Coptic heritage · Beheira
Monastery of Saint Mary of the Syrians
A Coptic monastery in Wadi El Natrun dedicated to the Virgin Mary, famed for a library that held rare Syriac, Coptic and Arabic manuscripts.
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The story
The Monastery of Saint Mary of the Syrians, known as Deir al-Suryan, is a Coptic Orthodox monastery in Wadi El Natrun, Beheira Governorate, about 500 metres north-west of the Monastery of Saint Pishoy. It is the smallest of the four inhabited monasteries of the valley. Monks of the Syriac Orthodox Church used it from the 8th to the 14th century, which gave it its name. The monastery has historical and cultural importance thanks to its library, which held thousands of rare manuscripts.
Good to know
- It is the smallest of the four inhabited monasteries of Wadi El Natrun.
- Syriac monks used it from the 8th to the 14th century.