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The Coptic Orthodox Church (Coptic: Ϯⲉⲕ̀ⲕⲗⲏⲥⲓⲁ ⲛ̀ⲣⲉⲙⲛ̀ⲭⲏⲙⲓ ⲛ̀ⲟⲣⲑⲟⲇⲟⲝⲟⲥ, romanized: Ti-eklisia en-remenkimi en-orthodhoxos, lit. 'the Egyptian Orthodox Church'), also known as the Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria, is an Oriental Orthodox Christian church based in Egypt.
Coptic Christians lost their majority status in Egypt after the 14th century and the spread of Islam in the entirety of North Africa. Today, Copts form a major ethno-religious group whose origins date back to the Ancient Egyptians. [4] The Coptic Christian population in Egypt is the largest Christian community in the Middle East. [5]
Coptic icon of St. Mark Portrait of a Coptic Christian woman by Bertha Müller, circa 1850 The Copts are one of the oldest Christian communities in the Middle East. Although integrated in the larger Egyptian nation state, the Copts have survived as a distinct religious community forming around 5 to 20 percent of the population.
Christian Monasticism was born in Egypt and was instrumental in the formation of the Coptic Orthodox Church character of submission, simplicity and humility, thanks to the teachings and writings of the Great Fathers of Egypt's Deserts. By the end of the 5th century, there were hundreds of monasteries, and thousands of cells and caves scattered ...
The Coptic Catholic Church does not have Coptic monasteries. Instead the Church has religious congregations such as the three communities for women: the Sisters of the Sacred Heart , the Coptic Sisters of Jesus and Mary (both based in Egypt ) and the Egyptian Province of the Little Sisters of Jesus .
All Coptic Christians are expected to fast following a prescribed set of guidelines. In Coptic Christianity, the Black Fast of the early Church is the normative way of fasting, meaning that the believer goes without water and food from midnight to sunset; after that time, the consumption of water and one vegetarian meal is permitted. [1]
Coptic names refer to the personal names used by the Copts, the indigenous Christian inhabitants of Egypt.They reflect the intersection of Egyptian, Greek, Arab and Christian influences in the region and encompass a diverse range of naming practices, which have evolved over centuries.
Oriental Orthodox Christians, such as Copts, Syrians and Indians, use a breviary such as the Agpeya and Shehimo, respectively, to pray the canonical hours seven times a day while facing in the eastward direction towards Jerusalem, in anticipation of the Second Coming of Jesus; this Christian practice has its roots in Psalm 119:164, in which the ...