American Research Center In Egypt (ARCE)
By Vivian Alvarado and Camilo Antezana
The Red Monastery
Built in the Coptic era (3rd to 7th Century AD), the Red Monastery is located in Sohag, Egypt, and was established as a Byzantine monastery.
red monastery (2021-03-11) by Ghada EmishAmerican Research Center In Egypt (ARCE)
It was constructed near the Nile River to honor Saint Pishoy (320 - 417 AD), an Egyptian Coptic saint. It is a smaller copy of the White Monastery nearby but built of red brick rather than white limestone.
Interior timber replacements in the Red Monastery (2018-05-01) by Nicholas WarnerAmerican Research Center In Egypt (ARCE)
A team at the American Research Center in Egypt (ARCE) designed a plan with the goal of restoring the Red Monastery. Upon examining the condition of the monastery, they decided to repair and improve parts of the site to better preserve it for future generations.
Red Monastery Nave (2016-05-18) by Michael JonesAmerican Research Center In Egypt (ARCE)
Since 2003, ARCE has carried out a number of conservation projects at the Red Monastery. The architectural conservation project began in 2015 and was completed in 2018.
Paving work at the Red Monastery (2018-12-01) by Nicholas WarnerAmerican Research Center In Egypt (ARCE)
The project team had to install cabling and lighting to display the art properly. The cable system was previously installed sometime in the 1980s, but had to be removed and replaced.
Paving at Red Monastery (2015-09-01) by Nicholas WarnerAmerican Research Center In Egypt (ARCE)
One of the project goals was for the nave to be accurately restored to as close to its original state as possible. They had to position a new stone flooring, along with building a secure shelter west of the nave.
South Portal Lintel of Red Monastery (2015-09-01) by Nicholas WarnerAmerican Research Center In Egypt (ARCE)
The team had to conserve the openings both to the monastery and the nave, installing new doors and repairing structural issues with the entrances.
The surrounding walls and tower of the monastery had to be repaired. The team fixed many cracks lining the walls and settled the brickwork.
Nave Anastylosis of Red Monastery (2019-10) by Nicholas WarnerAmerican Research Center In Egypt (ARCE)
Once the Red Monastery conservation project was completed successfully, it became open to the public as a tourist attraction, and to worshippers, gathering attention for its Coptic art and the area where it resides.
Today, the site serves as a relic of the past for current Coptic communities in Egypt, as well as providing important information on the history of Coptic art and architecture.
This story was created as part of ARCE's Archive Digitization & Publication Project, funded by the US Department of Education. Text and story by Vivian Alvarado and Camilo Antezana, students at Northern Virginia Community College (Alexandria Campus), in the course Art 101 - History and Appreciation of Art 1, taught by Sarah Liberatore.
