Lighting up the Hanging Church
19/7/2010
Sanaa’ Farouk
The restoration project at the Church of the Holy Virgin in Old Cairo, popularly known as the Hanging Church, has now been completed. A launching ceremony was expected yesterday-Watani had already gone to press-to celebrate the securing of the Church against fire and theft. The new security measures, which also include neighbouring churches, have been implemented at a cost of EGP80 million.
Zahi Hawass, secretary-general of the Supreme Council for Antiquities (SCA), says the SCA has informed Pope Shenouda III of the latest phases of the restoration project. These phases included providing the church with early warning systems, and installing an air conditioning system recommended by Italian experts who took into consideration that the wooden elements-icons, doors and iconostases-need special care, and that candles and incense are used extensively in the church. All the technical restoration work, Dr Hawass added, was carried out by a team of Russian experts along with skilled specialists from the SCA.
+Oldest Church+
Mervat Thabet, general-manager of the projects sector office at the SCA, said the project had been successful in rescuing the oldest church in Egypt. The Hanging Church in Old Cairo earned its name from being constructed 13 metres above ground on the remains of two towers attached to the Roman fortress of Babylon.
The Hanging Church suffered severely from high levels of ground water that endangered its basic structure, as well as damage from the 1992 earthquake, which, Dr Thabet said, led the SCA to embark on a huge renovation and reconstruction project for the entire church.
The project included repairing and fortifying the foundations, ceiling, floors and the cracks in the walls that resulted from the 1992 earthquake, as well as the complete renovation of the bell tower. The renovation work covered architectural, ornamental, marble, woodwork and icons, as well as electrical and lighting aspects.
Among the most important icons restored, according to Mervat Rizq who supervised the restoration of the icons, was the 18th-century icon painted on linen and depicting the Holy Virgin holding the Infant Jesus while St John the Baptist appears close by, kissing Jesus’ feet. Other icons depict the saints Abaskhayroun al-Qallini, Abu-Seifein (St Mercurius), St Theodore, St Helena and St Constantin, as well as the icon of the Crucifixion. The restored icons have been placed in well-aired showcases with a label on each to notify visitors of the name of the icon, its date and its registration number. The lighting was so designed as to protect the precious icons from the harshness of direct beams of light.
+Comprehensive restoration+
Youssef Mohamed Youssef, an expert at the restoration department of the Projects Sector of the Culture Ministry, said that all the inlaid wooden elements in the church had been restored including the church doors, the iconostases and the ancient pulpit. All the accumulated waxy deposits were removed from the surfaces.
Mr Youssef said the marble pieces had been cleaned and restored, and all the missing parts replaced. Some of the marble columns had tilted over the years and these were now restored to an upright position.
Restoration consultant Yousri Younan said that, besides restoring the architectural work, the section of St George’s Street where the Church is located had been planted with trees to beautify the neighbourhood. A new lift was installed in the church to assist wheelchair users and others who have difficulty in climbing stairs.
+Large screens+
‘Panorama’ is another far-reaching project. Alaa’ Ibrahim, Panorama’s director, has been overseeing the work to create a vast amphitheatre stretching from the Amr Ibn all-Aas gate to the Babylon fortress and the Jewish synagogue, which all lie in the vicinity of the Hanging Church. This will enable visitors to view the historical places through extra-large screens that will tell the story of the site and its glorious past by means of a sound and light system. The site will be provided with tourist services, as well as restaurants and a police station to maintain security.
