Strengthening Ancient Bonds: Moscow Patriarchate Delegation Concludes Week-Long Visit to Coptic Church

OCP News Service and DECR – 22/11/2025

Cairo – Egypt:  A high-level delegation of monastics from the Moscow Patriarchate, led by Metropolitan Vikenty of Tashkent and Central Asia, successfully concluded a week-long apostolic pilgrimage to Egypt. The visit, which spanned from November 8 to 15, was undertaken with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia and at the invitation of His Holiness Tawadros II, Patriarch of the Coptic Church.

The delegation, which included bishops, abbots, abbesses, and clergy from monasteries across Russia and Central Asia, focused on visiting the ancient roots of Christian monasticism in the Nitrian Desert (Wadi al-Natrun) and the Eastern Desert near the Red Sea.

Visiting the Birthplace of Monasticism

The pilgrimage began in the Nitrian Desert, the historical cradle of Christian asceticism. Over two days, the delegates immersed themselves in the sites central to the desert fathers:

• Monastery of St. Macarius the Great (360 AD): Metropolitan Vikenty and the delegation venerated the incorrupt relics of St. Macarius and other saints. The visit was marked by a celebration of the Divine Liturgy by Metropolitan Vikentiy and co-serving bishops in one of the monastery’s ancient churches on Sunday, November 9.
• Monastery of St. Paisius the Great (Anba Bishoy): The delegation venerated the relics of St. Paisius and visited the grave of the late Coptic Patriarch Shenouda III (1971–2012).
• Monastery of the Syrians (as-Suriani): Pilgrims viewed the historical cell of St. Paisius, venerated the miraculous tree that sprouted from the staff of St. Ephraim the Syrian, and toured surviving frescoes dating from the 8th to the 17th centuries.
• Monastery of the Romans (al-Baramus): The delegation venerated the relics of prominent desert fathers, including St. Paphnutius the Great and St. Moses the Black, at this monastery, which is considered the first monastery for men in the Christian world.

Veneration of New Saints and Martyrs

A key highlight of the visit was the veneration of Egyptian martyrs newly added to the Russian Orthodox Church calendar. On November 10, the delegation visited:

• Convent of the Holy Great Martyr Damiana and the Forty Virgins: The group venerated the tomb containing the relics of St. Damiana, whose martyrdom during the Diocletianic persecutions led to the establishment of arguably the earliest Christian convent. (Note: St. Damiana was included in the ROC calendar on October 30, 2025, just prior to this trip.)
• Church of the Great Martyr Abanub of Nehisa in Samannoud: The delegation venerated the relics of the child martyr Abanub, a highly revered saint in the Coptic Church, known as the patron saint of children and youth.

The delegation also visited Sakha, one of the stops on the biblical Route of the Holy Family, where they venerated the miraculously preserved footprint of the Infant Christ.

The Lavras of the Eastern Desert

The journey continued into the Eastern Desert to visit two of the world’s oldest living monasteries:

• Monastery of St. Paul of Thebes: On November 11, Metropolitan Vikenty celebrated the Divine Liturgy in a fifth-century cave church.
• Monastery of St. Anthony the Great: The delegation ascended the mountain to visit St. Anthony’s cave, where they performed an akathist to the founder of Christian monasticism. The delegation was received by Abbot Bishop Justus for a warm conversation.

Conclusion in Cairo

The pilgrimage concluded with visits to key Christian sites in Cairo, including the massive Cathedral of the Nativity of Christ in the new administrative capital.

In historic Old Cairo, the representatives of the Moscow Patriarchate visited the famous grotto where the Holy Family is said to have sheltered, the Church of the Martyrs Sergius and Bacchus, the Church of the Great Martyr Barbara, the Coptic “Hanging” Church, and the Convent of the Great Martyr Mercury (Abu Seifen).

The trip culminated in a Divine Liturgy celebrated by Metropolitan Vikenty at the Church of St. Sergius of Radonezh in Cairo, a parish of the Patriarchal Exarchate of Africa, reaffirming the pastoral ties between the ROC and the local Orthodox community. The exchanges throughout the week served to significantly deepen the monastic and fraternal relationship between the Coptic and Russian Orthodox Churches.

Source: DECR