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Church St Sergius and St Bacchus : Coptic

The Church of Saints Sergius and Bacchus is a church that is located within the walls of the Babylon Fortress, in Coptic Cairo. This church is one of the oldest Coptic churches in Egypt, dating back to the 4th century. The church also holds an important historical and religious value.

The church is named after the two soldier-saints, Sergius and Bacchus, who were martyred during the 4th century in Syria by the Roman emperor Maximian. Those two soldiers were among the early Romans to convert to Christianity and were killed for renouncing their old religion by their emperor.

The Saints Sergius and Bacchus Church was built in the 4th century and may have been completed in the 5th century. The site of the church is believed to have been a place where the Holy Family had rested for a while near the end of their journey into Egypt. The church was burned around 750 A.D during the fire of Fustat, but it was later restored in the 8th century. The church has gone through many phases of rebuilding and restoration through the medieval times, but nonetheless, it still exhibits features of early Coptic churches. Historically, the church is of significant importance. This church was the place where many patriarchs of the Coptic Church were elected. The first patriarch to be elected in this church was Patriarch Isaac.

The church has a basilican rectangular shape, with a length and width of 27 m and 17 m respectively. The height of the church is 15 m. From the inside, the central nave consists of one level, while the aisles on the sides consist of two levels. The main entrance of the church lies on the north-western side, but it’s not used. Instead, a smaller entrance at the end of the western wall is the current entrance in use.

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