These Most Famous Churches in Egypt to Discover
Regardless of what Egypt has been going through in the current years, there is certainly no refuting that Cairo has one of the most distinct, rich and notable histories across the world. Christianity has played a big role in forming Egypt’s past so, churches in Egypt can be seen in each corner of the nation.
It doesn’t matter whether you are a Christian or not, every person visiting Egypt would like to know more about its famous Coptic history. There’s no better approach to do so than by visiting the wonderful Egyptian Coptic churches. Let find out These Most Famous Churches in Egypt to Discover below.
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These Most Famous Churches in Egypt to Discover
Coptic Orthodox Church
The Coptic Orthodox Church is founded by Saint Mark the Apostle. This church is a conventional Church that has fully preserved the Orthodox Christian belief. Heliopolis is home to a large section of the Christian community in Cairo. Hence, a visit to the area’s first church to be built is a must to understand more about the contemporary history of Christianity in Cairo.
This church is a real flag of contemporary Christian design in the city. The foundation of this church was established in 1922, under the popedom of Pope Cyril V which is presently known to be Cleopatra Street. This place is a historical yet modern and cozy place, so, if you are in Heliopolis this is one of the must-visit churches in Egypt. That is once of These Most Famous Churches in Egypt to Discover.
Saint Simon Church
The Church of Saint Simon, also recognized as the Cave Church, is situated in the southeastern Cairo in Mokattam mountain. This area is known as ‘garbage city’ due to of the huge population of garbage collectors or Zabbaleen that literally means garbage collectors that reside here. Most of the Zabbaleen are Coptic Christians. Numerous churches have been created into the caves located in Mokattam, out of which the Monastery of St. Simon the Tanner is the biggest with a seating range of 20,000. Even the Cave Church of St. Simon is the largest church in the whole Middle East, so, surely not to miss visiting.
Simon the Tanner was an artist saint to whom the cave church was dedicated to. He is linked with the marvel of influencing the Mokattam mountain utilizing a pre existing cave and the incline that directed inside it. it was made to hold two storeys. Different close by caves have also been developed into separate church locations and all of them have been connected to form a huge Christian complex in the core of garbage city. The walls of the church are decorated with several incredible pictures carved on the rocks describing situations from the Bible.
St. Mercurius Church
St. Mercurius Church is also called Abu Seifein. It was built in the 6th century. The church went through an intense reconstruction in the 12th century. It is in the centre of Coptic Cairo, providing a much quieter atmosphere than any other church in Egypt. The Church of St.
Mercurius includes two churches with one on top of the other and several small side chapels donated to different saints. The platform there is one of the most attractive in Cairo, embellished with mosaic and held by 15 marble columns. A doorway in the north aisle of the central church heads into a courtyard with three sanctuaries and a baptistery. That is once of These Most Famous Churches in Egypt to Discover.
The Church of St. Sergius And Bacchus
The church of St. Sergio, also identified as Abu Serga or St. Sergius, was likewise built in the heart of the antique Roman fortress of Babylon. This church is anticipated to be dating back to the 5th century, however, certain archaeologists consider that it was actually made in the 8th century. One of the highly famous spots in the church is the cave where the Holy Family accommodated while their flight from King Herod to the land of Egypt.
The structure of the church is of a basilica with a nave, narthex, and two aisles. They are divided from the nave by 12 columns with Corinthian capitals, one of marble, ten of stone, and one of rosette granite. There are also 3 sanctuaries available on its east side; every one of which holds an altar, supported by 4 marble columns with a wooden dome. The top of each altar has religious views of Christ, Angels, and the four missionaries.
