The church of Saint Barbara in Egypt
The church is named after St. Barbara, who was born at the beginning of the 3rd century in Nicomedia. She converted to Christianity and refused to marry any of the aristocratic young men in Alexandria, after that she devoted herself to serving Jesus Christ and God. Her father was a non-believing pagan who began to torture her, and then when she wouldn't submit he complained about her to the Roman governor, who tortured her even more. However, Barbara resisted and refused to leave Christianity. Finally, she was beaten to death and martyred.
Architecture & components:
The entrance to the Church of St. Barbara is lower than the street level of the Old City. You have to take stairs down to the main floor of the church.
The Church is known to have many precious and beautiful items. These items were sent to the nearby Coptic Museum, which is only a two-minute walk from the church.
Nearby there is a convent which comprises several buildings, including a school built by the well-known architect, Ramses Wissa Wassef.
The basilicas structure and tripartite sanctuary of the church closely resembles the one of Abu Serga.
While Saint Barbara's Church has been a very long-lasting symbol of ancient Coptic architecture, its look resembles the ancient Basilicas. It comprises an entrance, a narthex, a long nave, several aisles and three sanctuaries.
It measures 26 meters long by 14.5 meters wide and 15 meters in height. There are two rows of five columns each that separate the northern and southern isles from the nave. A beautifully carved, wooden architrave surmounts the columns to support the roof.
After entering, from the narthex's lobby, there are five marble columns that separate the nave from the two aisles. In front of the middle sanctuary there is a semi-circular choir, which consists of 7 large steps.
Within the nave stands a beautiful marble Ambon supported by ten columns. There is also a "Mandatum Tank" in the nave, which was filled with water and used for the Service of Feet washing on Maundy Thursday. There is also two other sanctuaries to either side are rectangular rooms.
The small area to the north of the sanctuary is rather modern; it’s from of the 20th century. Nearly square in shape, with three chapels.
Nearby there is a convent which comprises several buildings, including a school built by the well-known architect, Ramses Wissa Wassef.
A number of important Christian artifacts were discovered within the Church of Saint Barbara, most of them are now on display in the nearby Coptic Museum. These include a remarkable sanctuary screen of sycamore and cedar woods from the Fatimid Period. It consists of 45 panels of various sizes carved in relief and depicting musical ceremonies, riders on galloping horses, gazelles and monks. Other items include an elaborate silver gospel casket decorated with floral designs that dates from early 15th century, and an icon of Saint Barbara that probably dates form the 16th century and is one of the oldest icons now in the Coptic museum. This icon may have been imported from Spain. Also, the door mentioned above, which dates from the 4th or 5th century and was discovered encased between two walls during restoration work. The door's magnificent decoration has made it one of the treasures of the Coptic Museum.
Reservation:
We recommend booking in advance to guarantee a spot and secure your opportunity to visit and see the church of Saint Barbara
Old Cairo:
The Coptic area where the church is located is also believed to be the location where the Holy Family stopped and rested on their way into Egypt. In fact, legend has it that Joseph; Mary and Jesus rested in the cave which is currently located under the old forth century Church of Abu Serga next to the church of Saint Barbara. Interestingly, this part of the city has been continually inhabited since the sixth century BC, or earlier, and was home to the Persians who built canals from the Nile into the area long before modern settlement.
What makes it special?
It's surrounded by many other old churches and attractions from the entire Coptic area.
There are many tours of the Church of St. Barbara. Given the sheer number of attractions in the area, a full day should be allowed for a comprehensive tour of the area. This is a “must-see” destination and one that deserves a full day to enjoy.
If you would like to explore the Coptic Compound and the many beautiful Cairo attractions such as the Church of St. Barbara, please make sure to devote a full day to it and be certain that you will enjoy it and you won't see anything like it again.
All our private tours are tailored specifically to your own personal desires and needs. your pleasure is well and truly guaranteed – come and explore the historical Church of Saint Barbara us.
