List of Bishops of Faras

The list is 58x87 cm in size, originally located on a wall in a niche in the southeast corner of the cathedral in Faras (to the right of the image of the Savior Emanuel , located in the center of the niche), is currently in the National Museum of Sudan in Khartoum . Written in black ink, it consists of 31 lines, divided into five columns, in which (from left to right): 1. name, 2. word “years”, 3. years of the episcopate, 4. month of death and 5. day of death of the bishop. The records of the last bishops include additional data: they contain the title “Bishop of Pachoras”, the name of the “spiritual” father and the age of the deceased ^[2] .

According to the style of writing, we can conclude that the list was made up of different people. The first fifteen entries were written by one person, entries No. 19 and 20 were also made by the same scribe. In addition, in the case of names 16 and 20, the restoration of records is noticeable, which consists in re-writing the letters or the whole name with black ink, made by a different scribe than by those who made the initial notes ^[2] .

1. Aetios is the first bishop of Faras representing the Melkites . He is known only from this list. Appointed most likely by Metropolitan Dongoli, he held his post in 620-630. The name of the bishop testifies to his Byzantine origin, the initial part of the name was reconstructed by Stefan Jacobelsky . Aetios is considered the founder of the oldest cathedral in Faras ^[4] .
2. Sarapion
3. The record is unreadable due to poor preservation of the monument.
4. Pilatos is the bishop of Faras, who is also known for by two monograms preserved on architectural elements, which indicates his construction activity. Monograms have the shape of a cross, at the ends of its crossbeams there are letters related to the name of the bishop, as well as the inscription ΠΟΛΛΑΤΑ ΕΤΙ, which often appears in Faras and means " many summers " ^[2] .
5. Paulos - bishop-prohedron of Faras, held the post at the beginning of the VIII century. Near the cathedral, two memorial steles dating from the year 707 were recorded, written in Greek and Coptic, which mention Bishop Paulos as the founder of the tabernacle that arose on the site of the cathedral Aetios ^[2] .
6. Mena - Bishop of Faras, died approx. 730 years.
7. Mathaios - Bishop of Faras until 766.
8. Ignatios - Bishop of Faras until 802.
9. Joannes I - Bishop of Faras until 809.
10. Joannes II - Bishop of Faras most likely took office after 809.
11. Markos - Bishop of Faras between 810-826 years.
12. Khael I - Bishop of Faras until 827.
13. Thomas - Bishop of Faras until 862.
14. Iesou I - Bishop of Faras until approx. 866 years.
15. Kyros - Bishop of Faras at the end of the 9th century, died in 902. Belonged to the Monophysites and came from the territory of Nubia. His portrait has been preserved on mural paintings in the Cathedral of Faras, it is the oldest monument among the portraits of bishops adorning the walls of the cathedral. Currently, it is in the National Museum in Khartoum ^[5] .
16. Andreas - Bishop of Faras until 903.
17. Kollouthos - Bishop of Faras until 923.
18. Stephanos - Bishop of Faras until 926.
19. Elias - Bishop and Metropolitan of Faras until 953.
20. Aaron - Bishop and Metropolitan of Faras until 972.
21. Petros I - Bishop and Metropolitan of Faras, belonging to the Monophysites, held his post in 974–999. He is depicted in mural painting in the cathedral, in the image behind him is the apostle Peter, in whose honor he was named ^[6] .
22. Joannes III - Bishop of Faras from 997 to September 21, 1005. His body was buried in a crypt adjacent to the southeast wall of the cathedral ^[5] . From it begins the reign of bishops representing the Melkites. During his pontificate, he carried out repairs of the cathedral ^[6] .
23. Merkourios - Bishop of Faras from 1031 to 1052. His portrait is on the wall of the cathedral, the absence of a Coptic headdress is indicated on belonging to the Melkites ^[6] . An inscription on his tombstone calls him the spiritual son of Bishop Joannes ^[5] .
24. Petros II - Bishop of Faras until 1062.
25. Georgios - Bishop of Faras until 1097. His portrait is the last among the portraits of bishops in the cathedral. Clothing indicates his belonging to the Monophysites ^[6] .
26. Khael II - Bishop of Faras until 1124.
27. Iesou II - the last of the bishops of Faras on the list, held the post until 1170 or 1175 ^[6] .

In 1005, the post of bishop of the cathedral in Faras was taken by the Melkite Marianos, but his name was not included in the list. He held his post, most likely, until 1031 and died in 1036. The tombstone indicates the place of his death, Qasr Ibrim , which, presumably, was the reason for the omission of his name on the list ^[2] . The image of Bishop Marianos under the protection of the Mother of God with the baby Christ is preserved in the cathedral, and is currently located in Poland, in the National Museum in Warsaw ^[5] .

• Godlewski W., Zych I. Pachoras: the Cathedrals of Aetios, Paulos and Petros: the architecture . - Warsaw: Warsaw University Press, 2006 .-- ISBN 832350167X .
• Tadeusz Gołgowski. Z problematyki ikonografii biskupów Pachoras // Rocznik Muzeum Narodowego w Warszawie / Muzeum Narodowe. - 1967. - T. 11. - S. 175-190. - ISSN 0509-6936 .
• Stefan Jakobielski. A history of the bishopric of Pachoras on the basis of Coptic inscriptions = Dzieje biskupstwa pachoras na podstawie inskrypcij koptyjskich . - Warszawa: PWN, 1972.
• Stefan Jakobielski. Some New Data to the History of Christian Nubia as Found in Faras' Inscriptions // Klio. - 1969. - T. 51 (January 1). - S. 499-503.
• Richard A. Lobban Jr. Historical Dictionary of Ancient and Medieval Nubia . - Scarecrow Press, 2003. - ISBN 9780810865785 .
• Kazimierz Michałowski. Od Edfu do Faras: polskie odkrycia archeologii śródziemnomorskiej . - Warszawa: Wydawnictwa Artystyczne i Filmowe, 1974.