The Hanging Church or Al Moallaka Church which is consecrated to the
Virgin Mary and St. Dimiana was known as the Hanging church. It is
called like that because it is built over the Roman fortress, on top of
which palm trees wood has been put with a layer of stones over the
fortress to be the ground of the church, so the hanging church is a
unique church without domes, as it has a wooden roof in the shape of
Noah's Ark. As Noah's Ark is one of the symbols which represents the
church and the 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. However, some
historians think that it was built ages before that, as it was a roman
temple, then it was transformed into a roman church. After that became
Coptic Church. That was proved by the last restoration of the church by
the Egyptian Archaeologists Department in 1984, which discovered :
1- 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 altar. Certainly, these paintings goes back to the era before Christianity, but were covered with layer of plaster.
2- From estimating the age of wooden parts from the floor of saint Mark's church was taken in 1984, the age of these parts go back to the year 140\150 B.C. This was evaluated by the archeologists by means of Cairo's laboratory for the history of archeology, by radiating carbon 14. This seems to be proved by what remains of the original wood-work at the Coptic museum representing the triumphal entry of Jesus Christ to Jerusalem.
3- Between the altar containing the baptistery and St. Tecla Hymanote's Altar, in the right aisle, they found a group of frescos, some of which were extracted so as to restore them, the others are fragmentary. These frescos go back to the 4th and 5th cent. There is also a picture on the pillar in the church's nave, which goes back to the 4th cent. Originally, the pillars and the Frescos decorating the walls of the church were damaged during period of persecution.
Also from the last restoration, they discovered:
1- Small room under the tile of the church's floor ends at the east with a small niche with vaulted ceiling. It was built of sun-dried bricks.
2- A stair was leading to the outside of the church beside the discovered one which leads to the mountain and it is still in a restoration. We think that it was used during the persecution of the church.
.
1- 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 altar. Certainly, these paintings goes back to the era before Christianity, but were covered with layer of plaster.
2- From estimating the age of wooden parts from the floor of saint Mark's church was taken in 1984, the age of these parts go back to the year 140\150 B.C. This was evaluated by the archeologists by means of Cairo's laboratory for the history of archeology, by radiating carbon 14. This seems to be proved by what remains of the original wood-work at the Coptic museum representing the triumphal entry of Jesus Christ to Jerusalem.
3- Between the altar containing the baptistery and St. Tecla Hymanote's Altar, in the right aisle, they found a group of frescos, some of which were extracted so as to restore them, the others are fragmentary. These frescos go back to the 4th and 5th cent. There is also a picture on the pillar in the church's nave, which goes back to the 4th cent. Originally, the pillars and the Frescos decorating the walls of the church were damaged during period of persecution.
Also from the last restoration, they discovered:
1- Small room under the tile of the church's floor ends at the east with a small niche with vaulted ceiling. It was built of sun-dried bricks.
2- A stair was leading to the outside of the church beside the discovered one which leads to the mountain and it is still in a restoration. We think that it was used during the persecution of the church.
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