Saint Fana, also known as Abu Fana, Abu Fanah, or Apa Bane (; c. 354–395) was a
Coptic hermit. The
Monastery of Saint Fana
The Monastery of Saint Fana is a Coptic Orthodox monastery. It is named after Saint Fana, also known as Bane (c. 354–395), Coptic Christian hermit. The monastery is sometimes called the Monastery of Abu Fanah and is also known as the Monas ...
in the diocese of
Mallawi,
Upper Egypt
Upper Egypt ( ar, صعيد مصر ', shortened to , , locally: ; ) is the southern portion of Egypt and is composed of the lands on both sides of the Nile that extend upriver from Lower Egypt in the north to Nubia in the south.
In ancient E ...
, is named after him.
Saint Fana was born to a
Christian family in
Memphis, Egypt. He became an
anchorite due to the inspiration of the
Western Desert hermits he visited as a young man.
Ancient sources such as ''Sozomen's Church Hisotory (Historia Ecclesiastica)'' make reference to a hermit called Benus or Banus who can be identified as Saint Fana, and who lived in the area where the monastery of Saint Fana was later built.
Fana also became noted for his knowledge of the
Psalms
The Book of Psalms ( or ; he, תְּהִלִּים, , lit. "praises"), also known as the Psalms, or the Psalter, is the first book of the ("Writings"), the third section of the Tanakh, and a book of the Old Testament. The title is derived ...
and would ultimately be linked to miracles.
He is noted for his
asceticism and concern for the poor. He also reportedly predicted the date of
Theodosius I
Theodosius I ( grc-gre, Θεοδόσιος ; 11 January 347 – 17 January 395), also called Theodosius the Great, was Roman emperor from 379 to 395. During his reign, he succeeded in a crucial war against the Goths, as well as in two ...
's death. The Monastery of Saint Fana is one of the oldest in Egypt.
[, Rene-Georges Coquin and Maurice Martin in the Coptic Encyclopedia, Macmillan Publishing Company, 1991, Vol. 3, p.698-700]
See also
*
Abu Mena
Abu Mena (also spelled ''Abu Mina'' ; ar, أبو مينا ) was a town, monastery complex and Christian pilgrimage centre in Late Antique Egypt, about southwest of Alexandria, near New Borg El Arab city. Its remains were designated a W ...
*
Monastery of Saint Fana
The Monastery of Saint Fana is a Coptic Orthodox monastery. It is named after Saint Fana, also known as Bane (c. 354–395), Coptic Christian hermit. The monastery is sometimes called the Monastery of Abu Fanah and is also known as the Monas ...
References
External links
Official Website of the Monastery of Saint Fana Arab West Report
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fana
4th-century births
4th-century deaths
Saints from Roman Egypt
Egyptian hermits
Egyptian Christian monks