Saint Chayna Explained
Saint Chayna (Arabic: مار شَيْنَا|Mar Chayna), also known as Saint Abraham the Brigand, is a saint in the Maronite Church.
Hagiography
Saint Chayna, whose birth name was Abraham, was originally the leader of a gang of thieves. The gang reached a decision to rob a nunnery and planned to disguise themselves as monks in order to sneak into the convent. Upon entry, the nuns received Chayna and his men with hospitality and washed Chayna's feet as was the custom at the time. Another nun, who was sick and paralyzed, anointed herself with the dirty water used to wash Chayna's feet and was miraculously healed. When Chayna saw this, as well as the righteousness and holiness of the convent, he was moved and immediately touched by grace and decided to repent and give up his old sinful life. Chayna revealed his identity to the nuns and told them his purpose for entering their convent. He revealed his concealed sword and placed it in the hands of the nuns as a sign of his protection of them. Thus, the nuns gave him the name "Chayna", meaning protection. Chayna and his criminal entourage then adopted a life of monasticism and lived the rest of their lives through works of repentance and asceticism. Chayna became the prior to the monastery and converted a large number of pagans, spending the rest of his life guiding others until he peacefully reposed. His feast day lies on the fifteenth of September.[1] [2]
Poem
The Maronite bishop and poet Gabriel ibn al-Qilai recorded a poem dedicated to Saint Chayna. It contains 21 couplets and each verse has 2 hemistiches, of 10 syllables each.[3] It is unknown if the author of the poem is ibn al-Qilai himself or not as he does not take credit for it. It was possibly written by a certain Ḍaw of Lehfed, however, it has been argued whether this refers to ibn al-Qilai's first name before he entered into the clergy or if it was a different author from the same village.[4]
Churches
- Mar Chayna (Saint Abraham the Brigand) church, Qnat, Lebanon. Founded in 1800 on the ruins of a pagan temple.[5]
Notes and References
- Web site: Saint Chayna - September 15. Maronite Martology. olol.org.au. Our Lady of Lebanon.
- Web site: 15 أيلول القديس ابراميوس الملقب بشينا – سير قدسين. السنكسار الماروني. peregabriel.com. aveomaria.
- Book: Moukarzel, Joseph. January 2007. Gabriel Ibn al-Qilāʻī, ca 1516: approche biographique et étude du corpus. Kaslik, Lebanon. PUSEK. 434-435. Ce poème est attribué à Ibn al-Qilā'i par Douaihy, Graf et Breydy. Il se trouve actuellement dans les mss Sbath 340 et Kreim 21. Il est constitué de 21 distiques selon Sbath 340, alors que Kreim 21 en ajoute 3 à la fin. Chaque vers comporte 2 hémistiches, de 10 syllabes chacun.. This poem is attributed to Ibn al-Qilā'i by Douaihy, Graf and Breydy. It is currently found in the Sbath 340 and Kreim 21 mss. According to Sbath 340, it consists of 21 couplets, while Kreim 21 adds 3 at the end. Each verse has 2 hemistiches, of 10 syllables each..
- Book: Moukarzel, Joseph. January 2007. Gabriel Ibn al-Qilāʻī, ca 1516: approche biographique et étude du corpus. Kaslik, Lebanon. PUSEK. 434-435. C’est l’histoire classique de saint Abraham le brigand, surnommé Šaynā,. Ibn al-Qilā'i ne se présente pas comme étant l’auteur du poème. Le ms. Sbath 340 ne fournit aucune information, tandis que le ms. Kreim 21 révèle à la fin que l’auteur est un certain Ḍaw de Lehfed. La question qui se pose est de savoir si le prénom Ḍaw est celui de Gabriel Ibn al-Qilā'i avant de devenir religieux, ou s’il désigne un auteur différent, originaire du même village d’Ibn al-Qila,i. Dans l’état actuel de la recherche, il est impossible de se prononcer à ce sujet.. This is the classic story of Saint Abraham the Brigand, nicknamed Šaynā, Ibn al-Qilā'i does not present himself as the author of the poem. The ms. Sbath 340 provides no information, while ms. Kreim 21 reveals at the end that the author is a certain Ḍaw from Lehfed. The question that arises is whether the first name Ḍaw is that of Gabriel Ibn al-Qilā'i before he became a cleric, or whether it refers to a different author, originating from the same village as Ibn al-Qila,i. Given the current state of research, it's impossible to say..
- Web site: Qnat. pbvliban.org. Ajmal Baldet Lebnen.
