COPTIC CHURCHES IN OLD CAIRO
Old Cairo, Masr el Qadima, lies aural the old Roman breastwork of Babylon. It
was not alone a belted but heavily adherent burghal with attenuated streets and
cobbled alleys. How the name of the acclaimed Babylon of the Euphrates came to be
echoed in Egypt is not known. However, the Coptic historian John of Nikou, who
lived at the time of the Arab active of Egypt, claimed that it was
originally congenital during the Persian activity of Egypt, 525-332 BC, and that
it was at that time alleged the "Fortress of Babylon". This news is reinforced
by a abundant beforehand company to the acreage of the Nile, the classical writer
Diodorus Siculus, who asserted that the name was brought by prisoners of war
from abundant Babylon (the 12th Dynasty Pharaoh Senusert, some 2000 years BC,
brought them to anatomy accessible works). These Babylonians, he claimed, revolted
against the Egyptians and congenital a barricade for protection, which had long
fallen to ruin back Persians came and rebuilt it befitting the "Fortress of
Babylon" name.
When the Roman geographer Strabo came to Egypt aboriginal in the Christian era, he
found that what is now apperceive as "Old Cairo" was, indeed, a breastwork boondocks and
was active by three Roman garrisons. The emperor Trajan (98-117), it was
said, austere a aqueduct that was active through the burghal and included some
urban areas, into the continued fortress. Moreover, he austere a canal
connecting the Nile with the Red Sea, which had originally been dug by the
pharaohs of the 26th Dynasty, about 600 BC, and was appear to him by the
Egyptians [[ The Suez Aqueduct is hardly a French idea; Egyptians 2500 years
earlier affiliated the Read and Mediterranean seas!]]. By this time the area
was accepted as the "Castle of Babylon". Under the Christian emperor Arcadius
(395-408), the Copts began to anatomy abundant churches in Old Cairo. Forty-two
are believed to accept already stood in an breadth of about sixty acres, which
extended to northwards as far as today's Ezbekieh Gardens, abreast the Opera
Square in Cairo.
At the time of the Arab acquisition in 641 AD, Babylon was such a sizable
community that allotment of the fortress, including the huge architectonics and bastions,
was affiliated by walls to the anew founded Arab basic of Fustat. These
towers as able-bodied as the bastions were at aboriginal acclimated as dwellings for the
garrison. Afterwards Amr Ibn el-Ass, baton of the Arabs at the time of the
conquest, alternate to the Copts the acreage that the Imperial government had
taken from them. Forthwith the accomplished of Old Cairo became inhabited exclusively
by Copts and the Arabs recruited bounded activity from their ranks to anatomy the new
capital (refer to the commodity about Coptic Art, Copt-Net Newsletter, affair #2,
for a abundant altercation of the Coptic Craftsmenship). Today, Old Cairo
remains affluent with Coptic monuments, churches, and monasteries.
Coptic churches were rebuilt and adequate time and afresh over the centuries,
often re-using copse and stone-work. For this acumen some genitalia of a abbey may
be of beforehand date than the anatomy itself. Although they alter in admeasurement and
architecture appearance they buck the apparent brand of a Coptic church. The
exteriors are characterized by abundant artlessness and are often
indistinguishable from neighboring, unadorned, brick dwellings crabbed a
cobbled street. The arbor of the architectonics runs east to west with the entrance
to the west and the aerial chantry placed in the east abutting the ascent run.
The autogenous of the aboriginal churches has a simple arena plan in four main
divisions: the forecourt or narthex, the capital anatomy of the abbey with the nave
higher than the ancillary aisles, a balustrade or transept, and the close chambers. The
nave, which has an angled balk roof, is afar from the ancillary aisles by
columns with acknowledging arches, enabling a additional row of columns to be
superimposed on them and accouterment ablaze from the clerestory. The columns had
their shafts corrective with abstracts of saints. The ancillary aisles are additionally arched
with balk but are at a lower level.
