Al Moallaka Church
This church which is consecrated to the Virgin Mary and St. Dimiana was known as the Hanging church. It is thus called so because it is built over the Roman fortress on top of which has been put palm trees wood with a layer of stones over the fortress to be the ground of the church so the hanging church is the unique church without domes, it has a wooden roof in the shape of Noah's Ark.
It is known that Noah's Ark is one of the symbols which representing the church and salvation. It is commonly known that this church goes back to the late of the 3rd century and the beginning of the 4th century A.D.
Some historians however think that it was built ages before that, as it was a roman temple, which then it was transformed into a roman church. After that became Coptic church, the proves are :
The discovery of wall paintings belonging to the Roman pagan gods at the western side of the right aisle of the church, in front of saint Takla Himanote's alter. Certainly, these paintings goes back to the era before Christianity, but were covered with layer of plaster this was during the last restoration of the church 1984.
From estimating the age of a wooden specimen from the floor of saint Mark's church was taken during the last restoration and the renewal of the church in 1984. This was evaluated by the archeologists by means of Cairo's laboratory for the history of archeology, by radiating carbon 14. The age of this specimen's goes back to the year 140 – 150 B.C.
This seems to be proved by what remains of the original wood-work at the Coptic museum representing the triumphal entry of Jesus the Christ to Jerusalem.
This church was very spacious but became much smaller throughout the ages after modifications, the last one which was by (obeid by Khozam) during 1491 A.M. (1775 A.D.).
The nave of the church is divided into parts separated from each other by 3 rows of marble pillars.
The church of El Moallaka played an important part in the history of the Coptic church. It became the seat of the Patriarchs after transferring it from Alexandria to Al Fustat and it is recorded that Anba Christodolos the 66th patriarch ( A.D. 1039 – 1070) was the 1st pope to chant the Holy liturgy in it.
The Holy Virgin appeared in it in a vision to Anba Abraam the 62nd patriarch (968 – 971), who had spent 3 days in prayer and fasting, when the caliph ( Al Imam El- Mouizz lidin Allah) about year 969 A.D. asked him to move the mokatam hill in order to prove the words of the gospel " if you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you shall say to this mountain remove from hence to yonder place, and it shall remove" ( Matt. 1720) according to the story, there was a great earthquake and the mountain moved.
After witnessing this miracle the caliph allowed the Patriarch Abraam to restore the church of El Moallaka and Abu – Sefein.
The seat of saint Mark remained a long time in El Moallaka church till it was transferred to the church of Abu – Sefein in the 14th century.
The holy chrism was consecrated 3 times in El Moallaka the first by Kyrillos II 67th patriarch (1070 – 1084) the 2nd by Anba Ghbriel 77th patriarch (1261 – 1263) the 3rd time by Anba Yoannis VII the 80th patriarch in 1290 A.D.
There is a store room for the holy chrism still filled of it up till now. And it perhaps goes back to the last service in making it at El Moallaka church.
There are 110 icons. The oldest goes back to the 8th cent. But the majority of them goes back to 1777 A.D. and some were painted in the time of ( Nakhla Al Baraty Bey) 1898 A.D. who was the supervisor of the church at that time.
El- Moallaka is 23.5m in length and 18.5m in breath and 9.5m height. The church's iconostasis are carved in ebony and ivory and in front o the middle alter in the nave of the church there is a pulpit which rests on fifteen columns with decorations in relief and adorned with mosaics. Among the 15 pillars there are 2 attached to the main body of the pulpit representing St. Mark and St. Luke evangelists who are not from the 12 disciples.
The 1st pillar of the other 13 stands in front and represent Jesus the Christ, while the other 12, the disciples. We notice that each two similar pillars are put together and this because the Christ sent his disciples two by two. It dates back to the 5th cent.
Anba Abraam during whose time the miracle of the maqattam mountain happened is buried under this pulpit.
The Fresco decorating the walls of the church long ago with its pillars were damaged during period of persecution. Their remains are found at the eastern wall of saint Tecla Hymanot's Altar. These fresco go back to the 4th and 5th cent. These is also a picture on the pillar in the church's nave, which goes back to the 4th cent. Besides there are layers of fresco lately discovered.
There are 7 alters in the Moallaka church 3 of them are found in the main aisle which are : the alter of St. George in the northern side followed by the Alter of the virgin Mary then the Alter of St. John the Baptist.
The right aisle contains 3 alters among them which is the alter of Tecla Hymanote the Ethiopian at the north side followed by 2 alters recently discovered.
Next to them, is the Baptistery which goes back to the 5th cent. It is made of solid marble bearing decorations of wavy lines. A symbol of water in the Hieroglyphic language.
There is also an upper church of St. Mark and its alter is the 7th one.
These alters have very intricate icon stasis, they are in ebony inlaid with walnut and cedar wood without using nails or glue. They go back to the 10th – 13th cent.
Entering the right aisle. The visitor passes through a door made of cedar wood decorated with translucent layer of ivory dated to the 11th cent.
The iconstasis of St. George's alter is decorated with 17 icons depicting the tortures of St. George, there are 7 icons above the Virgin's alter which are from the right to left : St. Paul the Apostle, Arch angel Michael, John the Baptist, Jesus the Christ sitting on his throne, the Holy Virgin Mary, Gabriel the Angel, Peter the Apostle.
The iconstasis of St. John the Baptist's alter is decorated with 7 icons depicting his tortures, vansleb a monk who was sent to Egypt about 1671 by king Louis 14th.
King of France, to study the state of the churches and monasteries of the Nile Valley said that on one wall of the Hanging church he found traces of an inscriptions by hand of Amr Ibn Al Ass asking the Moslem people not to cause any damage to his church.
New discoveries during the last restoration carried by the Egyptian Archeologists Department in 1984 are :
1) Between the alter containing the baptistery and St. Tecla Hymanote's Alter, in the southern aisle, they found a group of frescos, some of which were extracted so as to restore them, the others are fragmentary.
2) Small room under the tile of the church floor ends at the east with a small niche with vaulted ceiling. It was built of sun-dried pulpit.
3) A stair was leads to the outside of the church beside the discovered one which we think was used during the persecution of the church which lead to the mountain and it is still in a restoration.
The church has been restored in 10 , 13 ,17, 19 Cent. In the 20th cent. It was restored when the 1st part of restoration ended president Moubarak visited the church that was on the 8th of march 1984 and under the papacy of H.H.P. Shenouda III.
Relies of Saints :
The Hanging church has some relies of saints, it holds their commemoration which attracts numerous people.
The priests anoints the reliquem with rose-oil , there relics have been discovered by priest of El Moallaka church fr. Markus Aziz Khalil and Mr Hanna Asaad, the present supervisor under the direction of the bishop of old cairo, Anba Mottheos , these relics are those of the Prince St. Tadros El Shatpi, St. John Hiraqly , Isac El Dafrawy, the two saints Aba Hour and Aba Fees.
Kyriak and his mother Youlita and St. Aba Nofer the Errant, besides these relics those of St. Dimiana were in the church from the past.
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