By Maryam Raafat Pope Francis of the Vatican, last October, blessed the icon of the Holy Family's flight intoEgypt, which is an important step towards including it in the Roman Catholic pilgrimage programmes, starting this May and lasting until October. While walking in the Maadi street where the Church of the Virgin Mary is located, Mohamed Ibrahim was touched by the thought of the Holy Family's journey and that he was taking the road they once walked. The story of that journey resonates with everybody, Christian or Muslim, whether told in the course of Christian worship worldwide, or simply as part of Egyptian history. The Holy Family's flight from Palestine to Egypt has long been recorded by historians.The Virgin Mary gave birth to Jesus in Bethlehem of Judaea in Palestine. Upon his birth, wise men preached to the people of the city, declaring that, "according to prophecies" they had seen in the stars, Jesus would become the next king of the Jews. Upon hearing this, King Herod was overcome by terror at the possibility of losing his throne. He decided that killing Jesus was the only way to protect his royal status. "Many look upon the journey as a mark in the history of Egypt, not merely a religious event," said Bishop Mina Bishoy of Abou Seifen church in Hadayeq el Quba district. "Egyptians look with fondness and pride on the passage of the Holy Mother and her child through the land of Egypt, and the fact that they found solace here," Bishoy added in an interview with the Egyptian Mail. In a dream, Joseph, the carpenter, was ordered by God to escort Jesus and his mother to Egypt, where they would find refuge. Both Western and Eastern traditions agree that the method of transport most likely used by the Holy Family on their journey would have been a donkey. The Virgin Mary would have been seated on the donkey, holding the child Jesus in her arms and Joseph would have walked by their side, leading the way. The film, 'Journey of the Holy Family' portrays the family in Al-Mataraya district near Ein Shams (Old Heliopolis), Cairo. They find shade under a sycamore tree that came to be known as "Mariam's Tree", which has evolved into an attraction for religious tourists. Holy "Mayron oil", or the "Chrism", is nowadays prepared from the oil of the tree. "An ancient church by the name of "The Virgin Mary" stands in the area and is visited by people to this day. Paintings are to be found inside the church, including maps of the Holy Family's journey, as well as a statue of Jesus and his blessed mother guarded by Joseph the carpenter," Bishoy explained. The second district visited by the family in Cairo was Al-Zeitun, where a church named "The Virgin Mary" was built in Toman Bey Street. It is said that appearances of the blessed lady could be seen around the domes of the church up until recent years. Another spot visited by the family was Zowela Avenue on at Been El-Soreen Street in El-Gamaleya district. An ancient church is found there, also named, "The Virgin Mary". It is one of the largest churches in the country and is distinguished by its basaltic style. The Holy Family then moved on to "Old Egypt" (Al-Fustaat) where they lived for a short time in a cave in the Abi Serja Church, within the walls of the Roman Babylon fortress. After leaving Al-Fustaat, they moved to Maadi district and settled at the location where the Virgin Mary Monastery and church were later built by the Nile."During Ottoman rule, the church had a marina for boats used for the transport of both soldiers and civilians travelling to and from Egypt," Bishoy told this newspaper. Some towns and villages in Upper Egypt were visited by the Holy Family, such as Assiut and Minya. In the book, "History of the Coptic Nation", author Samy Saleh records that the family took the same route on their journey back to Palestine. They first go to Maadi, passing through Old Egypt, then follow the road to Ein Shams, back to the city of Mustorod, and finally El-Arish, and from there to Gaza. According to the accounts of historians, the Holy Family spent around four years in Egypt. Their trip started in Sinai at Al-Farma, on the border with Gaza, where they arrived after fleeing Jerusalem. It ended in Durnaka, Assiut, venue of the famous Monastery where the feast of the Virgin Mary is celebrated in August each year. "The journey of the Holy Family to Egypt is never properly celebrated – and here I am not talking about the religious side of it. I am talking particularly about the cultural and historic aspects," said Robert Al-Faress, a researcher into Coptic history. "Most people – and I mean by most people, Egyptians at large and not just Christians but Muslims too – would join the ‘Moulids of Al-Adrah' (Feast of Virgin Mary) in Assiut, not just because this was the last spot of the journey of the Holy Family," Al-Faress said. "The trip is perceived as a Christian rather than an Egyptian event – and this is such a pity; because had it been approached from a cultural side it could h ave prompted so many events and considerable tourism for the 22 spots where the Virgin Mary and baby Jesus stopped," he said. He said that for the most part the average non-Christian Egyptian knows almost nothing about the history of Christians prior to the Arab Conquest of Egypt. "We have nothing to remind the public of the Holy Family's journey. There are pictures at churches and monasteries but those are for the church goers – as for the rest of the public there is only the two-hour event of Abou Serga Church that barely gets any coverage
