The Christian Village of Dair Abu Hinnis and the Churches of Saint John the Short

The Christian Village of Dair Abu Hinnis and the Churches of Saint John the Short

by Jimmy Dunn

One of the stops along the route of the Holy Family in Egypt, according to tradition, is the village of Dair Abu Hinnis near Malawi, which lies a few kilometers south of the ruins of Antinoe !ee also "hristian #uins of Antinoe$% &oday, this is primarily a "hristian town with about '',((( inhabitants% &hough there are three Orthodo) and two Evangelical churches located here, the most important place related to the Holy Family is *om Maria +the hill of Maria+$, only a slight elevation of sand ,ust outside the village% *om Maria is famous for allowing fertility in women who have been sterile% -t is at this location that the Holy .irgin is said to have rested, and today, less than one kilometer away, is the ancient church of Abu Hinnis% &his church, which was perhaps part of an ancient monastery, is believed to have been founded by /ohn the !hort, who lived at 0adi al12atrun and also founded a monastery there% He fled that area in 3(4 AD after raiders had made the region unsafe% However, the current church may date back to about the end of the 5th "entury% &he "hurch of Abu Hinnis is interesting from an architectural standpoint, and has attracted considerable attention because it shows most clearly the changes that were made from a church with a basilican plan to one roofed with domes and obstructed by clumsy masses of brickwork to support them% Originally, the church probably had a only one sanctuary with an apse and two small rooms on either side%

&oday it consists of a narthe) entry vestibule$, a nave and two sanctuaries at the rear of the church% &he nave is divided into three bays, and covered by three domes% &he piers that support the domes are so large that they completely block the interior, leaving it with little light% &he three bays of the nave consist of a southern part known as a gynaikion, or women6s chamber, a central area reserved for men, while the eastern bay is for the choir% &here are two sanctuaries, or haikals, with one dedicated to the Holy .irgin northern$ while the other is dedicated to !aint /ohn the !hort southern$% -n the north sanctuary dedicated to the Holy .irgin, there is an icon depicting !aint /ohn the !hort, which is a 78th century relic provided as a gift by Demetrius, the 777th patriarch of Ale)andria% Another icon depicts Macarius%-n the sanctuary dedicated to !aint /ohn the !hort, there is a 74th century icon depicting the Holy .irgin, and an icon dated to 79:4 that portrays !aint /ohn the !hort% &here is also a ;reek /erusalem proskynitarion from the 78th "entury, which is a so9uvenir picture that provided orthodo) pilgrims with most of the important religious sites and commemorations in the Holy <and% =roskynitarions were produced by ;reek artists in /erusalem%

0est of the northern sanctuary of the Holy .irgin is the baptistery% &he semi1circular apse altar$ walls are ornamented with three niches% Here, and along both longitudinal walls where there are three more niches, are located twenty columns with acanthus1leaf capitals and temple fragments used in the construction of this church that once were parts of much older anti>uities% &here are other interesting "hristian anti>uities in the area near this church% &he ancient "optic Orthodo) "hurch had two types of monks, including anchorites, or hermits, and cenobites who lived in a monastic community% However, sometimes hermits lived in the same general area and formed what was called a laura% &hese hermits prayed, ate and worked alone in their caves, which generally consisted of only one room for living and working and one room for sleeping and prayer% &hey only met with other brothers during the Divine <iturgy in church% East of the village of Deir Abu Hinnis in the mountains are the remains of a ?th century laura consisting of at least :4 caves e)tending over a distance of more than two kilometers% Many of these caves are adorned with "hristian graffiti% &here is also a church hewn from rock of probably two or three ancient caves which may go back to the earliest "hristian centuries though it more likely dating to the ?th or 4th centuries AD$% According to some authorities, this may be the martyrion martyry, +martyr1church+$ of !aint "olluthus%

&his church, today known as the "ave "hurch of !aint /ohn the !hort, has a western entrance narthe) that is unusually large% -t is approached by a flight of steps from above% &he walls of this church are covered with ancient paintings, though unfortunately, most are only dim reminders of its ancient decorations% Most of the faces of people within the paintings have been purposely destroyed% However, these wall paintings, all of the same style and apparently dating to the ?th or 4th century, have attracted considerable attention from archaeologists% After entering the church, the room to the right includes paintings depicting he Massacre of the -nnocents, with *ing Herod sitting on his throne in the temple and assisting in the massacre% &he end of the wall is adorned with representations of @achariah and EliAabeth, which may belong to the Massacre of the -nnocents% Other scenes portray the Apparition of the Angle ;abriel to !aint /oseph, and the Flight into Egypt of the Holy .irgin and the baby /esus on an ass, together with !aint /oseph% 0ithin a niche are wall paintings depicting five individuals, including "hrist and the Holy .irgin at the wedding at "ana, where "hrist changed the water into wine with a rod%

&he room opposite this to the left is adorned with wall paintings of the #esurrection of <aAarus% Other paintings portray the life of @achariah with the angel ;abriel in the temple% &here are also numerous "optic inscriptions on the walls of the church%