Ashmounin remained the seat of an episcopal see for about 1,300 years, from the middle of the third century AD until the middle of the sixteenth century AD. Thus, the seat of the city of Ashmounin is considered one of the oldest episcopal chairs in Upper Egypt.
There are still remnants of a large basilica-style church in the area known as “Kom El-Kenissa”, and this church remained in existence for about six centuries, since its establishment in the fifth century AD until it was destroyed in the early eleventh century AD.
Some archaeological missions reported that the church had 48 pink granite columns, about six meters high, and the columns’ bases and crowns were of limestone.
Abu al-Makarem mentioned that the church of the Virgin Mary in Ashmounin had several altars, marble columns, and one altar only that is used all the time for the Divine Liturgy, because above it is the trace of the hand of Christ.
The archaeological excavations were carried out in the city of Ashmounin twice, the first time by a mission from Oxford University and secondly by the German archaeologist (Peter Grossmann) in 1989 and it was found that it contains several buildings and has remnants of all ages. In fact, the Ashmounin region has a sacred history, as its land was watered with the blood of martyrs during the era of martyrdom.
