The month of August marks one of the most beloved fasts for Coptic Orthodox Chrtisians living in Egypt and abroad: the Fast of the Virgin Mary. Stemming from their love for the Virgin Mary, Copts anticipate this 15-day fast every year, asking for her intercessions throughout. This year however, the month began with a celebration like no other. Assiut, where one of Egypt’s holiest monasteries, Virgin Mary Monastery in Dronka, is located, received the largest statue of the Virgin Mary built to date. Installed over a 15-metre high pedestal, the nine-metre tall statue was built by Gerges Algawly, an Egyptian sculptor and Professor of field and space sculpture and former head of the sculpture department at Minia University. https://youtube.com/shorts/d0Wd7vJleMs?feature=share Inspired by ‘Our Lady of Lebanon’ in Harissa, Bishop Yoanes of Assiut asked Algawly to sculpt a statue of the Virgin Mary to be placed at the monastery. While the preparation of the statue took two years, the statue was sculpted in three months, transported from Cairo to Assiut in 20 pieces, and reassembled on site. Upon completion, the statue was received and celebrated by the monastery’s visitors and the people…
