Saint Barbara Church also called St. Barbara Church is situated south of Fustat in the fourteenth century AD. The patriarch himself attended the annual ceremonies and religious feasts held in honor of the saint, which were notable in scale and even the most well-known of the Coptic churches. Near the church was a nunnery where virgins who wanted to give their lives to God could find refuge and commit themselves to a monastic life.

 

Where is Saint Barbara Church located?

Saint Barbara Church can be found in old Cairo, in St. Barbara’s Quarter, close to Jewish Temple Street and the hanging church, on the eastern side of the Babylon Fort, behind the Monastery of St. George. It is situated approximately 140 centimeters below the surface of the earth. It is accessible by taking a stone ladder down some steps. It was created sometime between the end of the fourth and the start of the fifth century AD.

What do we know about Saint Barbara Church?

St. Barbara Church was a pretty young lady. She was born in the early third century AD in one of the cities in Asia Minor to Dioscorus, a wealthy pagan father. Origen, an Egyptian theologian, was her teacher until she turned to Christianity.

 

The complete story of the rebuilding of Saint Barbara Church.

Yuhanna ibn al-Abah, also known as al-Amah, was a Coptic minister who renovated it during the Fatimid dynasty, during the reign of Caliph al-Mustansir.

John Al-Abh is cited as narrating that he was a distinguished individual holding a prominent position within the Caliphate. The powerful politicians of his era were envious of him and treated him harshly and unfairly, accusing him of betraying the Fatimid Caliph and defaming him in public.

He answered the Caliph’s request to restore the Abu Sarja Church after it became evident to him that he was innocent. He had enough materials, tools, and supplies left over after building it to build another church. Thus, he reconstructed the Church of Saint Barbara without the Caliph’s consent, to the dismay of his jealous subjects.

Upon confirming the information, the Caliph gave him the order to destroy one of the two churches. The aforementioned preacher was unstable in every circumstance and remained undecided between the two churches, ultimately collapsing between them out of exhaustion.

The Caliph halted the destruction of the second church upon learning of his untimely demise and declared, “I ordered the building of the one, and I gave the second one as blood money for him.”

 

Remarkably, the Coptic writer attests to the fact that the church was reconstructed during the time the Crusaders were besieging Damietta, in 1072 AD, or 465 AH. That being so, it is challenging to pinpoint the precise date the building was finished, particularly because, like other churches, it was demolished several times. The fire occurred in AD 1071, causing extensive damage. It was permitted to be brought back, but it was destroyed by fire. The majority of its characteristics were destroyed in the fire of Fustat, which was started by one of the Fatimid rulers, Shawar, during the Crusaders’ assault. Durgham, the leader of a Moroccan army opposing Shawar, helped set the fire.

 

Even though Fort Babylon’s churches suffered from the same fate as the other churches that were demolished and damaged, some of their original features and historical relics remained. The majority of ancient authors and historians agree that the majority of churches and monasteries were built during the early Christian periods. Luckily, the original church door was discovered together with wooden screens decorated with geometric and floral patterns, living animal and human situations, and bird shapes. Currently housed in the Coptic Museum, this is regarded as one of the most exquisite segments of the Fatimid era.

 

It is reported that Mark Samika Pasha, the man behind the Coptic Museum, found the ancient church door. He discovered it preserved between two walls in the church’s nave while he was working on the restoration of that particular structure. The likelihood is that they were purposefully built to keep it safe. He was compelled to seal the main church doors and utilize smaller side entrances, thus it was lost or altered during times of turmoil and persecution. Moisture exposure caused the lowest portions of that door to rust, but the upper fillings are still partially visible, attesting to the beauty of the carving and the mastery of the craft.

It was also destroyed in the twentieth century and while Mamluk Sultan Al-Nasir Muhammad ibn Qalawun was in power (1309–1340).

 

Saint Barbara Church Layout

St. Barbara Church is laid out in the traditional Orthodox manner, with a rectangular shape that measures roughly twenty-six and a half meters in length and fourteen and a half meters in width.

It stands about fifteen meters tall. Barbara Church is regarded as one of Fustat’s most exquisite churches. There are two floors to it. A wooden beam capped by broken, tall arches supports the columns. A covered gallery held up by columns is located above them. A semicircular wooden vault (truss) covers the main structure and gallery, while the two side corridors are covered by a flat wooden ceiling.

 

There are two wings on the right and left, with the courtyard in the center. Ten columns, five on each side, divide them from the courtyard. These columns are distinct from one another, having been transported from Greek and Roman temples. The heads of ornate columns, or “capitals,” are situated above the marble columns. Among them is a crown that has been etched in the form of a palm leaf. Fragments of mosaic embellish the enormous and elegant marble amphitheater located behind the main altar.

 

The southern temple dedicated to Saint Mark is located to the right of the main building, and the amphitheater concludes with the Father’s lap in the eastern wall, which was meant to be the location of the patriarchal chair. It features a walnut wood veil with straightforward ivory fillings inlay. It is not as significant as the main veil; an altar is located inside, and a collection of images surrounds it.

 

The chapel honoring Saint Barbara is located in a rectangular hall accessible through a tiny door that leads there. This is one of the most recent additions to the cathedral. It has a sizable wooden frame that has been etched and is adorned with recently colored drawings of three sanctuaries arranged in a semicircle. It has a big icon of Saint Barbara in the center, with icons of Saint Juliana to its right in the second sanctuary and Saint Damiana to its left in the third sanctuary. A group of virgins surrounds the icon.
The names of the three female saints were arranged in the shape of a sun disk on top of a gold plate, and golden hues were evident throughout the décor. It was created in the late era by a single artist.

Saint Barbara Church icons.

St. Barbara Church is home to a collection of icons that depict various events in the life of Jesus Christ, such as his entry into Jerusalem, the raising of Lazarus from the dead, the Transfiguration on the Mount of Olives, the Last Supper, and the magnificent wedding of Cana. Other icons depict the Virgin at the time of the Annunciation, the Nativity, the presentation of the infant Jesus in the temple to Simon the Elder, an icon of baptism, and another of Saint George.

 

Cana’s marriage, as well as an emblem created by Abraham the Copyist depicts Rebekah and her five children. Additionally, there is a colorful wooden icon that depicts Emperor Constantine and his mother Helena.

 

On Maundy Thursday, Epiphany, and the Feast of the Apostles, three times a year, there is a “laqan” set up for the custom of washing feet in the church nave. Additionally, the church has an ampel (preaching pulpit). It is situated north of the church’s nave and, in terms of its painting and colored marble slats, resembles the pulpit of the Abu Sarja Church. Based on ten tiny marble columns, the major reliefs depict crosses inside beautiful wreaths with hints of color.

A plaque on one of its sides records that it was restored and put in 1910 AD by the Arab Committee for the Preservation of Ancient Antiquities.