 We
are told that Saint Barbara was a beautiful young lady
possibly of Asia Minor descent (though some stories say she
lived in Heliopolis).
She apparently lived during the early part of the 4th century
(though again some references place her in the early part of
the 3rd century). She was the daughter of a wealthy
nobleman and merchant, Djoscorus, who was a pagan.
Tradition provides that Djoscorus built a magnificent tower
to safeguard his daughter, perhaps from the growing influence
of Christianity. However, during his frequent business trips
abroad, she was converted to Christianity.
Legend has it that when her father discovered her
conversion (possibly when Saint Barbara tried to convert him),
in a fit of rage, he turned her over to Marcian, the Roman
prefect who, under the watching eyes of her father, was to
torture her until she denied Christ. She was stripped and
struck with whips and clubs until she stood in a pool of her
own blood, yet she would not deny Christ. Afterwards, she was
thrown in to prison where, during the night, god completely
healed her wounds and filled her with heavenly joy.
The next day, while Marcian was amazed to see her wounds
had healed, he demanded that she denounce Christ, and when she
refused. After additional torture, Marcian became frustrated
with her, and ordered her to be taken out and killed. It was
her father himself who led her from the city and with his own
sword, decapitated her (along with her servant and
 friend,
Juliana). On his way home, however, a god had him struck by a
bolt of lightning, killing him instantly.
The Cairo church
that is now dedicated to her in Old
(Coptic) Cairo stands north of the Coptic Museum and to
the east of the Church
of Saints Sergius and Bacchus (Abu Serga), on the eastern
side of Fort Babylon. Al-Maqrizi tells us that it was the most
famous and beautiful church of his time in Cairo, but exactly
when the Church of St. Barbara was built is speculative to
some extent. Eutychiustells says that Athanasius, a secretary
of Abdel-Aziz Ibn Marwan (the governor of Egypt between 685
and 705 AD), had the church built, but a door found during one
of the church's restorations could date as early as the 4th
Century. Originally, it was dedicated to
 Saint
Cyrus (Abu Qir), but was probably reconstructed between 1072
and 1073 to house the relics of Saint Barbara. The
chapel still contains her remains.
We know that the church burned during the Fustat
fire of 750 but was restored during the 11th century, and
was probably again ruined in a fire during the 12th century.
The church as renovated extensively at the beginning of the
20th century, when the khurus, a transverse room preceding the
sanctuary, was sacrificed in order to allow more space for the
altar.
The church,
which is not particularly impressive from the outside, having
been designed to blend in with other local architecture, takes
the basilican form. It measures 26 meters long by 14.5 meters
wide and 15 meters in height. There are two rows of five
columns each that separate the northern and southern isles
from the nave. A finely carved, wooden architrave surmounts
the columns to support the roof.
Detail from the ancient door
 Within
the nave stands a beautiful marble ambon (a pulpit) supported
by ten columns. A "Mandatum Tank" also lies in the
nave, which was filled with water and used for the Service of
Feet washing on Maundy Thursday, and on the Feast of Saints
Peter and Paul. However, more modern, portable basin is used
for this purpose today. Only the main sanctuary features an
apse. Two other sanctuaries to either side are rectangular
rooms.
Left: The ancient door
The small area to the north of the sanctuary
is fairly modern, dating from the beginning of the 20th
century. Nearly square in shape, with three chapels, it was
dedicated to the Saints Cyrus and John.
Nearby there is a convent which comprises
several buildings, including a school built by the well known
architect, Ramesses Wissa Wassef.
A number of important, as well as beautiful
Christian artifacts were discovered within the Church of Saint
Barbara, most of which are now on display in the nearby Coptic
Museum. These include a remarkable sanctuary screen of
sycamore and cedar woods from the Fatimid
Period. It consists of 45 panels of various sizes carved
in relief and depicting musical ceremonies, riders on
galloping horses, gazelles and monks. Other items include an
elaborate silver gospel casket decorated with floral designs
that dates from early 15th century, and an icon of Saint
Barbara that probably dates form the 16th century and is one
of the oldest icons now in the Coptic museum. This icon may
have been imported from Spain. Also, the door mentioned above,
which dates from the 4th or 5th century and was discovered
encased between two walls during restoration work. The door's
magnificent decoration has made it one of the treasures of the
Coptic Museum.
Ground Plan
References:
| Title |
Author |
Date |
Publisher |
Reference
Number |
| Cairo (The Coptic Museum Old
Churches |
Gabra, Gawdat |
1993 |
Egyptian International
Publishing Company, The |
ISBN 977-16-0081-8 |
| Holy Family in Egypt, The |
Unknown |
1999 |
United Printing Publishing
& Distributing Co. |
None Stated |
| Oxford Illustrated History
of Christianity, The |
McManners, John |
1992 |
Oxford University Press |
ISBN 0-19-285259-0 |
Archives
|