There was originally a low breastwork with curtains amid the capital anatomy of
the abbey from the sanctuary, which is usually erected on ascent arena and
ascended by a few steps. Afterwards the breastwork became a abuse or awning beyond
which alone those in angelic orders may pass. The chantry awning is fabricated of
wood, about busy with geometrical segments of atramentous and ivory of
intricate workmanship. Facing the aggregation (west), icons of Christ the
King and the anytime Virgin Mary are afraid on the arctic and southern abandon of
the screen, which was afterwards alleged the "icon carrier". It is accepted to find
icons for Archangel Michael, Saint John the Baptist, and the church's patron
saint on the figure carrier. It is accepted to acquisition ostrich eggs blind abutting to
the figure carrier, in advanced of the sanctuary. These eggs are ornaments that
symbolize the acuity with which an ostrich ceaselessly protects its egg,
and is appropriately meant to admonish the aggregation that their thoughts
should be analogously absorption on airy matters. About speaking, the
Coptic attitude commendations the egg as an adumbration of the awakening (the life
coming out of the acutely asleep egg). The use of eggs as ornaments is
undoubtedly adopted from age-old Egyptian customs. Ostrich eggs and pottery
eggs accept been acclimated as adorning elements in churches and afterwards in mosques
that were erected by Copts afterwards the Arabs' acquisition of Egypt.
Behind the figure carrier are three domed apses (hayakel). The axial apse
holds the chantry of the saint to whom the abbey is committed (the angel of
the church). The ancillary apses are acclimated back there is added than one account of
the all-powerful celebration per day. Coptic altars are free-standing and in the middle
of the chapel. Abaft the axial chantry there is a attorneys with a head for
a abbey and seats for the officiating clergy. A alcove in the bank usually
holds a chantry lamp, accepted as the abiding lamp (kandil). In the early
years of Christianity, it was accepted to coffin the bodies of saints or
martyrs below the altar, either in a basement or in a catacomb below the floor
of the sanctuary. Most of the old Coptic churches (in accurate the desert
churches of the monasteries) still acquire relics, which are amid in a
casket below a cottony adornment or kept below bottle beside a account of the
patron saint.
In the antechamber of some of the old churches there is an ellipsoidal catchbasin sunk in the
floor. This was originally acclimated for cooler or absolution of water, for which
also sunk in the floor, was acclimated for the foot-washing account commemorating
the abrasion of the disciples' anxiety by the Lord on Maundy Thursday.
Another important affection of old Coptic churches is the area of the
baptistry. In the age-old actual churches (for archetype the abbey of Abu
Sarga), a applicant for ablution was aboriginal accustomed in a baby ante alcove and
then descended three accomplish into the baptistry, area he/she was absorbed in
the adored water. Back the commemoration was completed he/she accustomed the
Eucharist and alone again was accustomed to access the church. Alone afterwards was the
baptistry confused to the ancillary of the antechamber of a abbey (but still afore the
nave and aisles). This change was in band with the custom of basement the
church aggregation in the three capital genitalia of the church: the priest and
serving deacons about the chantry (behind the figure carrier), the believers in
the nave, and the believers-to-be in the narthex. And afterwards still, the
baptistry was complete at the end of the arctic alley abreast the altar.
Today, hardly a abbey in Egypt has its baptistry alfresco the capital allotment of
the church. Instead, the baptistry is now about anchored at the high end
of the arctic alley of the church. The advanced is a basin abysmal abundant to allow
the priest to absolutely asperse the adolescent in the adored admit thrice
while pronouncing the baptismal formulary: "I admit you in the name
of the Father, Son, and Angelic Spirit, the One God, Amen."
Coptic churches that were congenital afterwards the third century, had one of two common
floor plans. They were congenital on the appearance of a cantankerous to accent that the
"redemption is through the church" or they were congenital on the appearance of a ship
to accent the angle of "the abbey as a address adequate by God amphibian in
the bosom of the world's torrents" (appealing to Noah's ark).
Among the important churches in Old Cairo, we cite: The Blind Abbey "Al
Moallaka", the Abbey of Saint Sergius "Abu Serga", the Abbey of Saint
Barbara (originally the Abbey of Saint Cyrus "Abu Kir" and Saint John
"Yuhanna"), the Convent of Saint George, and the Convent of Saint
Mercurius "Abu Seifein". [[Special accessories will be adherent to anniversary one
of these landmarks in abstracted issues of the Copt-Net newsletter.]]
Today, architectonics fresh churches in the predominantly Moslem Egypt is absolutely
difficult. A Presidential admittance charge be acquired to anatomy a fresh abbey and
very few permits accept been awarded in the aftermost few decades. As a result, Copts
find themselves answerable to unofficially transform their houses, garages, etc.
to places of adoration so as to board their growing communities,
especially that alfresco accessible Christian adoration is about not allowed.
Unfortunately, such about "adapted" churches buck little (if any)
resemblance to the anatomy and architectonics of the age-old churches of
Egypt.