Saint George Church, Old Cairo
Being at the heart of the district of Old Cairo, it makes St. George Church one of the most important and popular churches in Egypt that attracts visitors from all over the world. The district is about 30 minutes from Downtown Cairo and is also known as ‘Coptic Cairo.’ It is the first settlement of Christians in central Egypt back in the 10th century with some records suggesting an earlier period. The word ‘Copt,’ simply means Egyptian Christian to which they formed their own Christian beliefs and societies.
Since you are interested in such sacred places, you can’t miss the other religious nearby churches in Coptic Cairo. You can take a tour inside the Hanging Church. It has stories of more than a hundred icons such as John the Baptist, St. George and the sacred painting for Virgin Mary that is called “Coptic Mona Lisa.” Moreover, you can add a visit to St. Sergius and St. Bacchus Church (Abu Serga Church). It is believed that it have been built where the holy family rested at the end of their journey into Egypt. For that, on the 24th day of the Coptic month Bachons, which corresponds to the first day of June in the western calendar, the Coptic Church commemorates the Holy Family's flight into Egypt.
Before we get deep into the history of that magnificent construction, let’s know more about the history of St. George himself.
St. George is an icon of martial courage and selflessness. He is the patron saint of England. He is believed to be one of the high-ranked officers in the Roman army who was killed in around April AD 303. He was tortured and then executed by the Emperor Diocletian for his belief in Jesus Christ under the violence activities against Christianity practice he forbad that time. He was beheaded near Lydda in Palestine and later his head was taken to his church in Rome to be buried there. St. George is well known for his story of fighting a dragon which is captured in the statue we can see upon the entrance of his church in Coptic Cairo. Although he has never fought one, the story is a symbol for his courage and strong faith in Jesus Christ. The dragon was known to be a symbol for the devil back in that time and he was brave enough to kill it as the legend says.
The church was originally built in 684 AD by Athanasius during the reign of Ibn Marwan, Governor of Egypt. The modern one that we see now near the Coptic Museum was built during the 10th century but there was a fire that ruined it in 1904. The reconstruction was done five years later and it was reopened in 1909. It is the only round church that has been found in Egypt which makes it unique in its construction and attractive to a lot of tourists from all over the world. Visitors can enter the internal part of the church through the front doors and they can enjoy the mesmerizing coloring that has been used during maintenance work. There is a set of stairs which lead to the sanctuary and another one leads to the place where the nuns used to live. Moving inside the church, we see the beautifully-stained glass used in the windows, the huge blue painting for the Jesus Christ under the dome of the church and the golden pews that show how magical this site is and how it is a must not to miss it during your stay in Egypt.
The main hall of the church has seven wooden doors. On each of them along with the ceilings, there are highly-crafted carvings. These doors lead to the private rooms of the nuns. The biggest and the most important door is the one which leads to Saint George’s shrine. It is about 7.6 m high & 2.22 m wide and adjoined by two smaller doors. The mentioned door is a masterpiece in itself as it is one of the rarest wooden doors found in the world. Inside the shrine, there are remains of St. George’s trial kept to this day. Visitors can see also the torture tools that have been used after the cruel judgment. For example, there is a chain in the center of the shrine that is believed to be a blessing now, according to the Bible, since it has touched the body and blood of the martyr St. George.
Another part of the church construction is the circular Roman tower. The tower is one of the essential components of the church. It was built in masonry and measures 28.6 m in diameter. It is said that its construction was from clay soils and alluvial sands and was built beside the Nile River. During the low season of the water flow, it is believed that this tower has carried loads of water due to the nature of its structure. Behind these thick walls and through them as well, huge amounts of water have been saved to be used later during that low season. The lifted dome in the center of the church and the walls associated below are built to shape a circular colonnade. Although St. George is a very active church, visitors are not allowed to enter the church’s monastery.
