Monastery church from the northwest:preliminary excavations
of monastic buildings in the foreground (Dec. 2002)
"Shenute has, of course, made the White Monastery
much more famous. From an architectural point of view, it is
more interesting as well. But given the fact that most of the
stonework in the White Monastery was shaved down and the surface of
much of it was lost, along with all traces of paint, the Red Monastery
is actually much more significant for art history today.
It may include the only standing ensemble of architecture, sculpture,
and paint (areas fully covered with paint) left from the late antique
period in the entire Mediterranean. Some of the paint is certainly
post-fifth century, but a lot of it may well be early. "
Elizabeth Bolman. (see her photographs)
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cavetto molding at top of wall. Similar to those on
Pharaonic temples, and at the top of the wall of the White Monastery
Church.
The Red Monastery may be close in date to the White
Monastery. It lacks the documentation that Shenute's fame brought to
the latter.
Like the White Monastery's
church, this one was a basilica with a trefoil arrangement of apses
at the east. Decorative details also resemble those of the White Monastery
(see interior ).
The major study was done by Monneret
de Villard 1925-1926. See also Dayr Anba
Bishoi 1991; Grossmann 2001, 536-539.
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