8/12/2019 Monastery of Saint Samuel Near the Fayoum Oasis

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Egypt: Monastery of Saint Samuel Near theFayoum Oasis

Monastery of Saint Samuel

by Jimmy Dunn

Born in 597 AD in the city of Daklube, St. Samuel spent most his early years in the MacariusMonastery at Wadi el atrun. !t is said that he "as a disciple of Abba A#hathon, and that $od#a%e him the #ift of healin# and performin# miracles. &e "orked dili#ently at studyin# thescriptures, meditatin# and prayin# "ith his teacher, as "ell as probably "orked the land asdid St. Marcarius three centuries earlier.

'roblems bet"een the Western and (astern )hristian churches e*isted at this time, resultin#in considerable conflict, includin# a forei#n 'ope bein# installed in Ale*andria. Military unites"ere sent to the Monastery of St. Macarius. Samuel "as amon# the monks arrested, andlater beaten almost to his deal because he refused the decision of the council of )halcedony.

After these e%ents, Samuel left the monastery accompanied by four other monks and tra%eledto Mount +alamoun -alamon in the re#ion of the /ayoum 0asis "here they established asmall monastery. Dedicated to the 1ir#in, this monastery named for St. Samuel continues toflourish e%en today.

8/12/2019 Monastery of Saint Samuel Near the Fayoum Oasis

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Durin# the life of St. Samuel, the monastery flourished, thou#h it "as apparently ra%a#ed onse%eral occasions by the Berbers. 2e#end has it that the saint "as captured se%eral times bythe Berbers. 3et it is belie%ed that at his death in 49 , the monks of the monastery numberedbet"een 6 8 and 88, and that there "ere t"el%e churches.

We here %arious reports of the monastery throu#hout the centuries. !n the 66th century, AbuSalih, an Armenian reports that the monastery had t"el%e churches and four to"ers. &e alsotells us of a de%out monk "ho li%ed in a nearby ca%e, and that there "ere a total of 6 8monks inhabitin# the monastery at that time.

!n the 6 th century, 3akout the :omainian, a "ell kno"n #eo#rapher, stated in his#eo#raphical dictionary that the monastery "as famous and "ell kno"n to people. &o"e%er,in the 65th century, another report comes to us from (l Makri;i "ho reports only t"o to"er,but he makes no mention of churches. <here are fe" records bet"een the 64th and 69thcenturies, but "e kno" that sometime durin# this period the monastery declined and thebuildin#s fell into ruin as it "as deserted by the monks. !n 6=69, Bel;oni %isited the monasteryand disco%ered that it "as deserted. &e records findin# a %ery lar#e church and con%ent, andtells us of "ell preser%ed paintin# on the "alls.

8/12/2019 Monastery of Saint Samuel Near the Fayoum Oasis

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2ate in the 69th century, /ather !ssac (l Baramousy, alon# "ith a fe" other monks came toli%e at the monastery. <hey be#an to rebuild the old monastery, "hich he headed bet"een6=95 and 69 =. )urrently, /ather Basilios is Bishop and Abbot of the Monastery.

<oday, the monastery has fi%e churches, includin# the )hurch of the 1ir#in Mary, <he )hurchof St. Samuel, <he )hurch of St. Missael, the )hurch of the An#le Michael, and the )hurch ofSt. Mina the Martyr

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