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St. Barbara
Church:
The
church of St. Barbara is one of the oldest and the most remarkable
churches in Cairo. It is situated on the eastern part of the Babylon
fort and dates back to the 5th Century, though it was rebuilt around the
11th Century. It was named after St. Barbara, who was born in the
beginning of the 3rd Century in Nicomedia in Asia Minor. She converted
to Christianity and refused to marry any of the aristocratic young men
in Alexandria, devoting herself to serving God. Her father was a Pagan,
who continually tortured her, and then he complained about her to the
Roman governor Marcianus, who in turn severely tortured her, but she
resisted and refused to leave Christianity. Finally she was killed,
together with her companion Juliana.
The
Church takes a shape of a Roman Basilica, comprising of an entrance, a
narthex, a nave, 2 aisles and 3 Sanctuaries that are located in the east
wing of the church, the middle Sanctuary is the main one, dedicated to
St. Barbara. After entering, from the narthex, there are 5 marble
columns, with palm leaf capitals, which separate the nave from the 2
aisles. In front of the middle Sanctuary there is a semi-circular choir,
which consists of 7 steps.
From
the southern Sanctuary, of the church, visitors can enter through a
doorway to a rectangular hall, which contains a chapel dedicated to St.
Barbara, and is one of the very recent modifications to the church. From
the northern Sanctuary there is a doorway that leads to the small
church, which was consecrated to St. Cyrus and St. John.
This
small church has 3 Sanctuaries. The middle one dedicated to St. Cyrus
and John, the right one dedicated to St. George while the third one is
used today for baptisms.
The
most precious item, found inside this church, is a sycamore door that
dates back to the 5th Century. The church has many icons, the most
remarkable dates back to about the 13th Century. The main icons depict
Christ surrounded by Angels.
There
are other icons on the southern aisle of the church, representing the
Virgin Mary and Jesus when he was a child, Jesus entering Jerusalem and
the baptism of Christ.
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