Plan Your Visit

The Coptic Museum of Canada is more than a place where “old things” are displayed in cabinets. We offer a number of opportunities to learn about Coptic civilization and art both past and present. You may visit the Museum for pure pleasure or to explore your special interests. We are also prepared to design onsite or online educational programmes for school children and teachers, university students and faculty, adults with special interests and intergenerational programmes.

See the different sections:

Cecile Barsoum Reference Library

The Museum’s Cecile Barsoum Reference Library has a unique collection of books and journals on Coptic art, archaeology, and architecture and supporting volumes on Coptic civilization and history.  The Reference Library holdings are also posted on an online data base.   Click here to the see the Reference Library

Use of the library is by appointment Mondays to Saturdays.

Call us at 416-494-4449 or send us an email for more information: copticmuseumcanadalibrary@gmail.com

Entrance fee: Free entrance. Donations accepted

Guided Tours

The Museum offers guided tours with trained interpreters. We welcome one person and groups.

Let us know your interests and we will do our best to respond to them. Navigate to Explore the Collection on the top menu.

website menu is only a taste of what you will see and learn about Coptic art and culture. Artefacts in a museum have fascinating stories about their makers, how they were made, the people who owned them, where they were used and even how they came to our Museum.

Sign up for an individual or a group tour

By appointment only, Mondays to Saturdays.

Call us at 416-494-4449 or send us an email for more information: copticmuseumcanada@gmail.com

Entrance fee: Free entrance. Donations accepted.

School visits

School visits will complement and enrich curricular courses from grades 4 to 12. Visits are geared to expectations of the Ontario curriculum, as well as priorities expressed by classroom teachers. The Museum’s diverse collection offers several entry points to learning about the Copts in history and their Culture:

Ancient Civilizations and History:

Discover the ancient Egyptian origins of the Copts, their language, culture and history. Explore the artefacts in the Museum and learn about the continuity of Coptic Culture and identity throughout the centuries. For example, coin collection spanning from Alexander the Great to this decade offers a unique opportunity to explore the world view and culture of Hellenic, Roman, Byzantine and Roman, Islamic and Ottoman civilizations in Egypt.

World Religions:

The Coptic Church is a Christian church that had its genesis in 48AD with the evangelization of St Mark the Apostle in Alexandria. Students will learn about the history, traditions, practices and spirituality of the Coptic Church and its members by exploring the manuscripts, icons and liturgical collections in the Museum and the art and architecture of St Mark’s Coptic Orthodox Church.

Visual Arts:

Observe and examine the different forms, styles, and traditions of Coptic icons over the centuries. Discover the difference between “writing” an icon and “painting” an icon. Learn about the function of icons in the devotional life of believers and their educational role. This session will also include a demonstration of the steps of writing and painting icons.

Learn about the historical and social context of Egyptian modern and contemporary artists in their search to express their identity as Egyptians, or study the six biblical “folkloric” painting of works of Marguerite Nakhla, the leading Egyptian woman painter 1935-1975.

Language:

The Museum’s Cecile Barsoum Reference Library is a resource for writing reports on particular artefacts in the Museum and on Coptic history and art. The Reference Library holdings are also posted on an online data base. Click here to the see the Reference Library

By appointment only, Mondays to Fridays.

Call us at 416-494-4449 or send us an email for more information: copticmuseumcanadalibrary@gmail.com

Entrance fee: Free entrance. Donations accepted.

University faculty & students

The Museum’s collection and the Cecile Barsoum Reference Library serve as a resource for university instructors  and students in such courses as art, cultural anthropology, theology, liturgy, Coptic studies, mission studies, and museum studies.

By appointment only, Mondays to Saturdays.

Call us at 416-494-4449 or send us an email for more information: copticmuseumcanada@gmail.com

Entrance fee: Free entrance. Donations accepted.

Internships & Co-Op Programmes

The Museum is able to provide supervised internships to students requiring academic internship and/or co-op programmes in Coptic Studies or Museum Management. Students can propose a project or accept a project designed by the Museum.

Send us an email for more information: copticmuseumcanada@gmail.com

Art workshops

The Museum offers a range of art workshops such as painting, portraiture, iconography, clay work, mosaics. Our workshops can have an age requirements and may also be inter-generational.

Send us an email for more information and we will add you to our email list to receive workshop announcements and registration procedures. copticmuseumcanada@gmail.com

Lectures & Seminars

Lectures and seminars may be offered at the Museum or in coordination with the Canadian Society for Coptic Studies.

To learn about Coptic Studies lectures, conferences and symposia held in Canada and other parts of the world see Coptic Studies.

Send us an email  and we will add you to our email list to receive announcements: copticmuseumcanada@gmail.com