Ammonius was a Christian monk, involved in the power struggle between the bishop Cyril of Alexandria

Cyril of Alexandria

Cyril of Alexandria was the Patriarch of Alexandria from 412 to 444. He came to power when the city was at its height of influence and power within the Roman Empire. Cyril wrote extensively and was a leading protagonist in the Christological controversies of the later 4th and 5th centuries...

 and the Praefectus augustalis Orestes

Orestes (prefect)

Orestes was the Praefectus augustalis of the Diocese of Egypt, that is, the Roman governor of the province of Egypt, in 415...

.

Ammonius was part of a group of supporters for the bishop Cyril, composed of both Parabalani and Nitrian

Wadi El Natrun

Wadi El Natrun is a valley located in Beheira Governorate, Egypt, including a town with the same name. The name refers to the presence of eight different lakes in the region that produce natron salt. In Christian literature, the region is also referred to as the Nitrian Desert...

 monk

Monk

A monk is a person who practices religious asceticism, living either alone or with any number of monks, while always maintaining some degree of physical separation from those not sharing the same purpose...

s. Whether he was a member of the Parabalani or the Nitrian Monks in support of Cyril during his early reign is not made clear.

He, along with his fellow monks, confronted the Prefect riding in his open chariot in the streets of Alexandria. During the confrontation, he hurled a stone towards Orestes which struck him in the head. The cut spilled enough blood to cover his face nearly killing him. The monks then fled the scene from the prefect's guards and his supporters. He did not manage to flee in time and was captured by the guards and tortured to death. To show appreciation, Cyril seized his body and had his funeral at the church. During the proceedings, Cyril proclaimed him a martyr and saint and renamed him Saint Thaumasius (the Wonderful). This title was soon stripped by Cyril after fellow Christians who were embarrassed by his actions began to question this decision.

In Film

Ammonius is portrayed by the actor Ashraf Barhom

Ashraf Barhom

Ashraf Barhom is a Palestinian actor from Tarshiha, which is in Galilee. He has starred in Paradise Now and The Syrian Bride. In 2007, he gained critical recognition for appearing alongside Jamie Foxx in the movie The Kingdom as Col. Faris Al-Ghazi. He has since appeared in Israeli films such as...

 in the 2009 film Agora

Agora (film)

Agora is a 2009 Spanish historical drama film directed by Alejandro Amenábar and written by Amenábar and Mateo Gil. The biopic stars Rachel Weisz as Hypatia, a female mathematician, philosopher and astronomer in 4th century Roman Egypt who investigates the flaws of the geocentric Ptolemaic system...

. In the movie, he is shown as a Parabolani Monk who is a supporter of both Cyril and Theophilus

Theophilus of Alexandria

Theophilus of Alexandria was Patriarch of Alexandria, Egypt, from 385 to 412. He is regarded as a saint by the Coptic Orthodox Church....

before him. His confrontation with Orestes and his act of stone-throwing is portrayed in the film under different circumstances.

External links

• http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/mouseion.htm