Saint Abu Makar and the Cherubim Holding his Hand
This fresco represents St. Macarius and one of the Cherubim. We find around his head three other heads of a lion, an eagle and a bull, referring to the vision of Ezekiel in the first chapter. The Cherubim has six wings, green in color and covering the eyes, including two wings to cover the body. The cherubim hold the arm of St. Macarius, to guide him to a new place to live in the desert of Sheheet.
Two texts were uncovered on the church walls, one in Syrian and the other in Coptic. The Coptic text is written in a frame painted in red and is in a poor state of preservation. The Syrian text, on the other hand, is in a good state of preservation and speaks of the death of Mar Makari of Tikrit, the abbot of the monastery, who departed in 888 AD. Both the Coptic and Syrian texts ask for him to join St. Macarius in heaven and rest in the bosom of Abraham. They are translated as follows:The Syrian text to the right of the icon of Anba Makar the Great mentions in it the news of the departure of Anba Makari al-Tikriti, the head of the monastery, and its translation is as follows: “The late and well-deserved remembrance (Marmakari al-Tikriti), the immaculate father of this holy monastery departed from this insignificant, painful, and sorrowful world to a place filled with joy, blessings, and many good things. He departed to his Lord, the God of spirits and all flesh, on the Pentecost Sunday (the feast of the descent of the Holy Spirit) on the tenth of May in the year one thousand two hundred according to the Greeks, which is equivalent to 889 AD. I wish Christ God – for whose name’s sake, he left this world, endured harm and injustice, and carried the holy yoke of monasticism, believing in the true promises of our Lord, as He said: ‘Take my yoke on you, and I will give you rest’ – would compensate him a hundredfold for his pain, forgive his sins, excuse his shortcomings, consider him worthy to reach the place of rest without fear, seat him in the bosom of Abraham, grant him rest and the gifts of blessing, give him comfort and joy in the temple of light, consider him worthy to stand with the ranks of the chosen, beloved and holy, and count him with Anba Makar the Great and Anba Anthony. May the Lord God give him joy in the places of pleasure with the crowds of these ascetics, and grant him the splendid resurrection to meet Him on the Day of Judgment when the splendor of His divinity will shine, and correspond with him with joy and great confidence with the intercession and prayers of the God-bearer (Mother of God) the Virgin Mary and Anba Makar and all the saints, Amen. And everyone who reads this prayer for his soul, may the Lord grant him the crown of life with His mercy, and John the priest, his son who stayed with him for forty years and cared after him for the yoke of heading this monastery.”As for the Coptic text to the right of the icon of Anba Makar below the Syriac text, it also mentions the news of the departure of Anba Makari al-Tikriti, the head of the monastery, and the translation of the text is as follows:“In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, the Holy Trinity, equal in one divinity, Amen. He rested in the Lord – truly blessed according to the translation of his name – the father of our monastery and our communion, the Holy Church at the third hour of Holy Sunday of the Pentecost (the descent of the Holy Spirit) on the 16th of Bashans in the year 605 of the martyrs. We ask the fathers to remember his soul so that our Lord Jesus Christ gives rest to his soul after first forgiving all his transgressions and freeing him from his hidden and apparent sins, and makes him worthy of great confidence on the great Day of Judgment, as well as us all, Amen. May He make us worthy of His voice full of joy saying: ‘Come to me, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you’ (Matthew 25:34), Amen.
”Engraving of Matthew and Jacob
It says: “In order for their names to be written in the Book of Life, because with them and between them the Lord dwells and that [they may be] in the rank of apostles and pastors, with the monks and the true leaders – the wise – the heads of this holy place, Abraham and Joseph, the priests of [the Lord Jesus] Christ.I mean the faithful senior priest Matthew and Jacob who built together this monastery of the Mother of God in the year one thousand one hundred and thirty according to the Greek calendar (= 818/819 AD) in the days of our blessed and God-shrouded patriarchs Mar Jacob and Mar Dionysius of Syria, and completed this place. May the Lord respond and reward them according to the measure of justice [and merit] and let them enter the building that is not made by the hands of man. Yes, Amen, Amen.
“Fresco has two martyrs
This fresco is located in the south-eastern corner of the church nave, and dates back to the ninth century AD. It represents two martyrs, each riding on horseback.The right-hand man is old, with a crown on his head. He holds two spears in his right hand, with which he stabs at two legs. The first is holding a paper with the name (Alexandros) in the Coptic language, and the second has the name (Diocletian) written under it in the Syrian language. The second martyr is a young man without a beard, and both their names are unknown (they may be the martyr Julius Al-Aqfahsi and his son Tadros).
Fresco of the Pantocrator
The Pantocrator fresco is located on the eastern wall of the church nave. It dates back to the ninth century A.D. It contains two parts:The upper part is an icon of Christ seated on the throne (the Pantocrator) and around the throne are four living beings, and on either side of Him are two angels. On the right from the bottom, St. Anba Makar the Great appears. Facing him from the other side, there is a saint kneeling and praying, and his face is towards Christ. His name is unknown, but it is possible that he is the painter who painted the icon as usual in that era. In the lower part of the fresco, the Virgin Mary appears sitting on a chair, with the baby Jesus on her lap. On her right is Peter the Apostle, and on her left is Paul the Apostle, and the names are written in the Coptic and Syrian languages.
Fresco of the Martyr Behnam
It is a Syrian fresco of the martyr Behnam dating back to the thirteenth century in the eastern vault of the church nave.
Fresco of the Martyr Sarah
It is a Syrian fresco of the martyr Sarah, the martyr Behnam’s sister, dating back to the thirteenth century, in the eastern vault of the church nave facing the icon of her brother, the martyr Behnam.
