The Mosque in the Icons of the "Journey of the Holy Family": A Case Study of the Churches of the Virgin Mary in Mostorod and Al-Balyana

Coptic art has witnessed a remarkable development, one of its characteristics being its influence by other arts, such as Islamic art. This led to the emergence of Islamic artistic elements within some icons, reflecting the spirit of national unity among the various segments of society with their different beliefs—particularly in the icon of the Holy Family’s Journey into Egypt. The journey of the Holy Family to Egypt is one of the subjects that Coptic artists have paid special attention to in their iconography. Therefore, this study aims to shed light on some icons of the Holy Family’s Journey that contain Islamic elements, such as mosques and their minarets, by describing the icons found in the Churches of the Virgin Mary in Mostorod and Al-Balyana, analyzing all their Coptic and Islamic elements, and interpreting their most significant meanings.
This paper adopts two methodologies: The first one is a historical approach, focusing on the history of the Virgin Mary Church in Mostorod and the Virgin Mary Church in Al-Balyana, the details of the Holy Family’s journey to Egypt according to Coptic tradition and historical sources that have addressed this journey. The second one is a descriptive-analytical approach, deals with the analysis of the Coptic icon of the Holy Family’s journey, in which the mosque and crescent appear as unique visual elements.
In conclusion, the study explores the symbolic meanings and underlying significance behind the depiction of the mosque and the crescent within the Coptic icon.