Description of the attraction
Abu Serga is the oldest church in Egypt, dating back to the 5th century AD. BC, it was built over the crypt where the Holy Family stayed during their three weeks in Egypt. According to the story of the Evangelist Matthew, the Virgin Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus fled from Palestine to Egypt, fleeing the persecution of Herod the Great. The Holy Family went to Assyut (“Deir al-Muharrak”) and on the way back home spent several weeks in Old Cairo.
The Church of Abu Serg is dedicated to two saints - Sergius and Bacchus, soldiers of the Roman army. They were faithful followers of Jesus and refused to worship the Roman gods. In the name of the Christian faith, Sergius and Bacchus were martyred in Syria in 296, during the reign of the Roman emperor Maximinus. Their relics are partly stored in the Abu Serg temple, partly buried in Syria.
The church was the site of enthronement of several famous patriarchs and bishops from the 9th to the 12th century. Although the temple was reconstructed several times (from the 11th to the 17th centuries, the last restoration was carried out in 2000), it still retains its medieval appearance.
Abu Serga was built on the principle of a basilica with a nave and two side chapels. The western end of the church is occupied by shops. There are twelve columns between the nave and the aisles, eleven of which are made of white marble and only one of which is red granite. Traces of numbers are clearly visible on some of the marble columns. Corinthian capitals, left over from older buildings, are wedged between the tops of the columns and wooden frames. On the east side of the church, the altar is separated by an imposing 13th century wooden screen, which is decorated with ebony and ivory. Unique icons depicting scenes from the life of Christ, the Virgin Mary and various saints adorn the walls of the church.
The temple once housed the old altar of Egypt, which was donated to the Coptic Museum. There is a baptistery on the northwest side of the church. Some parts of the original woodwork and paraphernalia from the temple have been deposited with the Coptic Museum and the British Museum in London.
Of course, the main attraction is the crypt of the Sagrada Familia, located directly under the choirs. This cave is the remains of the original church, but it is closed to the public due to the threat of heating the temple.
