The Papal Residence at St. Bishoy’s Monastery, Wadi El Natroun, Egypt.
Our Vision:
Providing a pioneering academic space creates a heritage scientific environment for study and research for all those interested in Copts in Egypt and all over the world.
Our Objectives:
- To raise community awareness of the Coptic era as an era in the history of Egypt and the Middle East, which formed an integral part of the cultural conscience, intellectual heritage and related studies.
- To save Coptic documentaries produced in various academic institutions whether in written format (including papers, research, magazines, newspapers…) or audiobooks or visual resources in different languages.
- To enhance the academic research in Coptic studies with intensifying translation and publications within the participating institutions.
- To gather all the various media of the Coptic heritage to restore, document and classify to facilitate its availability in one common place for all the interested researchers. That is in coordination with the different monasteries, geographical church sectors, and members owning special collectibles.
- To encourage and support a knowledge sharing community of researchers, both locally and internationally, by which we create a successful Egyptian cultural institution which would be a pioneer in the modern information society.
Why the need for a central library today?
The Coptic Orthodox Church is a purely Egyptian national institution. It is the only institution that did not bear the yoke of occupation in any era. It is essentially a popular church (not originated in the Church of the King or the Emperor)
So, it took it upon its first two responsibilities
The First is to integrate with the people with all their pain, joy, culture and language.
The second is to be the treasury of the secrets of Egyptian civilization, whether the ancient Egyptian language and literature or the Egyptian architecture and diverse arts
Hence the establishment of the Central Papal Library in the unique wilderness of Shehit, where the Asqit is the cradle of monasticism, knowledge and hermits.
Departments:
Halls:
Holy Bible Hall
Theology Hall
General knowledge Hall
Public & Private history Hall
Formal meeting Hall (50 people)
Lecture Hall (100 people)
Publications Hall
Multimedia Hall
Museum Halls: Pope Shenouda III Fryer, art collections, and historical performances.
Attachments:
Administrative Offices
Book stores
Restoration lab
Study Rooms with Internet access
Accommodation for foreign researchers from abroad
