Cathedral of the Nativity in Cairo

Cathedral of the Nativity in Cairo
Location Cairo
Country  Egypt
Denomination Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria
History
Founded January 6, 2018
Founder(s) Pope Tawadros II of Alexandria
Consecrated 2018
Architecture
Architectural type church architecture
Style coptic architecture
Administration
Diocese Cairo
Division The Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate
Clergy
Bishop(s) Pope Tawadros II of Alexandria

The Cathedral of the Nativity in Cairo is a Coptic Orthodox cathedral inaugurated on January 6, 2018 by the President of Egypt Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and the Coptic Pope Tawadros II, and it is located 45 km east of Cairo. It is considered the largest church in the Middle East with 63,000 square meters and is designed to have a capacity of 2,500 people on the ground floor and 7,500 on the top floor[1][2]. On the same day of the inauguration, Divine Liturgy was celebrated in the chapel of the cathedral with the participation of some 3,000 people that included representatives from all over the country.[3][4]

Construction and style

The cathedral was built by the Egyptian presidency and by the engineering authority of the Egyptian Armed Forces. In 2016, a hundred Copts were killed in Egypt by the Jihadists. For decades there have been legal problems to build churches in Egypt, for not offending Islam, but in August 2017, the Parliament of Egypt eliminated the legal restrictions that limited the construction of new churches. The design of the cathedral follows the Coptic tradition of Noah's Ark.[1]

Statements

The Egyptian president said that the inauguration of the cathedral is considered "a message to the world; a message of peace, and a message of love." [5]

References

  1. 1 2 «Inauguren una catedral copta al Caire, la més gran del Pròxim Orient».January 10, 2018.
  2. ↑ «Egypt's Copts prepare for opening of cathedral in new administrative capital» The National.
  3. ↑ Egypt's new cathedral may be a big target for ISIS, Coptic Christians fear USA TODAY.
  4. ↑ «WRAP-UP: Sisi celebrates Christmas with Copts at Christ Cathedral - Egypt Today».January 10, 2018.
  5. ↑ "El-Sisi celebrates Christmas with Copts at Christ Cathedral". Egypt Today. egypttoday.com. Retrieved 21 January 2018.

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