Saint Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral (Alexandria)

Saint Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral is a Coptic church in Alexandria, Egypt. It is the historical seat of the Pope of Alexandria, the head of the Coptic Orthodox Church.

The cathedral is said to stand on the site of the church founded by St. Mark the Evangelist in AD 60. St. Mark the Evangelist (author of the second Gospel) has been connected with the city of Alexandria since earliest Christian tradition. Coptic Christians believe he arrived in Alexandria around AD 60 and stayed for about seven years. During this time, Mark converted many to Christianity and performed many miracles. He is considered the founder of the church in Alexandria and the first Bishop of Alexandria. According to tradition, St. Mark was arrested during a festival of Serapis in AD 68 and martyred by being dragged through the streets. He was buried under the church he had founded.

Relics of Saint Mark

In 828, relics believed to be the body of St. Mark were stolen from Alexandria by Venetian merchants and taken to Venice. Copts believe that the head of St. Mark remains in a church named after him in Alexandria, and parts of his relics are in St. Mark's Cairo's Cathedral. The rest of what are believed to be his relics are in the St Mark's Basilica in Venice, Italy. Every year, on the 30th day of the month of Paopi, the Coptic Orthodox Church celebrates the commemoration of the consecration of the church of St. Mark, and the appearance of the head of the saint in the city of Alexandria. This takes place inside St. Mark Coptic Orthodox Cathedral in Alexandria, where the saint's head is preserved.

The head of St. Mark was moved around a great deal over the centuries, and has been lost for over 250 years. Some of the relics from the body of St. Mark, however, were returned to Alexandria from Rome in 1968 during the papacy of Coptic Pope Cyril VI.

The present St. Mark's Coptic Cathedral is of recent date, but is said to stand on the site of church founded by St. Mark himself.

History

In AD 311, before the martyrdom of Pope Peter the Last of Martyrs, he prayed a last prayer on the grave of Saint Mark, the church was then a little chapel on the eastern coast, and it contained bodies said to be of Saint Mark and some of his holy successors. The church was later enlarged in the days of Pope Achillas, the 18th Pope.

The church was greatly ruined in 641 when the Arabs invaded Egypt. In 680 Pope John III rebuilt the church. In 828, the body of Saint Mark was stolen by Italian sailors and was taken from Alexandria to Venice in Italy. However, Saint Mark's head remained in Alexandria.

The church was destroyed again in 1219, during the time of the crusades, then it was rebuilt once more. Sixteenth-century French explorer Pierre Belon mentions the founding of the church in 1547.

The church was pulled down during the French invasion of Alexandria in July 1798. The church was rebuilt and opened in 1819 by Pope Peter El Gawly in the time of Mohammed Ali Pasha. The church was renewed in the time of Pope Demetrius II and by the supervision of Bishop Marcos of El Behira in 1870. Between the years 1950–1952, in the time of Pope Yusab II, the church building was pulled down and another, larger building was built with reinforced concrete after the basilique style. The six marble pillars were transferred into the outer entrance of the church. The icon carrier was accurately cut into parts, each part given a number, and then it was cautiously returned to where it was originally. The two bell tower were not pulled down as they were reinforced with concrete and were decorated with beautiful Coptic engravings. Two new bells – brought from Italy – were provided, one for each bell tower.

Between 1985 and 1990, the church was widened from the western side after the former style with great accuracy, keeping the two bell tower in their places, so the entire area of the church was doubled. The six pillars were transferred to the new western entrance of the church supervised by Pope Shenouda III.

All Saints' Cathedral, Cairo

All Saints Cathedral, the mother church of the diocese, is one of the most-used Cathedrals within the Anglican Communion. In the heart of the Middle East and in the centre of a city with 26 million people, not far from Al Azhar, the hub for Sunni Muslims in the world, All Saints’ Cathedral, Cairo is located in a strategic and prosperous area, surrounded by crowded, underdeveloped areas.

As the spiritual centre of the Diocese, it is committed to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ in “words and deeds.” It is a “house of prayer for all nations.” It  is  the  centre  for  our Arabic, English and Sudanese congregations, youth ministry, children’s ministry,  women’s  ministry,  Alpha,  interfaith  dialogue,  ecumenical relations,  prison  ministry,  Boulac  community  development,  Tukul crafts, the Wady craft shop, a library, Refuge Egypt, and the Alexandria School of Theology.

All Saints was not the first Episcopal / Anglican church to be built in Egypt. St. Mark’s Church in Alexandria (later St. Mark’s Pro-Cathedral) was erected on land given by Mohammed Ali Pasha in 1839.

