Hanging Church
Saint Virgin Mary's Coptic Orthodox Church, also known as the Hanging Church, is one of the oldest churches in Egypt which dates to the third century. It belongs to the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria.
Purpose / Function
The Hanging Church is the most famous Coptic Christian church in Cairo, as well as possibly the first built in basilican style. The church is the site of several reported Marian apparitions. She is said to have appeared in a dream to Pope Abraham in the 970s in the story of how the Mokattam Mountain was moved by the faith of Simon the Tanner. It is also dedicated to the Virgin Mary & contains sanctuaries to her, John the Baptist, & Saint George. The church held many important ceremonies for the Coptic hierarchy of Cairo. These include the selection & burial of patriarchs, the former occurring from the 11th to 14th centuries while the latter only between the 11th and 12th, as well as the consecration of holy oil and judgement of heresy trials; selection of the date of Easter for every year was another important proceeding held within. These processes are held at the Hanging Church due to the movement in the 11th century of the patriarchal seat to Cairo from Alexandria.
Entries
The entrance from the street is through iron gates under a pointed stone arch. The 19th-century facade with twin bell towers is then seen beyond a narrow courtyard decorated with modern art biblical designs. Up the steps & through the entrance is a further small courtyard leading to the eleventh-century outer porch.
Sensory & Appearance
The Hanging Church has 110 icons, the oldest of which dates back to the 8th century, but most of them date to the 18th century. Nakhla Al-Baraty Bey gave some of them as gifts, in 1898, when he was the overseer of the church.
Alterations
In 840 AD, governor Ali ibn Yahia the Armenian partially destroyed the church during a conflict with the patriarch Anba Yusab. It was later converted into a mosque until the 10th century, when it was reconsecrated. The church was restored in the 6th century, erasing much of the evidence of the church's origin. In the 11th century, the Hanging church became the residence of the Coptic patriarchate, previously in Alexandria. Pope Abraham commissioned one of the first major restorations of the church. The church has also undergone restorations during the reigns of Caliph Haroun El Rasid, El-Aziz Bi'Allah Al Fatemi, & Al-Zaher Al Eazaz Din Allah. In 1983, the chapel ceiling collapsed when an engineer had removed an interior column, damaging much of the artwork inside. The 1992 Cairo earthquake caused further damage to the walls of the structure, leading to an additional restoration in 1998 that was completed in 2011.
Architecture
The Hanging Church is named for its location above a gatehouse of Babylon Fortress, the Roman fortress in Coptic Cairo; its nave is suspended over a passage. The church is approached by twenty-nine steps; early travelers to Cairo dubbed it "the Staircase Church". The land surface has risen by some six metres since the Roman period, so the Roman tower is mostly buried below ground, reducing the visual impact of the church's elevated position. Present structure of the church comprises the primitive church in the south & a principal church to the north, believed to be built between the 3rd to 7th century & between the 5th to 7th century respectively. The principal church is a basilica plan contained within a rectangular outer wall & features three apses. Its nave is surrounded by three aisles. Its layout is double-aisled but lacks transepts. The ambon features 15 Islamic columns mounted on a white marble slab. By the late 19th century, the primitive church consisted of three chapels & a baptistery & was connected to the south nave of the principal church by the first chapel. The church was periodically altered & restored in response to plundering. This reconstruction included the addition of a barrier wall during the reign of caliph al-Hakim.
History
The Hanging Church was probably built during the patriarchate of Isaac, though an earlier church building may have elsewhere existed dating as early as the 3rd or 4th century. However, the earliest mention of the church was a statement in the biography of the patriarch Joseph I, when the governor of Egypt visited the establishment. The Babylon Fortress was a citadel built by the Romans & its origin is disputed by Coptic historians. Some date its origin to the 19th century B.C, after Pharaoh Sesostris defeated the Babylonians & took the prisoners of Egypt as slaves. The prisoners rebelled, building a fortress around their home which became known as Babylon. Others believe the fortress was built in the late sixth century B.C. by Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, after conquering Egypt. The Hanging Church was erected over the citadel's old south Bastions, which marked the main gate to the fortress, & gives the church its ‘hanging’ feature. Beneath the church is the old atrium entrance, with niched walls that once contained statues. Superimposed columns & brick arches were later added to provide reinforcement for the building. The Hanging Church is among the earliest churches in Cairo, competing only with Saints Sergius & Bacchus Church, or Abu Sargah. Carved reliefs, believed to belong to the earlier structure, closely resemble those found in the first Syrian churches, which can be dated to the third or fourth century. There is also a carved beam over the entranceway which can be dated to 284 AD., the starting date for the Coptic era.
Founding Date
3rd Century
Alternative Names
Saint Virgin Mary's Coptic Orthodox Church, the Hanging Church, the Staircase Church, Al-Moallaqa
Type
Temple / Church
Parent Location
Additional Rulers/Owners
Owning Organization
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