The beauty of Egyptian churches is captured in a book by a US researcher who is a lover of Virgin Mary and this country, which played host to the Holy Family thousands of years ago. Carolyn Ludwig's The Churches of Egypt is the most magnificent of all the books because it contains a collection of colour photos of Coptic places of worship in this dominant Muslim country. The 328-page book, which took Ludwig five years to complete, highlights the riches and tolerance that have made Egypt the pride of the Christian world from the times of the Holy Family until today. With over 300 full colour photographs, Sherif Sonbol shows the original interior and exterior parts of Egypt's ancient and modern churches as well as their furnishings substantiate the extreme richness of the country's Coptic history. So on release of “The Churches of Egypt” by the American University in Cairo Press last week, celebrities and intellectuals filled the Hanging Church in Old Cairo to witness the moment and listen to a highly informative lecture by Ludwig. The book had the very best of Egypt's churches in terms of design and style at a time when the people are eager to know about the rich history of their country. "I started collecting the material and the photos of this book when I heard Mary's voice telling me to start working on it," she told the Egyptian Mail after her lecture. "Egypt is the best place to find these Coptic treasures, which remain until today," Ludwig, an editor, publisher and lecturer, who lives in Los Angeles and a frequent visitor to Egypt, said. The book allows readers to experience the beauty and grandeur of Egyptian churches and also appreciate the special meaning of tolerance, love and beauty Ludwig tries to give to them. The book incorporates the latest research to complement the broad geographic scope covering nearly all significant Coptic sites through out the country, from the ancient Coptic churches in Old Cairo to the churches in the monasteries of Wadi el-Natrun, the Red Sea and Upper Egypt. It also sheds light on many modern churches housing contemporary Coptic art such as the Cathedral of St. Mark and his shrine at Anba Ruways in Cairo that have not been dealt with in another publications. The book, which includes introductory chapters on the history of Christianity in Egypt by Gawdat Gabra and Gertrud J.M. van Loon, also describes churches of all other denominations, whose houses of worship were designed and decorated by European architects and painters in the nineteenth and first half of the twentieth century. Ludwig's The Churches of Egypt is an excellent illustrated book for those Christians who love to be reminded with the rich past and beautiful present. It is also a good description of today's churches, where art and true values still meet. The Churches of Egypt By Carolyn Ludwig The American University in Cairo Press 328 pages LE300
