Abram, also known as Abraam or Saint Abram, (1829 – 10 June 1914) was a contemporary

Coptic Orthodox The Coptic Orthodox Church (), also known as the Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria, is an Oriental Orthodox Churches, Oriental Orthodox Christian church based in Egypt. The head of the church and the Apostolic see, See of Alexandria i ...

saint. He was the

Bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

Faiyum Faiyum ( ; , ) is a city in Middle Egypt. Located southwest of Cairo, in the Faiyum Oasis, it is the capital of the modern Faiyum Governorate. It is one of Egypt's oldest cities due to its strategic location. Name and etymology Originally f ...

and

Giza Giza (; sometimes spelled ''Gizah, Gizeh, Geeza, Jiza''; , , ' ) is the third-largest city in Egypt by area after Cairo and Alexandria; and fourth-largest city in Africa by population after Kinshasa, Lagos, and Cairo. It is the capital of ...

, and was also known as ''the Friend of the Poor''.

Biography

Abram was born Boulos (Paul) Gabriel in 1545 A.M. (1829 AD), in the village of Gilda, district of Mallawi, in the

Minya Governorate Minya ( ') is one of the governorates of Upper Egypt. Its capital city, Minya, is located on the left bank of the Nile River. Etymology The name originates from the chief city of the governorate, originally known in Sahidic Coptic as ''Tmoone ...

. At the age of eight, Boulos' mother died after a brief illness. At the age of fifteen the village priests recommended him to Youssab (Joseph), the Bishop of the Diocese, who ordained him as a

deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian denominations, such as the Cathol ...

. Boulos joined the Monastery of the Most Holy Virgin Mary, known as El-Muharraq Monastery in

Assiut AsyutAlso spelled ''Assiout'' or ''Assiut''. ( ' ) is the capital of the modern Asyut Governorate in Egypt. It was built close to the ancient city of the same name, which is situated nearby. The modern city is located at , while the ancient city i ...

, where he was ordained

monk A monk (; from , ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a man who is a member of a religious order and lives in a monastery. A monk usually lives his life in prayer and contemplation. The concept is ancient and can be seen in many reli ...

in 1848, at the age of nineteen. His monastic name became Paul El-Muharraqi. Paul was distinguished by his patience and self-control, and his interest in

almsgiving Alms (, ) are money, food, or other material goods donated to people living in poverty. Providing alms is often considered an act of charity. The act of providing alms is called almsgiving. Etymology The word ''alms'' comes from the Old Engli ...

.Atiya, Aziz S. ''The Coptic Encyclopedia.'' New York: Macmillan Publishing Co., 1991.

/ref> Metropolitan Yakoubos (Jacob) heard about him and asked him to come to the

Metropolitanate A metropolis, metropolitanate or metropolitan diocese is an episcopal see whose bishop is the metropolitan bishop or archbishop of an ecclesiastical province. Metropolises, historically, have been important cities in their provinces. Eastern Ortho ...

to continue his work with the poor. After four years, he asked to return to the monastery. The metropolitan ordained him a priest and allowed him to return to the monastery in 1863. Paul then became

abbot Abbot is an ecclesiastical title given to the head of an independent monastery for men in various Western Christian traditions. The name is derived from ''abba'', the Aramaic form of the Hebrew ''ab'', and means "father". The female equivale ...

of the El-Muharraq Monastery. The number of new monks exceeded forty within a short period of time. The monastery became a refuge for the poor people of the community, whom he aided unreservedly by the use of its income. In the long run, the monks became dissatisfied with his ways, which they considered as sheer dissipation of the fortunes of the monastery. They complained to Anba Marcus, archbishop of Beheira and acting patriarchal deputy after the death of Demetrius II, who decided to relieve him from the headship of al-Muharraq. Paul was deposed by Metropolitan Marcos in 1870. Shortly after this, Paul left Al Muharraq Monastery and went to the

Paromeos Monastery Paromeos Monastery (), also known as Baramos Monastery (), is a Coptic Orthodox monastery located in Wadi El Natrun in the Nitrian Desert, Beheira Governorate, Egypt. It is the most northern among the four current monasteries of Scetis, situate ...

. Four monks from Al Muharraq Monastery accompanied him. The abbot of the

, at that time, was arch-priest Youhanna (John) the Scribe, who later became

Pope Cyril V of Alexandria Pope Cyril V of Alexandria (Abba Kyrillos V) was the 112th Pope of Alexandria & Patriarch of the See of St. Mark, reigning for 52 years, 9 months and 6 days. He was the longest-serving Pope in the history of the Coptic Orthodox Church. He wa ...

. In 1597 A.M. (1881 A.D.), Pope Cyril V appointed Paul to be the bishop to the parish of

Fayoum Faiyum ( ; , ) is a city in Middle Egypt. Located southwest of Cairo, in the Faiyum Oasis, it is the capital of the modern Faiyum Governorate. It is one of Egypt's oldest cities due to its strategic location. Name and etymology Originally f ...

and

, carrying the name of Bishop Abram, and replacing its reposed Bishop Isaak. Abram died on 3 Paoni 1630 A.M. (10 June 1914 AD). Some twenty five thousand persons attended his funeral, both

Christians A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the world. The words '' Christ'' and ''C ...

and

Muslims Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

. He was buried in a grave he had prepared himself. His body is preserved at the

Metropolitanate of

, in

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

. In 1964,

The Holy Synod of the Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria The Holy Synod of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria is the highest Orthodox authority in the Coptic Orthodox Church. It formulates the rules and regulations regarding matters of the Church's organisation and faith. The synod is chaired by ...

canonized Abram as a saint, and decided to add his name to those of the saints mentioned in the ''Diptych of the Saints'' during the

Divine Liturgy Divine Liturgy () or Holy Liturgy is the usual name used in most Eastern Christian rites for the Eucharistic service. The Eastern Catholic Churches, Eastern Lutheranism, Eastern Lutheran Churches and the Eastern Orthodox Church believe the Divi ...

References

External links

Online e-Book: St. Anba Abram the Departed Bishop of Fayoum "Friend of the Poor" (1829-1914 A.D.) - Includes Part I: His Life & Part II: Wonders and Miracles - Written by William A. Hanna, Ph.D. (Format: PDF - 790 KB)

Another e-Book about Anba Abram, the Friend of the Poor, by Rev. Fr. Tadros Y. Malaty (Format: PDF - 646 KB)
* https://web.archive.org/web/20050819132516/http://www.copticchurch.org/English_spiritual_articles/AnbaAbraam.htm
Saint (Anba) Abram Museum: An Album of the Contents of the Museum of The Departed Bishop of Fayoum; The Monastery of St. Mercurius known as 'Deir AL-Azab' Fayoum, Egypt (Format: PDF - 1.17 MB)

The Coptic Orthodox Diocese of El-Fayoum/Anba Abram Monastery, Egypt (most content in Arabic)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Abram 1829 births 1914 deaths Coptic Orthodox saints Coptic Orthodox bishops Egyptian Christian monks 20th-century Christian saints People from Minya Governorate 20th-century Oriental Orthodox bishops 19th-century Oriental Orthodox bishops