Simon the Tanner
Simon the Tanner | |
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Born | 10th century Egypt |
Died | 10th century Old Cairo, Egypt |
Venerated in | Coptic Orthodox Church Syriac Orthodox Church |
Major shrine | St. Simon the Tanner Coptic Orthodox Monastery (Zabbaleen, Mokattam) |
Attributes | One eye, eyepatch, waterskins |
Part of Oriental Orthodoxy |
Oriental Orthodox churches |
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Christianity portal |
Saint Simon the Tanner (fl. 10th century), also known as Saint Simon the Shoemaker (
Life
Simon the Tanner lived toward the end of the 10th century and many Coptic Christians in Egypt were engaged in handicrafts. Saint Simon worked in tanning, a craft known there till this day. This profession involved other crafts that depend on the process, from whence Simon carried several titles related to skins: Tanner, Cobbler, Shoemaker.[1]
The miracle of moving the mountain
According to a traditional story, Caliph
Abraham put together a group of monks, priests and elders. He told them stay in the church for three days for a penance. On the morning of the third day, Abraham was praying in
Simon told Abraham to go out with his priests and all his people to the mountain with the Caliph and all his soldiers. Simon then told Abraham to cry out "O Lord, have mercy" three times and each time to make the sign of the cross over the mountain.[2] The patriarch followed the words of Simon and the mountain was lifted. After the miracle was performed in the presence of the Caliph, the Pope turned left and right looking for Simon, but he had disappeared and no one could find him. The Caliph turned to Abraham and said "O Patriarch, I have recognized the correctness of your faith."
Shortly after the miracle took place, Al-Muizz decided to convert to Christianity, abdicated in favour of his son and entered a monastery. A baptismal font, large enough for the immersion of a grown man, was built for him in the Church of Saint Mercurius. This font still exists today at the site where Al-Muizz was converted and is known as "Maamoudiat Al-Sultan", 'Baptistery of the Sultan'.[3][4][5] This story is rejected by influential Muslim historians such as Ahmad Zaki Pasha and Muhammad Abdullah Enan.
In commemoration of this miracle, the Coptic Orthodox Church observes three extra days of fasting before the beginning of the Nativity Fast.
Many more details of the story are found on a Coptic website, which claims that the miracle occurred on November 27, 979 AD.[6]
Discovery of Saint Simon's relics
During the years of 1989–91, Coptic clergymen and archaeologists searched for the relics of the 10th century tanner and saint, Simon. Simon was apparently buried in the cemetery of al-Habash in Old Cairo; however, while searching for Simon's relics, his skeleton was discovered[clarification needed] in the Coptic Orthodox Church of the Holy Virgin at Babylon El-Darag[1] during its restoration.[2] Simon's skeleton was discovered on August 4, 1991, about one meter below the surface of the church. What was of particular interest when finding his skeleton was that the hair on his head was still intact and had not disintegrated. The hair that was intact was only on the back of his skull and it was deduced that the man was bald in front and had thick hair on the back of his head.[2]
In the church where Simon's skeleton was found there was a painting that depicted the Coptic Pope Abraham and a bald-headed tanner carrying two water jars. The bald-headed man is most likely Simon because he was known for carrying water jars to the poor. The painting further depicted some of the characteristics of the discovered skeleton. In a church nearby a pot was discovered and was dated to be more than 1000 years old. It is believed that this clay pot was the vessel that Simon used to carry water to the poor. The jar is now kept in the new Church of Saint Simon on Muquattam, Cairo.[2]
Dedicated places of worship
Virgin Mary and St. Simon the Tanner Cathedral, Cairo
Coordinates: 30°01′50″N 31°16′35″E / 30.030543°N 31.2765053°E
Virgin Mary and St. Simon the Tanner Cathedral in the Saint Samaan the Tanner Monastery is on the east bank of the Nile
Reaching the monastery is not an easy feat due to having to wind through the Zabbaleen village.
The Monastery of Saint Simon, Aswan
The Monastery of Saint Simon, Aswan does not seem have any direct connection with St Simeon. It is accessible by either crossing the desert from Qubbet el-Hawa or by sailing across the Nile from Aswan and then walking up the Wadi al-Qurqur.[7] The monastery, which was originally dedicated to Anbâ Hadra of Aswân, was later renamed to Saint Simon.
It was built in the 7th century and reconstructed in the 10th century. By the 13th century, however, the monastery was in ruin; there was an inscription found there that said that a Mutammar Ali had visited in 1295 A.D. Although though the monastery was ruined, its main features were preserved.[8]
One of the churches in the monastery had numerous Coptic inscriptions inside and there were slabs of stones giving the history of many of the monks that had lived there.[8]
See also
- Al-Muizz Lideenillah
- Coptic Cairo
- Coptic saints
- Fasting and abstinence of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria
References
- ^ a b c Iskander, Lara. "The Monastery of Saint Simon (Simeon) the Tanner". Tour Egypt. Retrieved 2009-02-13.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Meinardus, Otto F.A (2002), Coptic Saints and Pilgrimages, Cairo: The American University in Cairo Press, p. 58.
- ^ Sunday School Curriculum: Grade 2 (PDF). Colleyville, TX: The Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Southern USA. p. 10. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
- ISBN 9780817916466. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
- ^ Marangos, Frank (16 March 2015). "Moving the Mountain: The Management of Relational Stewardship". OINOS Educational Consulting. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
- ^ "Saint Samaan the Tanner Monastery — Miracle".
- ^ a b Meinardus, Otto F.A (1965). "Christian Egypt Ancient and Modern", p.328. French Institute of Oriental Archeology, Cairo.
- ^ a b Meinardus (1965), p.329. French Institute of Oriental Archeology, Cairo.