A Project for a Public Library of the Coptic Church
It is a highly important idea that will be a prominent landmark in the history of this generation:
- We will collect in it all the books that were in the building of the old Patriarchate in Clot Bey, which are currently being restored at the Monastery of St. Mina in the Mariout Desert.
- The Library of the Clerical College will be added to it.
- And the library of Professor Dr. Murad Kamel, which he had donated to the Clerical College.
- And the library of Professor Kamel Michael Abdel-Sayed.
- And the library of the late His Grace Anba Gregorios.
- And the manuscripts that were taken from the Library of the Church of Abu Seifein in Old Cairo about ten years ago, out of fear that they might be lost.
- And what His Holiness Pope Shenouda will provide from his private library.
- We will work on obtaining Photo Copies of the manuscripts موجودة in our Coptic monasteries and those موجودة in our ancient churches.
- Likewise, we will add to it copies of the manuscripts collected by our son, Professor Hany Takla, in Los Angeles, which are on a number of C.D.s and include 350,000 pages collected from the libraries of the Vatican, Paris, London, Cambridge, and Oxford.
- Likewise, we will work on what was promised by the Secretary of the International Library, Dr. Christian Gastgeber, in Austria, during his meeting with His Holiness the Pope last week, concerning the Coptic manuscripts in Vienna, numbering 30,000 manuscripts; we will work on photographing whatever we can of them.
- We will also work to add to the library copies of the Coptic manuscripts موجودة in the Louvre Museum and in the British Museum in London.
- In addition to all these manuscripts, the library will include valuable printed books that were published in Coptology studies and in historical and theological studies that concern our Church and our religious institutes in general.
- To this will be added everything related to the Coptic heritage in a section of the library devoted to Coptic art, Coptic architecture, Coptic antiquities, and Coptic music, etc.
- To this will be added the donations that reach the library of works and other writings published by famous Coptic writers.
It has been decided to allocate three floors in the new Services Building, which was built in the Anba Rewis area, to be the headquarters of this library, which will gain worldwide fame, God willing.
However, this building requires considerable finishing work concerning plastering (outside and inside), flooring, electricity, and plumbing. It also requires what is necessary for the preservation of books, such as air conditioning and the like.
In addition to furnishing the library with luxurious bookcases and a reading hall, a precise borrowing system, computer catalogs, a system for C.D.s and Micro Films, and administrative rooms.
His Holiness the Pope has begun forming a committee under his chairmanship, consisting of Dr. Fawzi Estefanos, Engineer Sami Saad, Engineer Mounir Abdo Fam, and Engineer Sami Fahim, together with Father Ermia Ava Mina.
This committee met in several meetings to establish the basic rules for beginning the work…
The Pope also presented the library project and the Services Building at a meeting of the Communal Council. And with the blessing of God…
For better translation support, please contact the center.
