Churches, and Monasteries of Cassr Isscémma.

THE first was that of Maállaca: It is a very ancient Church, stately and very clear; and I may say that it is the most beautiful that the Copties have in Egypt. It is the Metropolis in which the Patriarch performs his first Divine Service.

The Copties bought it of Amru ibn il Ass, as may appear by the Contract written upon the Walls of this Church with the Hand of this Prince, who curseth there all the Mahometans that shall offer to take it from them.

There be five Heikels, or Chappels, in a rank; but separated the one from the other with little Grates of Wood: so that five Masses may be read at once, and the Priests need not interrupt one a∣nother.

At the entry of this Church a little Image is to be seen, at the right hand, upon one of the Pillars: which Image, the Copties say, spoke to S. Ephrem,Page  142one of their Patriarchs, to comfort him in his af∣fliction, when Meéz le din alla, the Califf, com∣manded him to transport Mount Gebel il mocáttam, which now stands behind the Castle of Cairo, from one place to another, to prove the truth of his Religion; because our Saviour Christ saith in the Gospel, If you had faith as a Grain of Mustard-seed, you should say to this Mountain, remove thence to yonder place, and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. He threatned him therefore that if he did not remove it, that he would de∣stroy all his Nation, as a People that professed a false Religion, and that deserved not to live a∣mongst them that were Believers. Because this Image spoke then to their Patriarch, to comfort him and assure him that he should remove the Mountain in spight of the Jews, who had anger'd this Califf against them, they highly respect it.

Next to Maállaca, I went to visit Sancta Barba; where, as my leader told me, the Body of this Saint rests at the left hand of the Chappel. This Church is great and very light, and therefore seems to me to be the most pleasant of all the rest. There be also three Chappels in a rank.

I saw next the Church of Saint Sergius, which was built, as Said ibn Patrik saith in his History, by a Coptie, a Secretary to Abd ilaziz ibn Meruán, a Califf of Egypt.

Under this Church is to be seen a Cave, in which, as the Copties hold by Tradition, Christ with his most blessed Mother have lived a while. It is divided into three Angles, or Parts, by little Pil∣lars. In the first, at the entrance, is the Baptis∣mal Font of the Copties: At the bottom of the middle separation is a place in the Wall, and in Page  145this place a Stone, which, as the Copties believe, hath been sanctified with the steps of our bles∣sed Saviour. The religious Francs sometimes say Mass here. In the third separation is ano∣ther Stone sanctified also by our Saviour's foot∣steps.

In the Cave, I remember not well in which separation, is to be seen the Epitaph of a Gentle∣man of Europe, buried there about two hundred and seventy five years ago, in Gothick Letters; but the Stone is plac'd upside-down, through the ignorance of the Mason, as I believe; this is the Epitaph.

Next to this Church, I visited that of our bles∣sed Lady, in the Street called Darb ittáka. It is very small, and very obscure. Out of this Church I saw a little round Stone of black Marble, lying upon the ground; about it were graven small Hieroglyphick Letters.

At a little distance from this Church, through an Alley, is to be seen the remains of a Persian Temple, called in Arab. Kobbet il fors, or the Temple of the Persians, which Artaxerxes Ochus, King of Persia, caus'd to be built in honour of the Fire; and though the Ruines are but small, they discover yet that this Temple was hereto∣fore very stately. In the inside, about the Walls, are to be seen several standings, or holes, as high as a Man, in which it is probable they plac'd their Idols.

I saw next the Church of Mary Girges, or of S. George, which is in the same Street called Darb ittáka, or the Street of the Window. It is very an∣cient, and of a mean beauty. At the entrance, on the right hand, is to be seen the Body of Am∣ba Bissúra, Bishop and Martyr, with his Epitaph in Arabick, which I could not place here, because the Printer had not the Characters.

Next to this Church I went to see the Mona∣steries of the Nuns, amongst the Copties, called Dér il benát, or the Monastery of the Maids, which was built, as they say, by a King called Alexander; but it is a place so filthy and stinking, that I could not stay there any time.

The last Church that I saw in this Castle, was that of the Monastery of S. George, of the religi∣ous Greeks. In this Church is to be seen an I∣mage of this Saint, that, as they say, hath the Power to heal and cure Fools. This Monastery also is very ugly, and filthy.