People tend to think that monks are not active; their ideals, it is believed, lie in acquiring salvation through fasting and prayer alone. But this is by no means the case. All work is regarded as a spiritual activity whether on the land, in the kitchen, raising scaffolding around buildings or carrying out research in monastic libraries. Monks are doctors, dentists and pharmacists. Father Maximous El-Antony, a graduate of Alexandria University, is an agricultural engineer; and his involvement in the restoration of monastic wall paintings led to studying Christian art at Leiden University and Museology with Renwardt Academic Institute in Holland as well as several universities in the USA, not to mention UCLA in Turkey. He is a member of the International Council of Museology (ICOM) and the moving force behind Coptic conservation projects in Egypt. Father Maximous is a pioneer monk for the Coptic heritage and an energetic father of the church who promotes children's education, women's rights and computer technology. By Jill Kamil Father Maximous El-Antony posed this rhetorical question at the beginning of our interview. Although he was seated at the edge of the couch in my sitting room in Digla, he was clearly relaxed. His close-fitting black hood, embroidered with 13 crosses symbolising Christ and the apostles, met his bushy beard but by no means obscured his fine-featured face. His voice is soft, his command of English excellent. "Where is our legacy? Our tradition? And how do we give it to the people?" He paused, appeared to be lost in thought, and then continued: "I refer to Coptic architecture, literature, art and music. It is all part of the Egyptian legacy, and there is a pressing need to have it retrieved, restored and documented now or we will lose it altogether." Another pause, which I felt disinclined to interrupt. Then he looked up and said, "who should be most concerned about preserving the Coptic heritage if not the monks themselves?" We had met several times at international conferences and seminars on Coptic studies as well as at the Monastery of St Antony in Sinai. I had explained on the phone that I would like to talk to him about his work in restoration and he now seemed happy to take an upper hand in directing the course of the interview. "Take Ragheb Moftah for instance. He recorded Coptic hymns in the 1950s from cantor Mikhail Girgis who was the only leading church singer of his generation who knew all the hymns. Moftah asked musician Newland Smith to record them, and thanks to Moftah's initiative, church music that would otherwise have been lost is still taught to choirs and chanted in church. I am continuing the project. I have approached the Library of Congress, who have the copyright, in order to use the hymns for educational purposes." Father Maximous had guided me around the monastery of his namesake, Saint Antony the "father of monks", during the first stages of restoration of the oldest church which housed the relics of the saint. It was then completely blackened by smoke caused during the monastery's occupation by Bedouins in the 15th century when it was used as a kitchen, but two "windows" (small square sections of the decorated wall) had been professionally cleaned. "Ah yes," Father Maximous recalled when I mentioned this. "That was a trial project that was started in 1996. Now it is a tourist attraction. When I first visited the monastery as a student in 1974 it was isolated in the foothills of the mountains near the Red Sea. No electricity. No technology. Quiet and peaceful. A paradise." Unintentionally he had given me an opening to guide his thoughts backwards in time, and I took advantage. He responded to my questions with an easy poise. "I was born in Alexandria in 1954, the second son of a large family. I have six brothers and a sister," he said. "My father was a government employee, a carpenter by profession, trained by the British and extremely enterprising. He had his own private workshop. He was a good man -- serious, active and religious. He taught us to read the Bible, pray and study well. He paid great attention to his children's education. My mother was quiet, humble." After completing secondary school in Alexandria, the young Maximous studied at the agricultural college in Alexandria University where he joined a group of youths who gave voluntary service to the church. "We spent most of our time together, studying, helping in the church, swimming in the sea. We formed good friendships. I visited all the monasteries in Egypt over the weekends." On graduation, Maximous spent a year in compulsory military service. "My spiritual father encouraged me to become a priest, but I was not convinced," he said. "He took me to be interviewed by a bishop in Alexandria but still I was doubtful. I only changed my mind and recognised my calling when I met Father Bishoy Kamel of St George Sporting, a leader of the revolution in Alexandria in the 1960s and 1970s. I had accompanied my father when he visited him on the way to the cathedral, during a visit of Pope Shenouda. Father Bishoy had cancer and was very weak. He was sleeping when we got there and my father entered the room first while I waited. When I went in I remember most clearly that he said to me: 'To be a monk or a priest makes no difference, if you are with God'. At that point I determined to become a monk." Maximous was 24 years old when he decided to take holy orders "and I knew that my father would not agree. He was religious, but realistic. Parents in those days expected their sons to work, get