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Saints Sergius and Bacchus Church

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Saint Sergius & Saint Bacchus Coptic Orthodox Church
ϯⲉⲕⲕⲗⲏⲥⲓⲁ ⲛ̀ⲧⲉ ⲛⲓ⳥ ⲥⲉⲣⲅⲓⲟⲥ ⲛⲉⲙ ⲃⲁⲭⲟⲥ ϧⲉⲛ ⲡⲓⲥⲡⲉⲗⲉⲱⲛ
Stone church facade with arched entrance and bell tower
Saint Sergius & Saint Bacchus Church, 2015
30°00′21″N 31°13′51″E / 30.0058°N 31.2307°E
Location Babylon Fortress, Coptic Cairo
Country Egypt
Denomination Coptic Orthodox Church
Website www.coptic-cairo.com/oldcairo/church/sarga/sarga.html
History
Dedication Saints Sergius and Bacchus
Consecrated 4th century
Architecture
Architectural type church
Style Coptic
Administration
Division The Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate
Diocese Coptic Orthodox Diocese of Old Cairo, Manial and Fum Al-Khalig
Clergy
Bishop(s) Pope Tawadros II
Bishop Selwaniss
Priest Fr. Ghobrial Guirguis Bestawros

Saints Sergius and Bacchus Church (Coptic: ϯⲉⲕⲕⲗⲏⲥⲓⲁ ⲛ̀ⲧⲉ ⲛⲓ⳥ ⲥⲉⲣⲅⲓⲟⲥ ⲛⲉⲙ ⲃⲁⲭⲟⲥ ϧⲉⲛ ⲡⲓⲥⲡⲉⲗⲉⲱⲛ, The Church of Martyrs Sergius and Bacchus in The Cave) (Arabic: كنيسة القديسين سرجيوس و باخوس (أبو سرجة)), also known as the Abu Serga Church, is one of the oldest Coptic Christian churches in Egypt, dating back to the 7th century. Located in Old Cairo, this church is significant to Christians for its connection to the flight of the Holy Family into Egypt.[1] The current church was constructed above Roman ruins and exemplifies early Coptic architecture.

History

The church of Saint Sergius and Bacchus was founded in the late 7th century by Athanasius, a scribe of the Umayyad governor of Egypt Abd al-Aziz ibn Marwan (685–705).[2] Athanasius, who came from Edessa in Syria, dedicated the church to Sergius and Bacchus, who were martyred there.[2] The church was erected at the center of the remains of the Roman fortress of Babylon. Tradition holds that the Holy Family rested here during their journey from Bethlehem to Egypt.[1] Around 750, it burned in a fire in Fustat during the reign of Marwan II. It was restored in the 8th century and renovated repeatedly in the centuries that followed.[3]

Also known as "the Church of the Cave,"[2] the church was built above a crypt traditionally identified as a shelter of the Holy Family.[4][2] The crypt lies directly below the high altar.[5]

The church stands atop a 6.5-meter limestone wall, said to be a remnant of the entrance to the Amnis Traianus, a Roman canal built in the second century. Trajan dug the canal early in the second century AD to connect Rome and the Mediterranean, by way of the Nile, to the Red Sea and eastern trade routes.[6]

Following its consecration in the 7th century, the church served as the site where many patriarchs and Coptic bishops were elected. The practice began with the election of Patriarch Isaac (681–692) and continued until the mid-eleventh century.[7]

Art and architecture

Saints Sergius and Bacchus Church is an early example of Coptic basilica architecture and combines local Egyptian and Byzantine Christian elements.[2]

Architectural layout

The church follows the basilica plan, with a central nave under an elevated roof and two side aisles.[8] A narthex forms the entrance, as in other early Christian churches. Beyond it, the nave and its flanking aisles are divided by rows of marble columns and form the main worship space. At the far end, raised a few steps above the nave, stands the sanctuary, which holds three altars: a central altar dedicated to Sergius and Bacchus, a southern altar to Saint George, and a northern altar to the Virgin Mary.[9] The crypt lies beneath the sanctuary.[2]

Ornament and decoration

The church holds numerous icons depicting religious scenes, apostles, and saints, among them Sergius, Bacchus, and George. The wooden ceiling is arched like an inverted ship's hull. The door panels and the iconostasis dividing the nave from the sanctuary are decorated with ivory-inlaid woodwork in geometric patterns.[9]

See also

  • Christian Egypt
  • List of Coptic Orthodox churches in Egypt

References

  1. Back to citation occurrence 1.0 Back to citation occurrence 1.1 Butler 1884, p. 181.
  2. Back to citation occurrence 2.0 Back to citation occurrence 2.1 Back to citation occurrence 2.2 Back to citation occurrence 2.3 Back to citation occurrence 2.4 Back to citation occurrence 2.5 Gabra 2007, p. 108.
  3. Back to citation "Coptic Period Monuments Saints Sergius and Bacchus Church". egyptianmuseum.org. Retrieved 5 December 2025.
  4. Back to citation Butler 1884, pp. 181, 201.
  5. Back to citation The date of the crypt is disputed. Butler held that it is older than the main church, perhaps dating from the sixth century or earlier. Butler 1884, pp. 182, 203. Later excavation indicates that the crypt took its present form together with the present church; Sheehan dates this to around the thirteenth century, Sheehan 2010, pp. 17, 52. and Gabra likewise dates the crypt's architecture to the twelfth or thirteenth century, the period from which the earliest sources describing the Holy Family's resting place also derive. Gabra 2007, p. 108.
  6. Back to citation Sheehan 2010, p. 20.
  7. Back to citation Sheehan 2010, p. 89.
  8. Back to citation Butler 1884, p. 183.
  9. Back to citation occurrence 9.0 Back to citation occurrence 9.1 "Church of Saint Sergius and Bacchus". egymonuments.gov.eg. Retrieved 5 December 2025.

Bibliography

Works cited

Further reading

  • Behrens-Abouseif, Doris, ed. The Cairo Heritage: Essays in Honor of Laila Ali Ibrahim. American University in Cairo Press, 2000.
  • Bloom, Jonathan. Arts of the City Victorious: Islamic Art and Architecture in Fatimid North Africa and Egypt. With Institute of Ismaili Studies. Yale University Press, 2007.
  • Gabra, Gawdat, and Marianne Eaton-Krauss. The Treasures of Coptic Art in the Coptic Museum and Churches of Old Cairo. The American University in Cairo Press, 2007.
  • Melikian-Chirvani, Assadullah Souren, ed. The World of the Fatimids. With Aga Khan Museum. Aga Khan Museum, in association with The Institute of Ismaili Studies, 2018.
  • The Byzantine Legacy. "Church of Saints Sergius and Bacchus (Küçük Ayasofya Camii)."
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