page_title: Door of Prophecies
hierarchical_section_title: Door of Prophecies
caption_attribution_description: English: Door of Prophecies at the Christian Syrian Monastery in Egypt
context_page_description: The Door of Prophecies or Gate of Prophecies is a large door inside the Syrian Monastery, of Wadi El Natrun in Egypt, that features symbolic diagrams depicting the past and the future of the Christian faith through the eyes of Christian monks of the tenth century. Several centuries ago, that location was used mainly by Syrian monks, however today the monastery is used and preserved by Coptic monks and the Coptic Church, as both Churches have been in friendship and alliance since early Christianity. The Door of Prophecies dates to the beginning of the tenth century, around 913–914 AD, according to the Syriac language inscriptions on it, during the papacy of Pope Gabriel I of Alexandria. The panels on the large door divide and represent Christian epochs through time, epochs preceding the time of its construction, the tenth century and also prophesizing and predicting future time periods.
  The door of prophecies is a screen of a main sanctuary inside the monastery. It consists of six vertical leaves and seven horizontal rows, three forming a valve on each side.
context_section_description: The Door of Prophecies or Gate of Prophecies is a large door inside the Syrian Monastery, of Wadi El Natrun (Natron Valley) in Egypt, that features symbolic diagrams depicting the past and the future of the Christian faith through the eyes of Christian monks of the tenth century. Several centuries ago, that location was used mainly by Syrian monks, however today the monastery is used and preserved by Coptic monks and the Coptic Church, as both Churches have been in friendship and alliance since early Christianity. The Door of Prophecies dates to the beginning of the tenth century, around 913–914 AD, according to the Syriac language inscriptions on it, during the papacy of Pope Gabriel I of Alexandria (910–921).  The panels on the large door divide and represent Christian epochs through time, epochs preceding the time of its construction, the tenth century and also prophesizing and predicting future time periods. 
  The door of prophecies is a screen of a main sanctuary inside the monastery. It consists of six vertical leaves (panels) and seven horizontal rows, three forming a valve on each side. Each one of the six leaves has seven panels of ebony magnificently inlaid with ivory, however, today some of the panels are not in their original condition. From top to bottom they represent seven epochs which are believed to cover the history of Christianity, its past and future, highlighting its golden age, periods of major changes, hardships, and persecution. 
  The historical and spiritual interpretations of the panels are highly individual. The following are the seven epochs:
caption: The second row of the second epoch shows identical crosses surrounded by circles to symbolize the spread of Christianity despite persecution.
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