married, and settle down." To avoid a confrontation Maximous decided "to escape from home secretly. I was responsible for the keys of the church and wondered what to do with them. I eventually decided to go there early, before mass, and put them in the cupboard. Then I went back home to collect my luggage -- a small box with books that I had hidden under the bed -- and walked quietly out of the house, down the street, and towards the station. I took a train to Cairo and headed for the Monastery of St Antony". This is one of the most beautiful monasteries in Egypt, nestled beneath the deeply desiccated South Galala range of mountains near the Red Sea. It was founded in the fourth century, a few years after the death of the saint when his followers settled down where their master had lived in a mountain cave. The chosen site is supplied with sweet water from a spring which emerges from a natural crevice deep inside the mountain behind the south wall of the monastery; we know today it maintains a constant daily flow of 100 cubic metres, and a constant temperature of 23 degrees centigrade summer and winter. The water is sweet and excellent for drinking, and is channelled to supply the needs of the monastic community before being directed to a garden planted with olives and palms, vines and vegetables. In 1988 a project was initiated in the monastery by Nicolaas Biegman, the ambassador of the Netherlands Embassy who was sponsoring a third volume of Abbe Leroy's La Peinture Murale chez les Coptes which was published by the French Institute of Oriental Archaeology in Cairo. "I took him around the monastery and Biegman asked me what he could do for me. I love the icons, and said there were many in the church that were badly in need of restoration. Biegman sent me Dutch-trained art historian and conservator Zuzana Skalova who had worked in Italy with Paolo and Laura Mora who had developed techniques that revolutionised the conservation of wall paintings and icons. I watched her testing the icons. I was fascinated. I love art, and because I had learned the techniques of woodwork from my father I was able to help her with the frames." Paulo and Laura Mora were working on the restoration of the tomb of Nefertari on the Theban necropolis when Father Maximous visited Upper Egypt in 1992. When he saw the wonderful work being carried out by the Italian mission, it occurred to him that something could be done for the old church of St Antony. "I spoke to Paulo and he agreed to send me one of his most talented colleagues to see what could be done. I must say he was fascinated and on his recommendation the Dutch Embassy paid the tickets for two conservators to fly over from Italy. Their aim was to inspect the wall paintings and to see whether monastic life was bearable! I must say they were very professional. They studied the structure of the old church and they cleaned trial areas of the walls using various techniques. The result was remarkable. The pure, clear colours in which the walls were originally painted came to light. They soon forgot about the modest accommodation and simple food and stayed long enough to draw up a proposal with full details of the budget." Raising funds for conservation and restoration of an ancient church in a distant monastery in the Eastern Desert would, Father Maximous realised, be no easy task. But bursting with enthusiasm, he tackled the problem step by step. "I applied for and became a member of the International Council of Museology (ICOM) and when I was in Washington for the meeting following the earthquake in 1992, I heard that USAID intended to support restoration and reconstruction projects in Egypt. When I returned to Cairo I tried to find out more about the funds from the American Research Center in Egypt (ARCE) but no one had any idea about it. The news has not yet filtered down the bureaucratic ladder!" Only four years later did USAID officer Thomas Dailey visit the monastery prior to a meeting between USAID and ARCE and, with his encouragement, Father Maximous presented three projects for consideration: The first and most important was to conserve the wall paintings; the second was to build a museum in the monastery; and the third was to write a book about icons. "They accepted two of the projects only -- the museum and the wall paintings. A million dollars was earmarked for the work." Father Maximous leaned forward, his eyes glittering as he added: "it was an unbelievable amount. I felt I was supported by the saint." An Egyptian-Italian-USA partnership carried out restoration in the ancient church of St Antony between 1995 and 1999. Father Maximous undertook the recruitment of workers to set up the scaffolding, personally supervising them. He also provided the team of Italian conservators with all they needed for their personal comfort, and himself learned conservation techniques. Following restoration and cleaning, 13th-century paintings that had earlier been only vaguely discernible through the grime, were revealed in their glory. The major part of the church walls can be attributed, thanks to an inscription that is dated and signed, to a Coptic painter, Theodore, and the donors were also named. Theodore and his team decorated the church between 1232 and 1233 when a succession of caliphs, the heirs of Salaheddin, ruled Egypt. Theodore's programme consisted of a number of well-known Coptic themes painted in the sanctuary and in the nave, including Christ shown enthroned in glory in the apse, carried by the four creatures of the Apocalypse, and Old Testament prophets