St Barbara Church is situated south of Fustat and was built in the 5th or 6th 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?

St Barbara church can be found in Cairo at St. Barbara’s Quarter, close to Jewish Temple Street, 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 a number of steps. It was created sometime between the end of the fourth and the start of the fifth century AD.

Saint Barbara: who is she?

Barbara 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 narrative of Saint Barbara Church’s reconstruction

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 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 ordered him 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 destroyed by fire. The majority of its characteristics were damaged 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 the same fate as the other churches, which were demolished and damaged, some of their original features and historical relics remained. Most ancient authors and historians agree that most 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, they were 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).

St Barbara Church Arrangement

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.

 

St Barbara Church is about fifteen meters tall and is regarded as one of Fustat’s most exquisite churches. It has two floors. 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.

 

The most magnificent and attractive feature of this center construction is the marble amphitheater behind the main altar, which is decorated with mosaic fragments. It was built, like other significant churches of the Babylon Fortress, with seven stairs arranged in a semicircle to accommodate the priests’ seats.

The southern temple dedicated to Saint Mark is located to the right of the main building. 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 inside, and images surround it.

 

The northern temple is in need of additional altars. 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.