When studying the churches of Cairo, it is as well to remember that they are not imposing buildings: the Coptic Orthodox Church did not enjoy the patronage of a court to help fund them. Moreover they have suffered over the millennia, sometimes from pillage, at other times from destruction, even total demolition. However they were always restored, reconstructed and rebuilt. One of these old churches is the Church of the Virgin Mary known as Qasriat Al-Rihan (“Pot of Basil”) which lies within the old Roman Fortress of Babylon, the area known today as Old Cairo. The church at one time belonged to the Greek Orthodox community, but along with its “wedding hall”, Qaat Al-Irsan, it was destroyed by a devastating fire. Only a silver Gospel Casket (today one of the treasures of the Coptic Museum) was thought to have survived. The church was rebuilt in the 18th century, recently restored, and now a magnificent free-standing vaulted canopy supported by four columns has come to light. Photos of the canopy, photographed by Sherif Sonbol, are published in The History and Religious Heritage of Old Cairo: Its Fortress, Churches, Synagogue, and Mosque (AUC Press, 2013). It is not unusual in Egypt for the guardians of ancient churches to conceal treasured places mainly in order to prevent their church being earmarked by the antiquities authorities as a heritage site and turned into a tourist destination. In this case, the persistence of Sonbol has brought to light one of the most beautiful mediaeval Christian monuments in Cairo. “I have always been curious about this church,” Sonbol says. “This was because it was a Greek Church situated in the heart of a predominantly Coptic area, which I was photographing, and also because the guards, during the several months I was in the area, were so insistent that there was nothing to see inside the church. Their very insistence piqued by curiosity.” Time and again Sonbol made a point of going past the church and appealing for entrance; he was always refused, despite his presenting the necessary clearance papers for the task in hand. “I kept on questioning the guard and I attempted to get in touch with the priest of the church directly, all in vain. But eventually my perseverance and doggedness paid off,” he says. “The priest was there. I asked if there were any icons in the church and he instructed the guard to open a door, then he pulled back the curtains, and there before me was surely one of the most impressive ancient survivals within the newer structure.” Sonbol describes the free-standing, vaulted canopy, its decorative elements painted in colours that retain their vibrancy. They depict Christ celebrating the Holy Liturgy at the centre of a mosaic of the 24 elders of the Apocalypse. The dome of the vault shows Christ again, this time surrounded by angels, seraphim and cherubim (angelic beings with wings). Sonbol's delight at witnessing and photographing what few had seen before knew no bounds. “I feel that it's my own personal discovery,” he says. When I asked about his technique and whether he used a flash to take the images, he hastens to say, “No flash, that's forbidden because it damages works of art.” How then did you take these perfect images on pages 128 and 129 of the book, I ask him. “I know how to handle the situation.”
