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St. Yehnis the short Church

The Church of Saint Yehnis (the short)

The church of Saint Yehnis the Short, whose feast of departure is celebrated on the 20th of the Coptic month Babah, is located at the south eastern corner of the monastery.  The church used to be occupied by the Ethiopian monks until its features wore away; however, it was later renovated to improve its condition.  Currently the church is used just for the monks but there is no special entrance to it.  This church only has 1 sanctuary, named after Saint Yehnis the Short.  The ceiling of the narthex is constructed of rock and is shaped like half a barrel truss, it also has an opening for light.  There are three icons
located around the door of the altar.  Above it is the icon the Last Supper and on its sides it has the icon of our Lord, Jesus Christ, and our Lady, the Virgin Mary.  Inside the altar there is another icon of the Almighty Lord, sitting on His throne.  The altar was built out of white marble, which contains golden crosses.  At the two shrines within the church, one can find many relics of different saints.

This church contains 2 altars, one was consecrated in the name of St. Yehnis Kame the priest.  On the sides of the altar door we see many icons & contemporary pictures.  One icon is of our Lord, Jesus Christ, sitting on His throne & another is of our Lady Saint Mary.  The church was built in the 3rd century when a group from Saint Yehnis Kame came to Saint Mary’s monastery to pray.  The church was not maintained afterwards and became a storage place for the monastery; however, it was later renovated and is now used just for monks to pray in.  The church celebrates the departure of Saint Yehnis Kame every year on the 25th of the Coptic month of Kiakh.  Located on the northern side of the church is a new sanctuary named after Ava Fam the soldier of Ouseem.  The wooden narthex was newly made during a renovation.  In the center of the church there is a large column, which acts as the main support for the ceiling.  There are entrances both at the northern & southern sides, which lead to the church of Saint Yehnis the Short.