The presence of All Saints in Cairo goes back to 1862 when the Governor of Egypt, Mohammed Said Pasha, agreed with Prince Albert (later King Edward VII of Britain) to donate a land for the building of an Episcopal / Anglican church in Boulaq, Cairo. Before that date, the Anglicans worshiped in a room at the Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate.

On 23 January 1878, All Saints Church was consecrated by The Rt. Rev. Samuel Gobat, the Bishop of Jerusalem.

In 1909, as All Saints became too small for the congregation, St. Mary’s Church in Garden City was consecrated. St. Mary’s was used by the Bishop as the Pro-Cathedral until 1938.

In 1928 King Fouad I of Egypt approved the sale of a piece of land to the Anglicans for the construction of a new Cathedral. In 1935 the land was handed over and in 1936, King Fouad I officially granted permission for the Anglicans to build their Cathedral at Maspero, along the banks of the Nile in Cairo (this is why she is called “The Cathedral on the Nile”).

The foundation stone was laid on 20 November 1936 by the Rt. Rev. Llewellyn Gwynne.

It is said that in response to the generosity of King Fouad I to the Anglican Community in Cairo, land was donated by King George VI to the Muslim community of London on which the Islamic Centre at Regent Park is now located. The land was given to the Egyptian Ambassador Nashaat Pasha at that time.

Dignitaries present at the opening of the Cathedral in 1938On 25 April 1938, the Feast of St. Mark the Evangelist, the patron saint of Egypt, The Rt. Rev. Llewellyn Gwynne, the Bishop of Egypt and Sudan, opened the Cathedral Church of All Saints in Cairo. The Most Rev. & Rt. Hon. Dr. William Temple, the Archbishop of York and Primate of England, consecrated All Saints Cathedral. It is worth mentioning that King Farouk I donated two copper doors to the Cathedral.

In 1956 when the British left Egypt, the Egyptian Anglicans (Archdeacon Adeeb Shammas, Mr. Habib Said, and Mr. Ibrahim Wakid) continued to worship in the church.

Under President Anwar Sadat the project of 6th of October Bridge necessitated the transfer of All Saints Cathedral in Maspero to another place. Therefore, the Governor of Cairo made an agreement with Archdeacon Isaaq Mussad, the representative of the Diocese at that time, to demolish the All Saints Cathedral in Maspero and for the Government of Cairo to build the new Cathedral on another piece of land.

President Anwar Sadat issued a decree in 1974 to rebuild the Anglican Cathedral at the present site in Zamalek. On 1 July 1977, the foundation stone of the new Cathedral Church of All Saints was laid by Bishop Isaaq Musaad.

On 25 April 1988, All Saints Cathedral in Cairo was consecrated by The Rt. Rev. Ghais Abdel Malek.

Since then, All Saints has become not only a house for prayer but also a home to many ministries, such as The Alexandria School of Theology, Refuge Egypt, The Episcopal Training Centre, EpiscoCare, The Wady Shop, the Cathedral Library, Ecumenical Relations, Interfaith Office, and the Prison Ministry. Many of these ministries serve the whole community, Christians and Muslims, Egyptians and Expatriates. It is truly a house for all nations and it fulfills our aim to provide holistic service.

Archbishop of York in his colourful robes at the 75th anniversary celebrationsToday, and at the end of the story of the first 75 years, we remember with joy and affection this great heritage of faithfulness, devotion and generosity.

The cathedral compound also houses the Diocesan and Bishop's offices and projects and services – including the Diocese NGO EpiscoCare and Refuge Egypt, which serves Cairo's refugee communities. The church hosts a variety of congregations – with Arabic, English and Sudanese being the largest, although other communities also use the premises for worship.

The church is constructed in concrete and was designed in the shape of a cross at ground level and a crown at the top. Its roof is visible around Zamalek and was described by the Cairo Observer as reminiscent of a lotus flower. It was designed by Egyptian architects Dr. Awad Kamel and Selim Kamel, who also created the design for Cairo's Saint Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral (Cathedral of Abbasiya).

Saints Sergius and Bacchus Church (Abu Serga)

Saints Sergius and Bacchus Church, also known as Abu Serga, in Coptic Cairo is one of the oldest Coptic churches in Egypt, dating back to the 4th century. The church owes its fame to having been constructed upon the crypt of the Holy Family where they stayed for three weeks during their sojourn in Egypt.

According to a biblical narration by evangelist Matthew (Chapter 2), Virgin Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus fled from Palestine to Egypt out of fear from the persecution of the Jewish King Herod the Great. The Holy Family traveled as far as Assiut (“Deir el Muharraq”) and on their way back home spent some weeks in Old Cairo.

Abu Sarga is dedicated to the two Saints Sergius and Bacchus who served as soldiers in the Roman Army. They were faithful followers of the Lord Jesus and refused to worship the Roman gods. For their Christian belief, Sergius and Bacchus eventually suffered martyrdom in Syria in 296 during the reign of the Roman Emperor Maximinus. Their relics are partly kept in Abu Sarga and others are buried in Syria.

