Dipicting the events of the new testament in Coptic art/ A study of mural paintings at the holy family route sites in wadi el Natrun from the 3rd to the 13th century AD

This research deals pagan images and Christian religious scenes at the sites of the Holy Family Trail in Egypt, which extends from north to south, in some of the churches at these sites. This is done through the works presented by Coptic artists at these sites using various artistic materials. In the churches of Wadi El Natrun, religious scenes and images were presented on murals, and in the churches of central Cairo, they were presented on fabric and wood, in addition to icons. In the churches of southern Egypt, they were presented on wood and ivory. The research also deals with the study of religious themes implemented on different materials, which vary between themes from the Old Testament, represented by Abraham’s sacrifice of Isaac, Abraham with Melchizedek, the exodus of Adam and Eve, and themes from the New Testament, represented by scenes and images that present the birth - the Annunciation - the Virgin Mary - Christ with the disciples and apostles - the Ascension - the Transfiguration, in addition to the miracles of Jesus Christ, and clarifying the pagan influences on these scenes and images and the era to which they belong, as the Coptic artist was influenced by different arts such as ancient Egyptian art - Greco-Roman art - Ptolemaic Byzantine - Sassanian and Syrian art.