Hanging Church & Abu Serga - Cairo
The Hanging Church
The name “Hanging Church” refers to the location of this building above the gatehouse of an old Babylon Fortress. In Arabic, this church it is known as al-Muallaqah (the Suspended One). This Coptic church is dedicated to the Virgin Mary.
Current church at this site dates from the 7th century but there may have been another church at this site from 3rd or 4th century AD. Since the 11th century, the Hanging Church became the official residence of the Coptic patriarchs of Alexandria. It became known to travelers during the 14th and 15th centuries as the “staircase church”. The church measures 23.5 meters long, 18.5 meters wide and 9.5 meters high.
There are mosaics created on one of the internal walls of the courtyard. One of them depicts Joseph and Mary fetching water while baby Jesus sits in the background. There are 29 steps which bring visitors to the main door of the church where prayers are held.
Abu Serga Church
Abu Serga Church in Cairo is also known as the Saints Sergius and Bacchus Church. This church dates back to the 4th century, thus making it the oldest church in Cairo (Old Fustat). The church is dedicated to two Christian martyrs Saints Sergius and Bacchus.
It is built on the spot where the Holy Family, Joseph, Mary and the infant Jesus Christ, rested at the end of their journey into Egypt. Some historians believe that the Holy Family lived here while Joseph worked at the fortress nearby. 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.
Access to the crypt was closed and instead a glass case was places on the floor to view the cave below. The area where church is built was below the River Nile and this crypt got flooded many times in the past. Due to its historical significance, this church is a magnet for the pilgrims.
