Image Resource Bank

Image Gallery |  1 of 15

The Church of the Virgin in Cairo is one of the oldest churches in Egypt.  Known as the Hanging Church (al-kanisa al-mu‘allaqa) because it rests on top of the gates of an old Roman fortress, the Church of the Virgin Mary was built in the seventh century CE. The Coptic Church has played an integral role in the history of Egypt and represents the spiritual body of 6-10 million Egyptians. The Hanging Church is home to many twelfth and thirteenth century CE icons (as show).

Inscription from a Syriac Bible

Name: Hanging Church, Cairo

Material: Stone, wood, paint

Size:
Length: 23.5 m (77 ft 1 in)
Width: 18.5 m (60 ft 8 in)
Height: 9.5 m (31 ft 2 in)

Date: 3rd or 4th century CE

Place of Origin: Cairo, Egypt

Location: Cairo, Egypt

Source and Registration#: Wikimedia Commons. Link to resource (accessed May 4, 2010).

Material: Digital Image
Size: 1,280 x 960 pixels (502 KB)

Date: 2007

Orit Bashkin

Assistant Professor of Modern Middle Eastern History, University of Chicago