START OF MAINTENANCE WORKS OF THE INCUNABULA (EXTANT BOOKS) IN THE PATRIARCHAL LIBRARY OF ALEXANDRIA

On 15th July 2023, His Eminence Panteleimon, Metropolitan of Naucratis, Chief Secretary of the Holy And Sacred Synod of the Patriarchate of Alexandria, by Venerable Order and blessing of His Beatitude Theodoros II, Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa, received at the Patriarchal Mansion in the Great City, Mr. Dimitrios Alclif, legal representative of the “Pantocrator” Company for the Management and Maintenance of Ecclesiastical Relics – COINSEP, accompanied by the conservators of ecclesiastical relics, Mr. Paraskevas Valavanis and Mrs. Styliani Permathoulis, in order to examine historical antiquities treasured in the renowned Patriarchal Library of Alexandria and to proceed with the start of systematic maintenance work on them, in a newly established specialized workshop for the maintenance of paper and ecclesiastical relics, at the Holy Patriarchal Monastery of St George, in Old Cairo, Egypt. After several hours of examination of the archetypes by the named experts, His Excellency Naukratis co-signed with Mr. Dimitrios Alclif “Delivery-Receipt Protocol” and proceeded to hand over the first archetypes to the designated Society, in order to start this very important project of restoring these precious spiritual treasures Presbygenos Church of the Alexandrians and their future scientific study by researchers and university institutions, around the world.

After several hours of examination of the extant books by the named experts, His Eminence the Metropolitan of Naucratis co-signed and “Register of Delivery and Receipt” with Mr. Dimitrios Alclif and proceeded to hand over the first books to the designated Society, in order to start this very important project of restoring these precious spiritual treasures of the Supreme Church of the Alexandrians and their future scientific study by researchers and university institutions around the world.

It is noted that on July 14, His Beatitude Theodoros II Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria visited the modern workshop for the conservation of paper and ecclesiastical relics, in the Holy Patriarchal Monastery of St George in Cairo and blessed the beginning of the restoration works of these extant books.

Finally, the His Beatitude also had a meeting at the centuries-old Holy Monastery with Mr. Georgios Fatseas, coordinator of digitization projects, regarding the future digitization of the above-mentioned relics, after their conservation.