The History of Churches and Monasteries in Egypt: A Medieval Encyclopaedic Source on Church Building, Decoration and Patronage in Egypt and Beyond

Written in the 14th Century, but largely based on a text from the second half of the 12th Century, a treatise called 'History of Chruches and Monasteries of Egypt' has proven to be an inexhaustible source on the material patrimony of Egyptian Christianity in the Fatimid era. It not only lists hundreds of churches and monasteries, but also furnishes details on their building history, works of art, involved patrons and craftsmen. The lecture will mainly focus on the value of the text in the study of extant monuments and works of art, and on the reconstruction of the medieval Christian landscape in the Middle East.

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