# Pshoi of Tud

Source: https://coptic-lore-forge.lovable.app/wiki/pshoi-of-tud — Coptic Orthodox Wiki (updated 2026-10-02)

Pshoi of Tud was an ascetic of Upper Egypt commemorated on 25 Kiyahk, remembered for his scriptural reading, prayers, and vigils.[^1][^2]

## Identity and sources

Pshoi of Tud was an ascetic of Upper Egypt whose feast day is 25 Kiyahk; his life is known only through a brief notice in the Upper Egyptian recension.[^1] In connection with Dayr Anba Abshay, he is named Abshay, identified with the Coptic name Pshoi, and given the surname al-Qabrin or al-Qubrayn, whose meaning is unclear.[^6]

## Ascetic life

According to the Synaxarion notice, Pshoi devoted himself so assiduously to reading the book of Jeremiah that the prophet appeared to him; similar revelations involved other authors of holy books, whom the notice does not name.[^2] His prayers and vigils attracted attention, and his death was regarded as that of a saint.[^2]

## Burial and healing tradition

Pshoi was buried in an unidentified church.[^3] The notice attributes healing power to the water of its well, reporting that those who washed with it were healed of sickness, particularly tertian fever, a form of malaria.[^3] His place of death is described by an Arabic term that can mean “the ford,” “the crossroads,” or “the watering place” of Tud.[^6]

## Monastery and chronology

A separate notice concerning Pisentius, bishop of Armant, mentions a monastery east of the castrum, or camp, of Tud.[^4] Its identification with Dayr Anba Abshay of Tud remains uncertain because the location of the castrum is unknown.[^4] A monk’s tomb in an enclosure on the south side of the present monastery could be Pshoi’s, but the identification is not established.[^4]

The proposed dating of Pshoi before the seventh century is conditional: it depends on whether the monastery mentioned in the notice for Pisentius was built in Pshoi’s honor.[^5]

## Sources
[^1]: The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6, Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 827)
[^2]: The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6, Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 827)
[^3]: The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6, Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 827)
[^4]: The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6, Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 827)
[^5]: The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6, Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 827)
[^6]: The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 3, Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 149)