From the 9th to the 12th century, significant patriarchs were elected and several bishops consecrated in Abu Sarga until the 11th century. The building was probably constructed during the 5th century. It was burned during the fire of Fustat during the reign of Marwan II around 750. It was then restored during the 8th century, and has been rebuilt and restored constantly since medieval times (11th and 17th century, the last restoration was undertaken in 2000), it still preserves its Medieval charm.

It is still considered to be a model of the early Coptic churches and its basilican style is easily recognizable. This church resembles religious structures in Constantinople and Rome. It has two aisles with a western return aisle (a passage at the west end of the church), along with a tripartite sanctuary that measures 17 x 27 meters and is 15 meters high. Within the sanctuary is an altar surmounted by a wooden canopy supported by four pillars. On the east wall of the sanctuary rises a fine, semi-circular tribune with seven steps. There was probably a khurus, a transverse room preceding the sanctuary, in front of the sanctuary but which no longer exists.
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In much the same style as the Hanging Church, two rows of six columns each separate the aisles from the nave. Eleven of these unique columns, with faint painted decorations of probably apostles or saints, are marble, while one is of red granite. While the pulpit was replaced by a copy of the ambon (a pulpit) in the church of Saint Barbara, some of the older wooden pulpit now reside in the Coptic Museum in Cairo, while a few others are in the British Museum. Also, the oldest wooden altar in Egypt was found in the church, but it too is now in the Coptic Museum.

 However, the sanctuary iconostasis, a screen separating the sanctuary from the rest of the church on which icons are usually displayed, is a beautiful work of art which probably dates to the 12th or 13th century. The several panels are inlaid with ivory and ebony, and covered in a wonderful relief that features arabesque designs. The apse is encrusted with strips of marble and decorated with mosaics. There are some wooden panels within the church that are of earlier date, and depict fine scenes of saints on horseback, the Nativity and the Last Supper. There are any number of other relatively old icons that date, perhaps, to the 17th century. They show various scenes depicting the life of Christ, the Virgin Mary and some of the saints.

 This crypt contains the remains of the original church where tradition says the Holy Family lived. Unfortunately, this area of the church has sometimes been inaccessible due to the presence of subterranean water. Originally this crypt, which is under the modern sanctuary, was itself the sanctuary of the church, but became the crypt after the larger church was built. It measures six meters long, by five meters wide and is 2.5 meters high. Within its north, south and east walls are niches. Sometime after the crypt was originally built, two rows of slender columns were erected to form a nave with two aisles.

 Left: The stairs leading down into the crypt where it is believed the Holy Family stayed during the flight to Egypt;

Above Right: The floor plan of the crypt below the main sanctuary of the more modern structure

Abu Sarga is based on a basilican structure with a nave and two side aisles. The west end of the church is occupied by a return aisle. Twelve columns are set between the nave and the aisles, eleven of which are made of white marble and only one is of red granite. Some of the marble columns show clear traces of figures most likely representing saints. Corinthian capitals originating from older buildings are placed between the column shafts and the wooden architraves. On the east side of the church, a tripartite sanctuary is separated from the congregation hall by an impressive wooden screen which is beautifully decorated with ebony and ivory and whose oldest part dates back to the 13th century. Exceptional icons with various scenes from the life of Christ, Virgin Mary and diverse saints embellish the walls of Abu Sarga. Inside its main sancturary a wooden canopy supported by four pillars is placed above the altar and painted with biblical scenes, among them are Jesus Pantocrator and Archangel Gabriel appearing to Virgin Mary. The apse behind the altar is richly decorated with strips of marble and mosaics. A clerical seat is incorporated into the apse and can be reached by seven steps. 

Abu Sarga once kept Egypt’s oldest altar which was transferred to the Coptic Museum. The roof is one of the most interesting features of the church and said to have been constructed in the shape of Noah’s ark. On the northwest side of the church is a baptistry. The marble ambon is a modern copy of the one in the neighbouring church of St. Barbara. Parts of the original wooden pulpit were brought to the Coptic Museum, and also to the British Museum in London. Above the side and return aisles is a gallery with two chapels (one dedicated to Sergius and Bacchus, the other to Ibraham, Isaac and Jacob) that are used for private service and during the fasting of Easter.

Being tied to the Holy Family, the Church of Saints Sergius and Bacchus continues to be a draw for Christian visitors, as it has since medieval times. On the 24th day of the Coptic month called Bachons, which corresponds to the first day of June in the western calendar, the Coptic Church commemorates the Holy Family's flight into Egypt. A mass is still held on that day in this ancient church.