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.