Occasional Prayers Written by Monks and Visitors at the Monastery of Apa Apollo

Abstract

While numerous Christian liturgical prayers have survived from the late antique period in Egypt, occasional prayers are less frequently attested. One source of occasional prayers, albeit minimalist in form, are prayers that monks and visitors scratched (graffiti) or painted (dipinti) in monastic spaces imbued with the presence of a saint or other intermediaries. This paper reviews prayers left in such a space at the Monastery of Apa Apollo in Bawit. It describes the typical structure and phraseology of the prayers, and it discusses information gleaned from the prayers about patterns of pilgrimage to the site, the roles and occupations of people named in the room, and the gendered perception of familial and social relations.