Dayr Abu Hinnis is a Christian village, with three Orthodox, and two Evangelical churches. The most important location related to the Holy Family is Kom Maria ‘the hill of Maria’, a slightly elevated hill of sand just outside the village , where the Holy Virgin is said to have rested. Kom Maria is less than one kilometer from the fifth century Church of Abu Hinnis, it was founded by St. John the Short, a Coptic hermit and saint who once lived in Wadi Al-Natrun, but fled to this area in 407 A.D. after the Wadi had been attacked by raiders.

Remarkable in this area are the dozens of sixth century hermit caves and the rock-cut church in the mountains between Dayr Abu Hinnis and Dayr al-Barsha. On walls of caves, one will see the beautiful muruals of the archangel instructing Joseph to take the Holy Family to Egypt, and the King Herod giving orders to slay the children of Bethlehem. These are among the oldest murals in the world depicting the Fight into Egypt.

The area of Kom Maria and Dayr Abu Hinnis is usually quiet with only a few people coming for prayer. But, if you go there in January, when the church commemorates the murder of the children of Bethlehem or in June, when the feast of the Holy Family takes place. You will witness an unsurpassed celebration. The bishop of Mallawi will decide the the exact days of the celebrations every year. On the celebration day, the Bishop will cross the Nile in a boat decorated with paintings of the Holy Family. He then will walk with the congregation in a very heart-touching procession with icons and singing deacons through the village ending at Kom Maria.

Photo: Paul Perry, the Church of Saint Wadamon in the village of Al–Ashmunayn.

Photo: Shangyun Shen, beholding the village of Dayr Abu Hinnis from afar.

Photo: Norbert Schiller, the Church of St. John the Short at Dayr Abu Hinnis.

Photo: Norbert Schiller.

Photo: Norbert Schiller, a priest at the altar inside the Church of St. John the Short at Dayr Abu Hinnis.

Photo: Paul Perry, an ancient marble altar with Coptic inscriptionsin the Church of St. John the Short at Dayr Abu Hinnis.

Photo: Norbert Schiller, an ancient marble altar with Coptic inscriptionsin the Church of St. John the Short at Dayr Abu Hinnis.

Photo: Shangyun Shen, Kom Maria is a large open area with a concrete hut in the center. Beside the rather shabby hut there is a stone cube in the resemblance of an altar.

Photo: Norbert Schiller, a preist blessed two women and a child at Kom Maria.

Photo: Paul Perry, a 6th century cave church in the mountains between Dayr Abu Hinnis and Dayr al-Barsha showing the oldest painting of the Flight into Egypt according to the gospel of Matthew. Here Herod gives orders to slay the children of Bethlehem

Photo: Paul Perry, a 6th century cave church in the mountains between Dayr Abu Hinnis and Dayr al-Barsha showing the oldest painting of the Flight into Egypt according to the gospel of Matthew. Here Herod gives orders to slay the children of Bethlehem

Photo: Paul Perry, another mural in the cave dipicting an angel appearing to Joseph in a dream telling him to “take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt.”

Dayr Abu Hinnis in Celebration

Photo: John Winston Chinnery, Coptc deacons offshore.

Photo: John Winston Chinnery, deacons offshore.

Photo: John Winston Chinnery, Coptc deacons in the decorated boat.

Photo: John Winston Chinnery, Bishop of Mallawi leading the processions.

Photo: John Winston Chinnery, processions.

Photo: John Winston Chinnery, Bishop of Mallawi presiding the congregation.

Photo: John Winston Chinnery, a vehicle with statues of the Holy Family on top.

Photo: John Winston Chinnery, a vivid imitation of the Holy Family by the locals in Dayr Abu Hinnis.

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