The inscription reads "Apa Mena, Superior", i.e. the Abbot of the monastery. It's from the monastery of Bawit, founded in the fourth century, but abandoned under the Muslims. Today, it's one of those archeological sites that anyone writing about early Christian art always mentions. It was full of decorations, many of which were taken by the French archeologists who excavated the site. This particular icon is in the Louvre in Paris. At the Louvre, they have an entire room that recreates one of the monastery's churches.