Central Papal Library

As one of the most seminal and modern facilities serving as an educational arm within the Coptic Orthodox Church in Egypt.

With the uptake of theological studies spanning various languages, spaces, and eras,

His Holiness Pope Tawadros II envisioned the need for a central library under the care

of the Church, which is now centered at the papal headquarters in the Monastery

of St. Bishoy in Wādī al-Natrūn in Egypt.

Inaugurated on November 19, 2019, in the presence of the members of the Coptic Holy Synod, the library houses a vast collection and an array of academic references in multiple languages attesting to Coptology and theology. Moreover, a substantial body of late antique and medieval manuscripts in original languages.

The library continues to grow, fulfilling its aims and objectives. Of its focal points:

• Collecting, restoring, documenting, indexing, and classifying sources on Coptic heritage

in a digital catalogue for easy access to scholars and researchers.

• Support the exchange of content between the local and international research communities through modern platforms.

First: Sections

• Bible
• Theology
• Periodicals and Reviews
• History of Christianity
• General Knowledge

Second: Halls

• Museum Halls

Preserved within the Central Papal Library are various artifacts and shrines.

+ For instance, located at the entrance to the Hall of history of Christianity is a section of

the Holy Cross on which our Lord Jesus Christ was crucified, which was gifted from

Abba Marcos, Primate of the French Coptic Orthodox Church, to the Coptic Church in 1975.

+ Moreover, conserving the late patriarch, Pope Shenouda III’s cell, which was primarily used

as his chief writing center. Additionally, various personal relics of his personal belongings

are endowed to the library.

+ Lastly, within the museum corridor, some collectables and souvenirs, which have a cultural,

historical, and artistic background are retained.

• Reception Hall
• Formal Meeting Room
• The Multimedia Hall
• Guest house for researchers
• Reading and research areas
• Specialized scanners and imaging hall to serve researchers and the purposes of the technical

library, through which books and manuscripts are converted into a digital version.

They include two devices: V-Shape Scanner, Flatbed Scanner.

• Restoration laboratory
• Receiving books and sterilization hall
• Management offices
• Management offices

“This library was a dream that has been on my mind for a long time. Today libraries are found in churches and monasteries. But we were thinking of an integrated central institution through which we could show the Coptic Church’s care in education and scientific research. We thank God for giving us this great blessing.

What was just a dream has now become a reality!”

Pope Tawadros II