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A testament to its great age, the Church of St Sergius (daily 8am-4pm) is situated below street level. Probably founded in the fifth century and continuously rebuilt since medieval times, Abu Serga retains the basilical form typical of early Coptic churches. The low ceiling and the antique columns topped with Corinthian capitals support the women's gallery, where you can inspect its thirteenth-century haikal screen and bits of frescoes and mosaics in the central apse. Steps to the right of the altar descend into a crypt where the Holy Family are believed to have stayed. A Coptic festival (June 1) commemorates their sojourn. From St Sergius, you can wander along to the end of the lane where another thoroughfare leads to the Church of St Barbara (to the left) and Ben Ezra Synagogue (on the right). The eleventh-century Church of St Barbara replaced an earlier Church of SS. Cyrus and John, which was razed during Al-Hakim's assault on Fustat. Unlike others in the quarter, its wooden-vaulted roof is lofty, with skylights and windows illuminating a nave flanked by Arabic arches with Fatimid tie beams. Nor would its minbar -esque pulpit and inlaid haikal screen look amiss in a mosque. As if to refute such comparisons, the right-hand wall relates the life of Jesus in colourful tableaux, while the western sanctuary contains the relics of Sitt Barbara. Tradition holds that she was the daughter of a pagan merchant who was murdered for preaching Christianity in the third century, but sceptics might note that her belated recognition followed another questionable case.
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