Fresco of one of the evangelists
It is a fresco from the tenth century, at the top of the eastern wall of the church nave on the northern side, and it represents one of the evangelists, whose name is unknown.
Fresco of the Archangel Michael
It is on the eastern wall of the church nave and dates back to the tenth century. His name appears written above his head on both sides, and the restoration work has not yet been completed.
Fresco of the Archangel Gabriel
It is on the south side of the eastern wall – and one of the evangelists appears in it, and under him the icon of the Archangel Gabriel. The apse also appeared with its beautiful decorations after removing a Syrian icon that was in front of it, which dates back to the tenth century AD.
Fresco of the Martyr Stephen
It is a Syrian fresco from the thirteenth century located in the north-eastern vault of the church nave. It represents the martyr Stephen, the archdeacon and the first of the martyrs, holding a censer in his right hand and a box of incense in his left hand.
The Icon of the Archangel Michael
It is an icon from the thirteenth century AD, representing the miracle performed by the Archangel Michael with Dorotheus and Thabesti. The angel appears riding a horse, and in front of him is Dorotheus, and behind him is Thabesta.
The Three Patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob)
It is a painting located on the southern wall in the nave of the Suryan Church. It represents the three patriarchs in the Old Testament, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, gathered in heaven with the spirits of the saints. They are wearing brown and red clothes, and the three are similar in their white hair and clothes. In the background, there are four trees and drawings of semi-naked people picking up fruits. These drawings have their roots in the tenth century. This icon represents the fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the paradise of bliss, receiving the souls of the departed saints, as we say in the Litany of the Departed: “Grant, O Lord, to repose all of their souls in the bosom of our holy fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, so that they may rest in a green place at the water of rest in the paradise of bliss.”On the right side of the painting of the three patriarchs, there are traces of a person on a horse. The right side of this drawing shows the chest and the back of the horse, and the rider appears with difficulty; it is clear that he is wearing military clothes. On the right side, there is a person standing and carrying a cross, and to his right also, there is a soldier on a horse. The only thing visible is that they are wearing military clothes and they are obviously saints but we can’t tell clearly who they are.
The Two Prophets Daniel and Habakkuk
In the nave of the Suryan Church, we find at the right side on the eastern wall, a scene dating back to the thirteenth century AD. It represents Daniel the Prophet standing but his features are unclear, and to his right, there is an angel carrying a person from his hair. It is certain that this person is Habakkuk the prophet who was brought by the angel to Babylon to feed Daniel the Prophet who was in the den of lions, and this was mentioned in the end of the book of Daniel, the fourteenth chapter.
The Scene of the Three Youth in the Fiery Furnace
On the western side of the southern wall, and to the right of the painting of the three patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, there is a scene of the three youths in the fiery furnace, who are Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego (Da 1). The lower part of this drawing is missing, and the upper part is also not clearly visible. A fourth person appears with the three youth. He looks like the son of the gods, standing on the left side in the form of an angel dressed in white, and holding a stick in his hand, which is a symbol of protecting the three youth. They are dressed in Persian clothes, having a similar appearance, and their hands are raised in front of them. On the right side, there is Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, sitting on his throne with a canopy above him, and around him the ministers in the form of three standing men. This drawing dates back to the fourth layer, i.e. the thirteenth century AD.
Fresco of the Annunciation:
In the nave of the Suryan church from the western side, we find a dome that contains a scene of the annunciation of the angel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary, and around them are four prophets carrying their prophecies about the incarnation. They are Moses and Isaiah next to the Virgin Mary, and Ezekiel and Daniel next to the angel Gabriel. The main background in the scene of Annunciation represents the city of Nazareth, with a church representing the heavenly Jerusalem.
In the middle of half of the dome, we find the Virgin Mary sitting on a throne adorned with very rich decorations. She looks at the angel Gabriel and puts her left hand on her chin as a kind of bewilderment, amazement and astonishment. The left foot precedes the right foot and her head is surrounded by a luminous halo. We find various forms of crosses on the head, hands and feet of the Virgin Mary, as well as on the shoes.Angel Gabriel stands at her right side, holding a cross in the form of a stick, and carrying a text that is written on it in the Coptic language: “Peace be upon you, O full of grace, the Lord is with you” (Luke 1:28). In the middle, between the Virgin Mary and the angel, there is a small column on which a censer is placed burning with incense. The presence of the censer or incense burner is something very special in relation to Coptic frescoes, because it represents a Coptic feature.As for the prophet Moses, we find him holding a scroll on which is written in the Coptic language: “Behold, the bush was burning with fire, and the bush was not consumed” (Exodus 3:2). Next to him, the prophet Isaiah holds a scroll on which is written also in the Coptic language: “Behold, the virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and she will call him Emmanuel” (Isaiah 7:14).On the other hand, we find the prophet Ezekiel raising his right hand upwards and holding a scroll with inscriptions on it: “And the Lord said to me, ‘This door shall be closed. It shall not be opened, and no one shall enter through it, because the Lord, the God of Israel, has entered into it, and it shall be closed’” (Ezekiel 2:44).Finally, with regard to Daniel the Prophet, we find him standing on the right side as a small young man wearing multi-colored shoes and carrying a scroll on which is written, “a stone was cut without hands” (Dan 2:34).
The Lakan Basin in the Center of the Church Nave
In the middle of the Suryan church, there is the lakan basin, which reminds us of Christ when he washed the feet of the disciples on Maundy Thursday. The lakan liturgy is held in our Coptic Orthodox Church three times a year, on Maundy Thursday, the Epiphany and the Apostles’ Feast.
