The Hanging Church is without a doubt Cairo's most famous Coptic Church. It was built around the 7th century, probably on the site of a 3rd or 4th century church.
Its name comes from the fact that it is built above a gatehouse of the Babylon Fortress, with the nave of the church being suspended over a passage. This is why Egyptians call it 'al-Muallaqa', which translates as 'The Suspended'.
This was our first stop in Coptic Cairo, with the late afternoon kicking in and the brightness of the sun fading through the white colored walls of the neighbourhood, which doesn't resemble to the other parts of the city that I already visited.
You do get the feeling that you're walking into sacred ground when you are in Coptic Cairo, or at least that was my case. Inside the church, I was marveled by the many architectural details of the first Coptic church I was visiting.
The one image that keeps coming back to me is the one of a Coptic nun praying at an icon. She was busy lighting her candle up and praying, while I carefully observed her black veil covering her wrinkled face and the trembling hands holding a prayer bead. When she realized I was staring at her, she looked at me and I smiled. It was a powerful and almost resilient look; the gaze of someone who firmly believes in the power of prayer. She silently went away, but the look in her face is something I will never forget...
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| The Hanging Church, al-Muallaqa or Saint Virgin Mary's Coptic Orthodox Church is one of the oldest churches in Egypt. |
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| It was probably the first Church built in Basilican-style. |
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| The walls of the narrow courtyard are decorated by modern art biblical mosaics. |
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| The chuch is approached by steps, which lead to the entrance and this beautiful courtyard of geometric designs. |
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| The inside of the church is dimly lit, which gives it a more mysterious look. The wooden vaulted roof is in the shape of Noah's ark. |
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| What I loved the most of this detail of the wall is the Coptic Church underneath and the arabic calligraphy on the top. Both give the wall decoration harmony; one can't exist without the other. |
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| The pillars here represent Jesus and the 12 disciples. The black one represents Judas, the traitor, and the grey one represents doubting Thomas. |
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| Entrance to the Hanging Church. The impressive geometric designs are to me the most stunning features of the church. |
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| Hugging Adrian Ulises inside the church. We're standing in front of the pulpit, which surmounts the 13 pillars. |
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| The impressive marble pulpit dates back to the 11th century. |
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| The iconostasis of the central sanctuary is made of ebony inlaid with ivory and it is surmounted by icons of the Virgin Mary and the Twelve Apostles. |
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| One of the oldest icons in the church dates from the 8th century. Many more artifacts and objects of the churches are on display at the Coptic Museum, which is a few minutes walk from the church. |
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| Coptic Christians praying at the church. The Seat of the Coptic Orthodox Pope was historically Alexandria, but after the Arab invasion, Cairo became the official residence of the Coptic Pope at the Hanging Church. |
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| From this point you can look down at the passage where the church was built. |
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| A view from the entrance of the church, looking at the courtyard of the mosaics. |
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| The twin bell towers were added during the 19th century. |
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| The 29 steps to approach the Hanging church. |
Next on SpiegelEye travel, more about my day in Coptic Cairo! Keep reading!
Have a great week,
Astrid
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About the Author
Traveller and writer, 21-years-old. Born in Panama City, German-Panamanian. Journalist. Very fond of every expression of art. I love to learn languages. Constantly living adventures!
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