Monastery of Saint Epiphanius

The Epiphaniuskloster was a Coptic monastery, which in the western desert of Thebes (Egypt), was located. It flourished especially in the sixth and seventh centuries. Here lived and died Pisentius of Koptos. The monastery was excavated at the beginning of the twentieth century and provided especially rich text finds.

The monastery was in the desert in the hills of Western Thebes. It consisted of several buildings that were loosely arranged within a wall. Center of the complex was a tower that has been built among the bishops and Epiphanius PSAN. He was about eight by eight feet tall and had once three floors Its walls were 1 to 1.25 m thick, it may be presumed that that he also served defense purposes. Its interior was divided into four areas. There was a staircase on each floor and three adjoining rooms.

In addition to this tower stood another smaller with only one room inside. In the east, a building with a courtyard and several rooms joined. In the south of the ancient Egyptian grave of the vizier Dagi is partly built over and been involved with in the system. The rooms hewn in the rock chapel of the tomb have been used partly as a monk cells. In the north there was a little to the monastery associated cemetery. Here there were nine burials. Interestingly, the bodies were wrapped in linen and give the impression of mummies. There was no church building to be identified. A church is not mentioned in the texts found there, so that the monks for worship probably went to another monastery or in the nearest church village.

This structure was surrounded by a wall. In the wider context, however, it seems to have given more monks' cells, which are not yet all been studied.

In the remains of the monastery were many Coptic and Greek documents, mostly of a religious nature, such as Bible texts or legends of the saints, but also fragments of the Iliad and the sayings of Menander. There were also numerous documents and letters, which are important documents to reconstruct the life of monks.