The New Monastery of St. Mina in Mariut,
Egypt
Scroll down for a Related Article, Videos, and
Photo Tour
Pope
Kyrillos VI established this monastery in commemoration of St.
Mina, his patron saint. Pope Kyrillos bought the land from the government in an isolated desert area very close to the
archaeological site of Abu Mena, which was an important
Christian pilgrimage site during the 4th to 7th century A.D. in Egypt and where
countless miracles
happened through the intercession of St. Mina.
The new monastery is located in the Western desert of
Egypt, just South West of Alexandria, off the desert road between Cairo and Alexandria.
At the beginning, it was a very humble place, without any landmarks. It was difficult to reach the site and one could easily
get lost in the desert. Pope Kyrillos VI began to build and improve the site.
Today, St. Mina Monastery in Mariut has become the landmark of the region.
Sanitary water and electricity reached the place. The monastery has many buildings, numerous churches/chapels, and even a big
Cathedral.
Pope Kyrillos VI, according to his wish, was buried in the
monastery, which also contains part of the relics of St. Mina. Thousands of
pilgrims flock from all over the world to receive spiritual and physical healing
at the
monastery, which has become "Lourdes of the East".
Related Article
Monastery of St. Mina, Mariut - Religious "tourism" as big "business"
(Al-Ahram Weekly, 17-23 February 2000, Issue No. 469)
The lesson to be learned from the ancient religious centre of Abu Mena is that religious "tourism" only becomes a reality when believers participate with an intensity of conviction that can be experienced and shared -- that is to say, when the aim of the trip is not merely touristic interest, but a mission of
faith, writes Jill Kamil
(Right-click to save, 66.5 KB - to read this PDF article, you will need Acrobat Reader, which can be obtained
free of charge here.)
Videos
Exclusive:
Tour of St. Mina Monastery in Mariut in 1984; things have changed a lot
since that time (streaming video, 20 min: 16 sec -
right-click to save, 14.3 MB - to view this video, you will need Microsoft
Windows Media Player)
Exclusive:
Rare film of Pope Kyrillos VI at St. Mina Monastery in Mariut during its early
days (streaming video, 2 min: 29 sec - right-click to save,
9.35 MB - to view this video, you will need Microsoft
Windows Media Player)
Photo Tour
A photo of the old visitors' rest house at St. Mina Monastery in
Mariut.
Front view of St. Mina Monastery in Mariut showing the church of
St. Mary and St. Mina (front left) and the new Cathedral with its two towers (on the right in
the back). A small chapel (of St. Samuel) to the left of the church of St. Mary and St. Mina (and connected to it with a short corridor - this chapel is not shown in this photo) previously had the shrine and relics of St. Mina. These are now located in the new Cathedral of St. Mina, which was inaugurated in January 2005.
The relics of St. Mina the Martyr at St. Mina Monastery in Mariut.
Newer buildings at St. Mina Monastery in Mariut.
St. Mina's new Cathedral at St. Mina Monastery in Mariut
accommodates 3000 persons, has seven altars and its towers are 45 meters in
height.
Pope St. Kyrillos VI shrine situated under the Cathedral's sanctuary.
To the right (not shown in this photo) is the shrine of the late Bishop
Mina Ava-Mina.
