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Working the old fourth-century mill in Anba Bishoy. Photo: Katja Buck/WCC

Working the old fourth-century mill in Anba Bishoy. Photo: Katja Buck/WCC

By Katja Dorothea Buck*

The Coptic Church does not have to worry about the future of its monasteries. Many young Copts want to become monks or nuns. That was not always the case. In the late 1960s, monasticism in Egypt was close to extinction.

Abuna Nicola is in his early 30s. The young Egyptian could be married and a father of a family. Every morning he would go to work and would help his children to do their homework in the evening. Like many of his compatriots he would spend countless hours in traffic jams and would probably be worried about the rising cost of living. But Nicola made a decision six years ago. He entered the monastery of Bishoy in Wadi Natrun. First as a novice; and three years ago he became a monk. Till the end of his days he will get up every day at four o'clock in morning, spend many hours in prayer, read in the ancient scriptures and contribute to the work which has to be done to run a monastery. Today he is called because visitors came from abroad and want to know more about the monastery. Nicola speaks English very well.

The monastery of Anba Bishoy is one of the best-known of the remaining monasteries in Egypt. It’s situated in the Wadi Natrun, a desert depression halfway between Cairo and Alexandria. Founded in the fourth century, it is one of the oldest monasteries of Christianity. Actually, it should come right after the Pyramids of Giza on each tourist route. Egypt is not only the land of the pharaohs, but also the land of origin of Christian monasticism. Here, much can be learned about the very beginning and the spread of the Christian religion, about the meaning of asceticism, the beauty of God's presence and also about the Copts in the 21st century.

Abuna Nicola belongs to the young generation of monks. “I'm actually only three years old,” he says, laughing. Becoming a monk, a new life begun for him. For this reason, at least three dates will be noted on his tombstone: the day of his birth, the day when he became a monk and his last day. And if he becomes a bishop, there will be a fourth date engraved. In the Coptic Church, only monks can become bishops or patriarchs. The pastors, however, may marry.

In the new cemetery between the church and the old wall, 42 grave niches are closed with a marble plate. These are the tombs of the monks buried here in recent years. “In 1971, only seven old monks lived in Anba Bishoy - and one donkey,” says Nicola. “The monastery began to deteriorate, like all the other monasteries in Egypt as well. At that time the donkey was the most important person because he was the only means of transport for the old men and could power the mill.”

Today 200 monks and 20 novices live in the monastery of Anba Bishoy. Also in the other monasteries in the country, worship is again celebrated in a large community. Altogether, according to information from the Patriarchate in Cairo, there are between 5,000 and 6,000 monks and nuns in the 50 monasteries all over Egypt. There are various reasons for this renaissance of Coptic monasticism. Anyone who asks the monks always gets two names: Abuna Matta El-Meskin (1919-2006) and Pope Kyrillos VI (1902-1971). The first is considered the spiritual father of the Coptic Church in modern times. Born in 1919 as Yussuf Iskander, Matta El-Meskin decided to become a monk at the age of 29. He sold his pharmacy, gave all his possessions to the poor and entered the monastery. Again and again he spent long periods in the loneliness of the desert, where he lived in a cave and led a strict ascetic life. Other young Copts were impressed by him and followed him into the desert. In 1968, Pope Kyrillos VI commissioned that group of 11 monks around Abuna Matta El-Meskin to join the few old monks in the Makarios Monastery in Wadi Natrun helping them to reconstruct the buildings. This was the beginning of the renaissance of Coptic monasticism.

But there are also secular reasons which have contributed to the new interest in monastic life. With the modern transport facilities, the monasteries were suddenly easy to reach for everyone. Anyone could go there and see for him- or herself how monks are living. In addition, deeper wells for clean drinking water had been drilled, which greatly improved the living conditions in the monastery.

But it’s not for the easy life, that one decides to become a monk. Among the 200 monks of the Anba Bishoy Monastery there are 25 hermits. From the roof of the ancient fortress, in which the monks in earlier centuries took shelter from the attacks of hostile desert tribes, Nicola points towards the horizon. “Far away, near to the outer wall, there are the man-made caves in which the hermits are living. Once a week someone of the community brings them food and water. Sometimes they come to church with us,” Nicola says.

“Compared to the fifth century it’s not a big thing,” he says. “At that time, 7,000 monks belonged to Anba Bishoy and 70,000 lived throughout the Wadi Natrun. For a monastery found it only needed three things: a church, around which the monks could settle in huts or caves, a well for water supplies and a mill to grind corn to flour”, he explains. In the Anba Bishoy Monastery, this mill from the fifth century can still be seen.

From the roof of the old fortress, the view goes far into the desert. An invigorating breeze brings fresh air into the lungs. The afternoon sun bathes everything in a soft light. The peace is soothing. What a contrast to the everyday chaos, stress and smog, which usually characterize the life of Egyptians. No wonder young people find it increasingly attractive to trade it for a life in peace and friendly fellowship. No, it was not escapism which led him become a monk, states Nicola. Rather, it was the desire to be as close as possible to God.

“Those who opt for the life as a monk or nun, must first get to know the worldly life, must have studied and worked in a profession,” says Nicola. “And the young men must finish their obligatory military service. It would be extremely problematic if the state would recruit a monk for the armed combat. Before becoming a monk, all issues with the world outside of the monastery must be settled.

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*Katja Dorothea Buck is a religious and political scientist working on Middle Eastern Christianity. Since her studies in Cairo in the late 1990s she often travels to Egypt for research.