Coptic Dome

Another shot from the 8th century Monastery with the 8th century domes.

 

 

Saint Bishoy the Great is the founder of the monastery called after his name

in Wadi El-Natroun. His name is "Bishoy" in Coptic, the equivalent of

"Sammy," meaning just. In French his name is St. Paisious, and the church

mentions him in the liturgy as "The Perfect Man, the Beloved by our Good

Savior." (al-ragol al-kamil habeeb mokhalisona al-saleh) He is also called

"The Star of the Wilderness" (kawkab el-barieah).

 

Our saint was born 320 A.D. around the Nile's Delta in Egypt. His righteous

mother raised him up, after his father's death, along with his six siblings.

God has rewarded his mother for her well-upbringing of her children by

sending to her His angels and chose Bishoy to become a servant for Him for

the rest of his life.

 

In 340 A.D., when Bishoy was 20 years old, he went to the "Isqiet" wilderness

and became a student of Saint Bimwa, who was a student of Saint Abu Makar the

great. Over there, Bishoy, became a spiritual friend of the saint who was

famous for obedience, St. Yuhanis the dwarf---who planted a dry stick in

obedience of his teacher Saint Bimwa and it grew and became a fruitful tree

through the blessing of his obedience.

 

When Saint Bimwa departed, God's Angel appeared to Saint Bishoy and informed

him that God wants him to live in solitude in the neighboring region, east

of Saint Yuhanis' place, because he will become a father and guidance to

many monks.

 

Saint Bishoy obeyed and lived in a cave (still exists to date in the famous

Saint Mary's monastery in El-Surian). For the strength of Saint Bishoy's

love of our Good Savior, he wanted to continue his conversation with God

throughout prayer as long as possible so he used to tie his hair with a rope

attached to the ceiling of his cave to wake him up if he fell asleep so that

he continues his prayer to his beloved. And for that reason he was called

"the Beloved by our Good Savior."

 

Also, because of how much he liked prayer and meditation for God, he used to

forget to eat the earthly food for many days, sustaining himself with the

spiritual food of prayer, meditation, and reading the living word of God.

 

Every person he got to meet used to get filled with peace, happiness, and

assurance, and went away content. As a result he had a following of 2400

people who lived the life of continuous happiness under his guidance, and

they lived in scattered caves in the mountain. They also used to gather

around Saint Bishoy "like bees surrounding honey" as some of the old

manuscripts stated.

 

God's promise to Saint Bishoy was fulfilled when He appeared to him when he

first started living in his cavern, that "the entire mountain will be filled

with worshipers under his guidance."

 

Saint Bishoy was an energetic worker who ate from the work of his own

hands. He once said to his disciples "I did not eat food provided by any

person... my children, work with your hands to sustain yourselves and to

make enough to give to charity as well."

 

It is also mentioned about his defending of the faith, when he saved one of

the teachers from a religious heresy without harming his feelings using a

simple, wise way. He won him and won all of his following as well.

 

He was not just pleasant, humble, emotionally sensitive, and sensitive to

others' feelings, but also he used to respect everyone's humanity and his

loving heart always listened to the poor and needy. For that he was called

"the Perfect, Righteous Man." (al-ragol al-bar al-kamil).

 

With a humble heart, he used to carry all the trouble of his disciples and

their weaknesses, while fasting so that he will lead them to the life of

strive. He used to pray intermittently so that God will keep his disciples'

souls in the faith.

 

Because of his humbleness he used to wash the feet of strangers and visitors

without knowing who they are or even looking at their face. For that reason,

Jesus appeared to him posing as a stranger (the same way he appeared to

Abraham in the Old Testament) and Saint Bishoy washed His holy feet and he

did not know Him until he saw the scars of the crucifixion on His feet.

 

And this is the distinctive picture of Saint Bishoy's monastery, and it does

not only show the humbleness and the loving of the monks for all people, but

also to show that meekness and honest love make God very close to us.

 

Because of the sympathy of Saint Bishoy's heart, he carried an old man in

the road and later he found that He was the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus then

promised him that his body whom he kept pure and served through it all the

people and the needy, and controlled it by spiritual exercises, will stay

without decay because it carried Him.

 

And, indeed, Saint Bishoy's body is still without decay to date, and without

being preserved chemically in any way or mummified.

 

It was also mentioned about him that he did not hurt the feelings of a

person who was talking during one of Saint Bishoy's sermons, and when that

person saw the capacity of Saint Bishoy's good heart he stopped talking and

apologized.

 

Saint Bishoy was also spiritually detached from money and materialistic

things. He refused what one of the rich people brought to him one day of

gold and silver (since God informed him of this devil's trick who wanted to

keep him away from worship). So Saint Bishoy advised the rich man to return

with his gold and silver and distribute it amongst the poor and the needy to

win God's blessing for him. When the rich man left him and Saint Bishoy

returned back to his cubicle, the devil cried at him saying: "Oh,

you!... you always ruin my tricks with your modesty" So Saint Bishoy

answered him in meekness and vulnerability saying: "Since you fell, oh

devil, and God spoils all your tricks against His children."

 

Saint Bishoy loved his spiritual children and interacted with them as a

loving father. He used to cry for his sins like Armia the prophet to the

point he was called Saint Bishoy the Armian (Bishoy El-Army). He kept

striving in prayer for one of his disciples who sinned until he came back

repenting to God.

 

Many times Jesus appeared to Saint Bishoy because of his great love for

Him. Saint Bishoy used to know many matters because of his prophetic

spirit. Through it he knew the coming of Saint Ifram the Syrian from Syria

before he actually came to visit him when he heard about his great

spirituality.

 

Saint Bishoy asked from God to give him a Syrian tongue so that he will be

able to speak with the Syrian guest, and so it was granted to him.

 

When the Berber attacked the wilderness in 407 A.D., Saint Bishoy did not

want to stay at the monastery so that one of the Berber will not kill him

and therefore the Berberine will lose his soul for it. So Saint Bishoy went

to Upper Egypt, Ansena, and befriended Saint Boula El-Tammohie and

established a big monastery that still exists to date.

 

On July 15, 417 A.D., Saint Bishoy departed and was buried with his

spiritual friend, the meek Saint Boula (currently Mallawie). Then, Pope

Yusab I, the 52nd Patriarch 830-849 A.D., moved Saint Bishoy's pure body to

its monastery at Wadi El-Natroun on December 13th 841 A.D., Kiahk 4th 557

A.M., after building its huge walls.

 

On the feast of Saint Bishoy's departure on July 15 (8 Abib) of each year,

H.H.H. Pope Shenouda the 3rd makes sure to lead the celebrations in honor of

the great Saint and to join the monks of the monastery in their joy for the

feast of their intercessor. H.H.H., along with Anba Sarabamon, the

monastery's Bishop, carry out the preparation of the herbs and "henout" to

scent the pure body in the midst of prayers, chants, and hymns of thousands

of visitors who pilgrim to the monastery over a period of 10 days (July

5-15) to join in the joy of celebration and to receive the blessing and

intercession of the great saint.

 

The monastery has prepared guest houses to accommodate the guests and

visitors. They are equipped with what is needed for their rest during the

celebration period, until the return back joyous, full of spiritual

blessings and the benefits of the intercession of the great Saint Bishoy.

Done