370 Ancient Coins Discovered in Minya's Saint Fana Monastery

Archaeologists found 370 ancient coins, during restoration work of the monastery of Saint Fana in Minya governorate.

Head of Islamic, Coptic and Jewish antiquities sector Gamal Mostafa announced that the coins were found at a depth of approximately 2 meters; the archaeologist found 370 coins, of which 341 were dating back to the Islamic era and 29 from the Roman era, indicating that experts are studying and documenting the coins.

Also, the Ministry of Antiquities has allocated a mission from the Islamic, Coptic and Jewish sector to carry out the works of archaeological excavations around the site of the church to reveal the main entrance to the church and the rest of the surrounding facilities in preparation for revealing more secrets in the area.

The Monastery of Saint Fana is a Coptic Orthodox monastery. It is one of the first monasteries of Upper Egypt, and its establishment was accompanied by the first monastic movement; it was founded by St. Abu Fana in the 4th century AD.

It is also known as the Monastery of the Cross, due to the presence of several crosses inside its church.

Contributed by: Taarek Refaat