# Psoi

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

Psoi, ancient Ptolemais Hermiou and modern al-Minshah, was an important town and episcopal seat in Upper Egypt, associated with the martyr bishop Psote and nearby monasteries.[^1][^3]

## Name and location

Psoi, also written Psoï, is the Coptic name of the town known in Greek as Ptolemais Hermiou and today as al-Minshah. It stands on the west bank of the Nile in Upper Egypt, approximately 7 miles (11 km) south of Akhmim.[^1]

## Historical importance

Ptolemais was founded by Ptolemy I and was the only Greek city in Upper Egypt endowed with the full set of *polis* institutions.[^2] The town grew rapidly during the Roman and Byzantine periods; it was the most populous town after Alexandria and became the residence of the dux, or general, of the Thebaid after 450.[^3]

The writings of Saint Athanasius in the fourth century attest to the importance of Psoi as an episcopal seat.[^3] Another account describes Psoi and Antinoë (Antinoopolis) as residences of the dux during the Byzantine era, when that official exercised both military and civil authority over the Thebaid as far south as Aswan.[^4]

## Bishop Psote and his shrine

The town's best-known bishop was Saint Psote, also called Psate or Bisadah, who was martyred under Diocletian about 305. His feast day is 27 Kiyahk.[^5] Information about him derives from his Passion, whose Greek text is lost but which survives in Coptic, Latin, and Ethiopic translations.[^5]

Dayr Anba Bisadah, on the opposite bank of the Nile, preserves the bishop's memory and relics.[^6] He was buried east of Psoi, and it is probable that the monastery was built over his tomb; its foundation date cannot be established with certainty.[^6][^7] The tomb was an important pilgrimage site.[^3]

## Monastic surroundings

According to the *Letter of Ammon*, Theodorus, the disciple and successor of Pachomius, is said to have founded a monastery near Psoi. The text does not name the establishment.[^8]

The ruins of Dayr Yuhannis, a Coptic monastery named for Saint John, lie on the right bank of the Nile about 6 miles (10 km) south of Dayr Anba Bisadah. Farther south, Coptic inscriptions in the quarries at the foot of Jabal Tukh attest to the presence of hermits.[^9]

## Later episcopal history

Documentation for the Christian community's later history is limited, but a bishop of “Absay,” identified as Psoi, attended the consecration of chrism in 1320. The episcopal see subsequently lost its importance and was suppressed in favor of Jirja at an uncertain date.[^10]

Vansleb, who visited Egypt in 1672–1673, listed Psoi among ancient rather than active episcopal sees and named Jirja as the functioning bishopric.[^10][^11] Sicard, who stayed in Egypt from 1712 to 1726, described a small Christian community there, not a bishop's seat. Clarke's published church lists of 1912 likewise placed the churches of al-Minshah under Jirja.[^11]

## Sources
[^1]: The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6, Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 828)
[^2]: The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 4, Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 424)
[^3]: The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6, Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 828)
[^4]: The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 3, Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 176)
[^5]: The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6, Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 830)
[^6]: The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 3, Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 176)
[^7]: The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 3, Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 176)
[^8]: The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6, Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 828)
[^9]: The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 3, Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 520)
[^10]: The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6, Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 828)
[^11]: The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6, Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 829)