With the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia and at the invitation of His Holiness Patriarch Tawadros II of Coptic, a delegation of monks of the Moscow Patriarchate visited Egypt on November 7-15, 2024 with the aim of pilgrimage to places associated with the history of the emergence and flourishing of Christian monasticism, as well as acquaintance with the modern life of male and female monasteries of the Coptic Church.
The trip took place in the context of the development of dialogue between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Coptic Church within the framework of the activities of the relevant bilateral Commission.
On November 7, the delegation arrived in the Nitrian Desert (Wadi an-Natrun), located between Cairo and Alexandria, the homeland of Christian monasticism.
The first stop of the pilgrims in the Nitrian desert was the monastery of St. Macarius the Great, founded in 360 by this revered saint throughout the Christian world and is the place of his earthly exploits and blessed death, described in the Egyptian Paterica. Metropolitan Konstantin and members of the delegation bowed to the venerable relics of St. Macarius and other great ascetics and martyrs residing in the monastery churches. The members of the delegation communicated with the brethren of the monastery.
On November 8, the pilgrims arrived at the lavra of the Nitrian Desert — the monastery of St. Paisius the Great (Anba Bishoi), founded by him around 357. The guests worshiped the relics of this saint of God and many other saints resting in the monastery. For guests from Russia, a tour of the Patriarchal and Synodal Center "Logos" located on the territory of the monastery was conducted — one of the administrative complexes of the Coptic Church, where many events of historical importance took place, including meetings of the Joint Commission on Theological Dialogue between the Orthodox Church and Ancient Eastern Churches, as well as a Meeting of Local Orthodox and Orthodox Churches held on September 16-17, 2024. Ancient Oriental Churches.
A meeting was held with the rector of the monastery of St. Paisius, Bishop Agapius, and the brethren.
Then the Russian pilgrims visited the monastery of the Syrians (as-Suriani), founded at the end of the IV century by the disciples of St. Paisius the Great at the place where his distant cell was located, and received its name in memory of the stay of monks from Syria here for several centuries. The name of St. Ephraim the Syrian is closely associated with this ancient monastery — the famous ascetic once came here to meet with St. Paisius. Even today, on the territory of the monastery, you can see a tree bearing fruit for more than one and a half thousand years, which grew from the staff of St. Ephraim stuck in the ground, a living testimony to the meeting of two great fathers, the founders of Christian monasticism. The monastery carefully preserves the cell of the Monk Abba Paisius, in which he performed the feat of unremitting prayer.
Fraternal communication between the guests and the inhabitants of the monastery took place.
At the end of their stay in the Nitrian desert, the delegation visited the monastery of the Romans (al-Baramus). This monastery, founded by St. Macarius the Great around 335, is considered to be the first monastery in the entire Christian world. It received its name in memory of the sons of the Roman Emperor Valentinian, Maximin and Domitia, who labored here at the end of the IV century under the command of St. Macarius. The representatives of the Moscow Patriarchate were warmly welcomed by the brethren of the monastery. Vladyka Konstantin and members of the delegation worshiped the relics of Saints Paphnutius the Great, Moses Murin, Isidore, and other hermit fathers who once labored in the monastery and the place of the exploits of St. Arseny the Great. The pilgrims visited the ancient room of the monastery refectory, built in the first decades of the monastery's history. It is one of the rooms of the cathedral church of the monastery, where many generations of monks made common meals-agapas after Sunday Liturgy, before going into the desert for solitary prayers.
On November 9, the pilgrims arrived in Cairo and worshiped the shrines of the ancient Christian center of the Egyptian capital. The delegation visited the famous "Hanging Church" (Muallaka), built on the ruins of the ancient Roman fortress "Babylon of Egypt" and for a long time was the cathedral of the Coptic Patriarchs. The guests visited the church of Saints Sergius and Bacchus, where they venerated the relics of the First Christian martyrs. This Cairo church was built in the IV century above the grotto where the Holy Family stayed for three months during their forced flight to Egypt from the persecution of Herod.
Then there was a visit to the temple of the Great Martyr Barbara, where part of her holy relics, as well as parts of the relics of Saints Juliana, Damiana and other saints of God, reside. Then the pilgrims got acquainted with the exposition of the Coptic Museum and visited the Cairo National Museum of Egyptian Civilization.
On November 10, representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church arrived in the Eastern Desert near the Red Sea, where the great shrines of the Christian world are located — the laurels of St. Anthony the Great and St. Paul of Thebes.
The first stop in the Eastern Desert was the monastery of St. Paul. Metropolitan Konstantin and members of the delegation visited the cave temple of Paul of Thebes and worshiped the tomb of the monk at the very place where lions who had once miraculously appeared from the desert dug the grave of the deceased elder. The monks of the monastery told the pilgrims about its history, showed the shrines of the lavra, an ancient mill, an ancient refectory and a monastery museum, as well as the spring of St. Paul, flowing from a height of about 300 meters and giving the brethren about four cubic meters of water every day.
On the same day, Metropolitan Konstantin of Zaraisk celebrated the Divine Liturgy in the monastery cave church of St. Mark the Ascetic, and the vicar of the Patriarchal Exarchate of Africa, Bishop Euphemia of Lukhovitsky, celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the parish of St. Sergius of Radonezh in Cairo.
The delegation communicated with the abbot of the monastery, Bishop Daniel, chairman of the Patriarchal Commission for Monasteries and Monasticism of the Coptic Church.
On November 11, the pilgrims visited the monastery of St. Anthony the Great.
Members of the delegation of the Moscow Patriarchate climbed the mountain where the cave cell of St. Anthony is located, in which he labored for about 70 years, and performed prayer singing in it.
The pilgrims visited the monastery temples and worshiped the shrines located in them, visited the monastery museum and the source of St. Anthony. Communication with the brethren of the monastery took place.
On November 13, the pilgrims returned to Cairo, on the way visiting the Coptic Cathedral of the Nativity in the New administrative capital of Egypt — the largest Christian temple complex in the Middle East. The grand opening and consecration of the cathedral took place on January 6, 2019 in the presence of Egyptian President A. al-Sisi.
A delegation of the Russian Orthodox Church visited the Cairo convent of the Holy Martyr Mercury Philopatra (Abu Seifen), where it was solemnly welcomed by its abbess Abbess Kyria and the inhabitants.
On November 14, a delegation of the Moscow Patriarchate visited the temple and administrative complex of the Coptic Patriarchate in the Cairo district of Abbasia and met with the Primate of the Coptic Church, His Holiness Patriarch Tawadros II.
Then the pilgrims from Russia visited the monastery of the Holy Great Martyr Theodore Stratelates located in the Old City, where they were received by his abbess Abbess Edrosis and her sisters.
In the evening of the same day, the delegation members attended the opening of the fifth meeting of the Commission on Dialogue between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Coptic Church.
On November 15, the members of the delegation left for Russia.
During the visit, the delegation was accompanied by Bishop Severius, rector of the monasteries of St. Thomas and St. Martyr Victor in Hatatba, Hieromonk Daoud el-Anthony, representative of the Coptic Church in Russia, adviser to His Holiness Patriarch Tawadros A. Milad, and monks of the Coptic Church.