including Moses, Elijah, Jeremiah, Isaaih and David. "Until this project was launched, it was generally believed that there was no distinctive Coptic art. Now we know there is. In this church is the most complete mediaeval decorative wall paintings in Egypt, painted by a master craftsman," Father Maximous said with pride. He was also instrumental in drawing attention to the need to restore the Monastery of Saint Paul south of Zaafarana, and the Red Monastery at Sohag. "I have looked wide," he says. "The walls of the old church of Zeitun in Cairo also needed attention. They were covered with blue paint which has now been successfully removed, bringing to light the original wall paintings. Work on the Hanging Church of Old Cairo progresses, and in the Coptic Museum conservation of the niches from Saqqara and elsewhere have been conserved and restored." Father Maximous hints that all is easy sailing when dealing with officialdom. "Working with Egyptians is not easy," he says. "My aim is quality conservation, and the Italians are the best conservators in the world. But they are also the most expensive. Government policy, on the other hand, is to restore monuments and museums and open them up to tourism as rapidly as possible. When the focus is on time and, in the case of icon restoration, quantity, quality falls by the wayside. To employ less qualified conservators is a grave mistake..." Suddenly, aware that he was perhaps being too frank, Father Maximous deftly changed the direction of his thoughts and talked about his recent work in the Upper Egyptian city of Girga. "I was the pope's representative, acting as a bishop of the diocese which has 27 churches," he said. "I spent two years there. The villages are very poor, very primitive, very traditional. In some of the churches women are still isolated from the men; there is a curtain between them. I managed to change all that." When he spoke of his social work, Father Maximous's voice took on a tone altogether different from when he was talking about restoration. In fact his expression softened. One could sense compassion, empathy. "I gave weekly lectures to women, explaining their rights to them. They loved me for that. I felt that the best way to get through to them was to encourage them to ask questions, and one that came up concerned the use of make-up. It is traditionally forbidden for women to use make- up in Upper Egypt, but times have changed. They watch television. They wanted to know if it is good or evil. I was obliged to be frank. I told them that if make-up was used, that it should be used in the right way. I presented an analogy. I said that if someone who was given paper and colours used them indiscriminately to make a drawing, the result would be bad. I told them that all things should be carefully considered for the best results." Father Maximous considers training in computer technology vitally important in this modern world. "Forty-five priests in the diocese have a computer," he told me. "Where there are computers in priestly families they are open-minded and worthy guides for the upcoming generation. Computers open the door to knowledge. The Web broadens horizons, facilitates work. Most churches have computers. It is amazing to see the youth in Girga, once so poor, using the 10 systems in the laboratories. They take research seriously. Young children ask for computers." I made mention of the fact that I had recently watched a BBC debate on television in which the panel was challenged by a cultured audience as to whether the money spent on computer technology in Third World countries would not be more advisedly spent on upgrading the living standards of the people. Father Maximous was quick to respond in the negative. "The computer helps them advance more quickly. Computers are necessary in today's society." Father Maximous set himself two goals at Girga: "To feed the poor properly, and to educate them properly." He explained that he targeted 1,000 families and organised a system through the church in which they were graded. "I taught the priests how to carry out research in order to establish the needs of each family: their size, the ages of the children, family income, cost of electricity, water, education -- all that information was tabled on computer sheets. Then cards were given to them outlining the needs of each family, whether clothing, food, help with rent, healthcare -- the church helps them. We have storage with clothes of all sizes and for all ages. A food section with butter, flour, eggs. It is all very organised and with the help of the church the living standards of the families have improved." Father Maximous anticipates my next question and quickly adds: "I have no limited budget -- unlimited." He added that he supports gifted students who aspire to continue their studies. "Life cannot help them, so I collect money privately and send them cheques by post. I follow their progress, academically and spiritually." As he took his leave, Father Maximous reverted to the question of the Coptic documentation and conservation. "My major long-term project, soon to be launched, is to document the entire Coptic heritage -- the historical sites, architectural and artistic wealth, educational institutions, medical centres and social welfare institutions all over the country. Such a complete record such as I envision has never been carried out before. Even the 14th century church historian Abul-Makarim's record of the churches of Egypt was not comprehensive. This work must be tackled now, without delay." photo: Sherif Sonbol
