Coptic Treasures

Coptic art is now present in many variations in different churches all around the world but little is known about its Egyptian origins.

Jesus Christ

Icon depicting Jesus Christ sitting on the throne of glory, with four figures around him refer to the four gospels; the face of the lion that refers to the gospel of "Mark", The human face that refers to the Gospel of "Matthew", the face of the eagle that refers to the gospel of "John" and the face of the bull that refers to the gospel of "Luke."

Jesus Christ holds an open book. and is written on his head in red ink: "O Lord, make up for him who has trouble." The icon was made by the artists Ibrahim and Yohanna Al-Armani, and it dates back to the 18th century. It’s located in the Coptic museum, Cairo.

Origin:

The Christian art originated from the Egyptian churches during the Byzantine, Greco-Roman era in Egypt and it was a mixture of old Egyptian and Greco-Roman mythology art.

The fascinating Coptic art took many forms. It varied from large wall-paintings, sculptures, tapestries all the way to the most famous Coptic icons.

Iconography:

Ancient icons were drawn by craftsmen and they included portraits of Jesus Christ, Virgin Mary and saints. The icons weren’t only beautiful pieces of art, but also a way for the Coptics to reflect authentic expressions of their faith, as well as the spiritual values that encourage sincerity and the formulation of a new spiritual thought. They were also a simple means of teaching and spreading the religion of Christ, so each icon tells a story from the many religious stories mentioned in the Bible.

Martyrdom of Saint Mercurius

“Abu-Seifein” 

The icon describes the courage and strength of the leader of the roman army Saint Mercurius during the attack of the Berbers on Rome. During the battle the Archangel Michael appeared before Mercurius and gave him another shining sword. The saint held the two swords, hence he was named Abu-Seifein - "the holder of two swords": a military sword and a divine sword. He then won over the Berbers.

The icon is made by Yuhanna al-Armani, present in The Hanging Church, Cairo.

Influence:

Egyptian Coptic icons were so mesmerising that they inspired Western scholars and became the source from which the iconography of Western medieval art emerged.

Revival:

Coptic icons witnessed a recession at the beginning of the Islamic conquest of Egypt and began to gradually disappear until they were revived in the 17-18th century by the well-known artists Yuhanna-Al Armani and Ibrahim Al-nasikh.

Location of these coptic treasures:

The world's largest collection of the finest Coptic artefacts is now housed in the Coptic Museum in Egypt.

Icon of Virgin Mary carrying the cross of Jesus Christ, made by Yuhanna al-Armani