2592 x 3146 px | 21,9 x 26,6 cm | 8,6 x 10,5 inches | 300dpi
Aufnahmedatum:
16. März 2007
Ort:
Sohag Governorate, Egypt
Weitere Informationen:
The church of the Red Monastery (Dayr Anba Bishay) dates to about 500-525 A.D. In form it is a basilica with a long nave, terminating in an elaborate trilobed sanctuary. The church is one of the best preserved examples of this type of religious architecture, which is known in Egypt and elsewhere in the Byzantine empire. Each of the three half circles that form the trefoil sanctuary consists of two ornamented tiers topped by a semidome. This intricate array of niches and columns comprises the most complete ensemble of architectural sculpture in any church in Egypt. Originally, the church probably had a pitched wooden roof. Today, the sanctuary is covered with a modern dome, and the nave is open to the sky. The building still functions as a church, in a living Coptic Monastery. The dramatic late Roman architecture of the sanctuary interior is embellished with architectural sculpture and painting. Almost every interior surface is covered with paint, most of which dates between about the sixth and eighth centuries. Depictions of Christ, the Virgin Mary, apostles, evangelists, prophets and angels create a complex series of messages about salvation. The addition of monastic saints connects the paintings to the setting of the monastery. The numerous and brightly colored designs on the architectural sculpture are the best surviving example of what were Classical and Egyptian traditions that continued into Late Antiquity. In this later period, beauty was expressed through varieties of pattern and color, exemplified here by numerous vibrant motifs and figural subjects. Before the beginning of the conservation project, the paintings in the sanctuary were almost completely obscured by centuries of soot and darkened varnish. The conservation team painstakingly consolidated, cleaned, and conserved the paintings, revealing their original magnificence.
