Conservation of Christian-Coptic Cultural Heritage: Uncharted Manuscript Collections of Coptic Libraries
![[Translate to Englisch:] Koptische Kirche](/fileadmin/_processed_/f/6/csm_Koptische_Kirche_9680befc41.jpg)
With this project, the Research Centre for the Christian East at the KU Eichstätt-Ingolstadt aims to contribute to the conservation, cataloguing and making available to science of Coptic manuscripts in Egypt. Since the revolution of 2011, the political situation within the country has been highly volatile ,and Coptic Christians especially are faced with discrimination. In light of this, a systematic documentation of these partially uncharted assets of the cultural heritage of a religious minority seems particularly important. At the moment, manuscripts are being indexed in a first phase, afterwards, their scientific appraisal and a contribution towards their restauration and conservation are planned.
Phase 1: Digitalization of Coptic Manuscript Collections (ongoing)
Innumerable heretofore undiscovered manuscripts can be found in Egypt, which document the liturgy, as well as the ecclesial history and canon law of Coptic Christianity. Their large number is due to the late introduction of printing in the orient in the mid-18th century and the fact that texts were passed on in manuscript form until then.
The Research Centre for the Christian East strives for their digitalization. Towards that aim, it was able to win over various monasteries in Cairo as partners. To digitize their library contents, they are provided with modern equipment with a digital camera with which a dedicated worker can photograph and save every single page of the manuscripts present there. This project is funded by a project grant made available by the Gerda-Henkel-Stiftung.
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Phase 2: Scientific Development of the Manuscript Collections (planned)
![[Translate to Englisch:] Koptischer Foliant](/fileadmin/_processed_/0/b/csm_Koptischer_Foliant_de553c1b4d.jpg)
After their digitization, the manuscripts are to be indexed based on their content. If not already completed, they will be completely catalogued. Through this and by their existence in digital form, they can be made accessible more easily to science. The evaluation of these sources of the liturgy of Coptic Christianity, its language, as well as its ecclesial history in further projects will be considerably easier through this.
Phase 3: Preservation of the Original Manuscripts (planning stage)
![[Translate to Englisch:] Koptischer Bücherbestand](/fileadmin/_processed_/f/7/csm_Koptischer_Buecherbestand_d42fab3f0f.jpg)
Not only the digital copies of Coptic manuscripts are an important treasure of sources for the science of the Christian East. Rather, the originals are also assets of cultural heritage that are worth preserving. Therefore, the Research Centre for the Christian East, together with the Egyptian monasteries, strives to restore and preserve the manuscripts, often damaged by mildew, insects or the elements, in order to continually secure the heritage of a religious minority.