where he ascended for about 70 years, and celebrated a prayer service there. At the foot of the mountain, the guests viewed the new church of the Holy Cross and the Resurrection of Christ, built for those pilgrims who are unable to make the ascent to the cave of St. Anthony. Then for the delegation was conducted a tour of the monastery; the guests visited its ancient temples, worshipping the relics in them, and visited the spring of St. Anthony.
The members of the delegation communicated with the brethren of the monastery.
The next day the representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church returned to Cairo. On the way, in the new administrative capital of Egypt, they visited the Cathedral of the Nativity of Christ, one of the largest in the Christian world. It was inaugurated and consecrated on January 6, 2019, in the presence of Egyptian President A. al-Sisi.
The guests from Russia were warmly received by the Abbess and sisters at the monastery in the name of the martyr Mercurius Philopater (Abu Seifen), where they worshiped his relics and other shrines.
The next morning the pilgrims departed for Russia.
In the course of the visit, the delegation of monks of the Russian Orthodox Church also visited the monasteries of the Nitria Desert and the holy shrines of Christian Cairo. A meeting was held with the Primate of the Coptic Church His Holiness Patriarch Tawadros II, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the Arab Republic of Egypt G. E. Borisenko, hierarchs, monks and believers of the Coptic Church.
The meeting was organized by the Russian Orthodox Church in the Arab Republic of Egypt.
The delegation consisted of: Metropolitan Isidore of Smolensk and Dorogobuzh, Bishop Anthony of Volgodonsk and Salsky; Vicar of the Nikolo-Shartomsky Monastery of the Shuysk Eparchy Archimandrite Philip (Ponamarchuk), Secretary of the Department of the External Church.html">Department for External Church Relations for Inter-Christian Relations Hieromonk Stephen (Igumnov), Vicar of the Andreevsky Stavropegial Monastery in Moscow Hegumen of the St. Andrew's Monastery. Moscow hegumen Dionisy (Shlenov), abbot of the David's Desert Podolsk Eparchy hegumen Sergius (Kuksov), abbot of the Gorno-Nikolsky Monastery Bryansk Eparchy hegumen Sergius (Kuksov), abbot of the Gorno-Nikolsky Monastery Bryansk Eparchy Eparchy hegumen Daniel (Tsupikov), vicar of the Spaso-Preobrazhensky Abrahamiev Monastery Smolensk Eparchy hegumen Nikolai (Zolotov), abbot of the St. John the Theologian Monastery Ryazan Eparchy Hieromonk Melchizedek (Skripkin), employee of the Department for External Church Relations Hieromonk Mark (Akhmatkhanov), assistant to Metropolitan Isidor of Smolensk and Dorogobuzh; priest Lev Garin, abbess of Holy Trinity Belopesotsky Monastery of the Podolsk diocese Hegumeness Agnia (Sudarikova).
In the course of the visit, the delegation was accompanied by Bishop Severius, abbot of St. Thomas Monastery and St. Victor Monastery in Khatatba, Hieromonk Daoud el-Anthony, representative of the Coptic Church in Russia, A. Milad, advisor to the Coptic Patriarch, Hieromonk Pimen, abbot of St. Paul of Thebes Monastery, and Monk Zeus, abbot of St. Macarius the Great Monastery.
The delegation was accompanied by Hieromonk Pimen, abbot of St. Thomas Monastery and St. Victor Monastery in Khatatatba.
EVCS Communication Service/Patriarchy.ru
