The Hanging Church in Cairo
What is the background and construction date of the Hanging Church?
The Church of the Virgin Mary, often known as the Hanging Church, is Coptic Cairo’s most well-known landmark. The term was given to it because it was discovered on the 4th-century BC walls of the Roman fortification in Babylon. Overlooking Coptic Cairo, one may still see its remains.
The church once towered above the fort’s towering walls, but due to the buildup of dirt and dust over the years, it has grown more than 30 feet tall, significantly lessening its impact today.
One of the first Christian religious sites in Egypt, the church has a history that dates back to the ninth century but is thought to have been inhabited by a church as early as the third century. And even if the portico that was constructed in front of the church in the 19th century hides some of its beauty, it is still regarded as one of the best historic churches in the region. The façade of the 13th-century church still exists inside the portico.
The intricate inside is covered in bone and ivory parquet, which is thought to have been inspired by the geometric and organic shapes typical of Islamic art.
Coptic Cairo:
Coptic Old His Cairo, where Christian churches and other sites have been concentrated for centuries from the demise of Pharaonic religion to the advent of Islam, is a distinctive location of His Cairo. The ruins of Babylon’s walls form the foundation of Coptic Cairo.
The largest collection of Coptic Christian artwork and artefacts is kept at the Coptic Museum. The museum was established in 1910 and exhibits pieces of art that draw on Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman traditions to illustrate Coptic history from the introduction of Christianity to the Ottoman Empire. We are displaying.
Six of the churches in this area are historic structures from the early Christian era. The Church of Our Lady, also known as the Hanging Church, was constructed in the ninth century to “hang” tall from Babylon’s walls. The raised floor level near walls has significantly lessened this “hanging” effect. The Church of St. Sergius, which dates back to the fifth century and is supposed to have been constructed on the site of the crypt where the Holy Family (Jesus, Mary, and Joseph) found refuge, is one of several older churches that can be found further inside Coptic Cairo.