THE ICONOGRAPHY OF COPTIC INCENSE BURNER ON THE MURALS OF MONASTERIES

Abstract

Incense and incense burner constitute an outstanding part in the Coptic Liturgy, influenced by ancient Egyptian rituals with almost similar concept and symbolism. Many of incense burners, mostly made of bronze, were found with different shapes and decorations like the hollow-dish censer with or without lid, the box censer, and the censer with a handle. Besides these various incense burners which are widely spread in different museums all over the world, the Coptic incense burner is clearly represented on the walls of many monasteries, swung, suspended or placed on a column, forming an important clear item in many monastic murals. These representations of the censer on murals confirm the importance of the incense and incense burner in the Coptic liturgy as symbols of fertility and resurrection, became analogies for The Christ and The Blessed Virgin herself, who held within her womb, as does a censer, the coal of divinity that produced spiritual fragrance filled the ground with the savour of its glorious sweetness.