The archaeological church of Abu Sarja, or the church of the martyrs Sergius and Wachs, is the archaeological church built above the place where the Holy Family stayed during their escape journey, and it contains the escape cave near the temple. Its current location is what is known as the Religious Complex in Old Cairo, inside the Babylon Fortress near the Jewish Bani Adhra (between it and Barbara Church).Description
Horizontal layout: in the usual basilica style, rectangular in shape, 27 m long and 17 m wide, with a main courtyard. The height of the church as a whole is about 15 metres. From the inside, the main courtyard is one story high in its entirety, while the side aisles are made up of two floors. The main entrance to the church is located in the northwestern side, but it is not used. The secondary entrances are also not used, but what is used now is another entrance at the end of the western wall.
Church
The church is dedicated to Sergius and Bacchus, who were martyred during the fourth century in Syria by the Roman Emperor Maximian. The most interesting feature is the crypt where Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus are said to have rested. The bunker is 10 meters deep, and when Nile levels rise, it is often flooded.
The church was built in the 4th century and was probably completed during the 5th century. It was burned during the Fire of Fustat during the reign of Marwan II around 750. It was then restored during the 8th century, and has been continuously rebuilt and restored since the Middle Ages; However, it is still considered a model for early Coptic churches. Again, the most valuable and oldest icons are on the south wall. A spacious central hall divided into three naves by two rows of columns.
Pope Christodoulos
By the 11th century AD, the seat of the Coptic Orthodox Pope of Alexandria, historically based in Alexandria, Egypt, was moved to Cairo as governing powers moved from Alexandria to Cairo after the Arab conquest of Egypt and during the reign of Pope Christodoulos in Cairo. It became the permanent and official residence of the Coptic Pope in the Hanging Church in Cairo in 1047.