Greek Orthodox Church of St. George (Cairo)

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Old Cairo: Greek Orthodox Church of St. George
Dome from below

The Greek Orthodox Church of St. George (Cairo) ( Greek Εκκλησία Αγίου Γεωργίου ; Arabic كنيسة القديس جورج) is a Greek Orthodox church in the Babylon Fortress in Old Cairo . It belongs to the Holy Patriarchal Monastery of St. George, which is subordinate to the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria and all of Africa . The church was built in the 10th century at the latest. The current structure was rebuilt after a fire in 1904 and completed in 1909. The monastery of St. George is also nearby.

history

The church building was built in the Byzantine style with six columns. In the center there is an octagonal hole that closes a glass cover. It is a nilometer that has been preserved to this day. Originally, the water of the Nile flowed right next to the fort. Thanks to it, the height of the annual flood could be determined, on which the harvest depended.

A Greek monastery on the territory of Fort Trajan - named after Emperor Trajan - apparently didn't appear until the 14th century. A saint of George, on the left on the wall of the church, is particularly venerated. Many miracles and healings are attributed to him. Under the church, on the first floor of the bastion, there are chapels and a mausoleum of the Greek patriarchs.

The church is located to the right of the entrance to the complex of the former monastery. Opposite the entrance is the building that is now the residence of the Bishop of Babylon. In 2000, the Museum of the Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria opened this one-story building which houses an excellent collection of icons and church paraphernalia. A spacious cemetery begins next to the museum. In its center is the Church of the Assumption, which is only used for funerals. The history of this church is unclear, which apparently wasn't built until around 1900 or at least was heavily modified.

A chapel was added behind the altar to the left of the church in 1941. It contains a fountain and a grotto. The Greeks claim that the Holy Family stayed in this grotto. An inscription explains: “In ancient times there was a modest abode in this place where the Baby Jesus lived with his mother, who fled from client king Herod .” There are two places on the territory of Fort Trajan where the Holy Family of the According to legend, was present in the Coptic Church, the other that few know in the chapel in the Greek cemetery. The latter was probably not set up for the devotion of Orthodox Christians until the middle of the 20th century .

Since 2009 the hegumen (head) of the monastery has had the rank of bishop with the title "Bishop of Babylon".

Line 1 of the Cairo Metro runs from north to south past the church. The Mar Girgis ("St. Georg") station is right next to the building on the other side of the street .

  • View from the street, on the left the metro station Mar Girgis ("St. Georg")

  • Stairs to the main entrance

  • Bells in front of the main entrance

  • Portrait of Saint George on the facade

  • Embroidered cloth with the Lamb of God

  • Embroidered vine leaves and grapes

Web links

Commons : Saint George Church in Coptic Cairo  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ patriarchateofalexandria.com
  2. ^ Andrew Beattie: Cairo: A Cultural History . Oxford University Press, pp. 70 f.
  3. ↑ Anthony Sattin: Lonely Planet: Egypt . Lonely Planet Publications, p. 69
  4. ↑ patriarchateofalexandria.com

Coordinates: 30 ° 0 ′ 23.1 ″  N , 31 ° 13 ′ 48.2 ″  E