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Church of Saint Porphyrius

Coordinates: 31°30′12″N 34°27′44″E / 31.5033°N 34.4621°E / 31.5033; 34.4621
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Church of Saint Porphyrius
كنيسة القديس برفيريوس
Saint Porphyrius Church in 2022
Map
31°30′12″N 34°27′44″E / 31.5033°N 34.4621°E / 31.5033; 34.4621
LocationGaza City
CountryState of Palestine
DenominationGreek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem
History
DedicationSaint Porphyrius
Consecrated1150
Architecture
Completed1150-1160
Specifications
Length22.9 meters (75 ft)
Width8.9 meters (29 ft)
Administration
ArchdioceseArchdiocese of Tiberias
Clergy
ArchbishopAlexios Moschonas

The Church of Saint Porphyrius (Greek: Εκκλησία του Αγίου Πορφυρίου, romanized: Ekklisía tou Agíou Porfyríou, IPA: [e.kliˈsi.a tu aˈʝi.u por.fiˈri.u]; Arabic: كَنِيسَة الْقِدِّيس بُرْفِيرْيُوس, romanized: Kanīsat al-Qiddīs Burfīryūs) is a Greek Orthodox church in Gaza City, State of Palestine. It belongs to the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem and is the oldest active church in the city. Located in the Zaytun Quarter of the Old City of Gaza, it is named after the 5th-century bishop of Gaza, Saint Porphyrius, whose tomb is situated in the northeastern corner of the church.[1]

History

A church was built on the site as early as AD 425,[2] but the construction of the current church was undertaken by the Crusaders in the 1150s or 1160s; they dedicated it to St Porphyrius. In the seventh century, the church had been converted into a mosque.[3] Records from the 15th century show that the church may have also been dedicated to the Virgin Mary.[4] The church was renovated in 1856.[1]

The Patriarch of Jerusalem appointed Saint Porphyrius, when he was aged 45, as custodian of the Venerable Wood of the Cross of the Lord.[5] He was described by the Roman Christian hagiographer Mark the Deacon as the Christianizer of the "disobedient pagan people of Gaza."[6] According to the legend, there was a terrible drought in Gaza that ended only after Saint Porphyrios and a group of 280 Christians prayed to God with "fasting, vigil and procession." This led to the conversion of 25 pagans, as rain in this region was considered God's greatest gift.[7]

In the 2014 Gaza War, around 2,000 Palestinians slept in the church during Israeli bombings.[8][9] The church was again used as refuge for hundreds of civilians during the 2023–24 Israel–Hamas war.[10] In October 2023, it was the site of an airstrike by the Israeli Air Force,[11][12][13] which hit two halls sheltering Gazan Palestinian Muslims and Christians, causing the collapse of at least one building,[14][15] and killed between 16–18 civilians.[16] The church was attacked again in July 2024.[17]

Architecture

Church of St. Porphyrius and minaret

There are some cornices and bases that date back to the Crusader period, but much of the other portions are later additions.[18] The church is rectangular in shape, with a half-domed roofed temple.[19] Its pavement 1.8 meters (5.9 ft) below ground level in its southern part, and 3 meters (9.8 ft) below ground level at the northern end, suggesting that the present building was built atop of an earlier church structure.[4] The church consists of a single aisle made up of two groin-vaulted bays, with a projecting semi-circular apse preceded by a barrel-vaulted presbytery. Internally, the building measures 22.9 meters (75 ft) by 8.9 meters (29 ft), including the apse. It has architectural and constructional similarities with the former Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist (currently the Great Mosque of Gaza).[4]

The church has three entrances. The western entrance has a portico with three marble columns supporting two pointed arches.[19] The bases of the marbles date from the Crusader era.[20] The church can also be entered from its façade or from a side door which opens onto a modern gallery, equipped with stairs for going down to the level of the pavement.[18] Its colossal walls are supported by horizontal marble and granite columns and pilasters.[1]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c Dumper & Abu-Lughod 2007.
  2. ^ Cohen & Lewis 1978, p. 119.
  3. ^ "World's third-oldest church damaged in deadly Gaza rocket strike". News Desk. Artforum. 20 October 2023. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
  4. ^ a b c Pringle 1993, p. 216.
  5. ^ "St. Porphyrius the Bishop of Gaza. Commemorated on February 26". OrthoChristian.Com. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
  6. ^ Chrysopoulos, Philip (30 October 2023). "Saint Porphyrius: The Bishop Who Brought Christianity to Gaza". Greek Reporter.
  7. ^ Philippides, Anastasios (26 February 2014). John Sanidopoulos (ed.). "Saint Porphyrios of Gaza and the World of Late Antiquity". Orthodox Christianity Then and Now. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
  8. ^ "Greek Orthodox church in Gaza shelters Muslims fleeing war". Reuters. 22 July 2014. Retrieved 29 November 2022.
  9. ^ "Israel-Gaza conflict: Greek Orthodox church of St Porphyrios becomes a". The Independent. 28 July 2014. Retrieved 29 November 2022.
  10. ^ "'War knows no religion': Gaza's oldest church shelters Muslims, Christians". Al Jazeera. 16 October 2023. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
  11. ^ "Orthodox church says it was hit by Israeli air strike in Gaza". Reuters. 20 October 2023.
  12. ^ "'Dozens of Palestinian feared dead after Orthodox Church Complex in Gaza targeted'". Roya News. 19 October 2023.
  13. ^ "'Blast Goes Off at Orthodox Church Campus in Gaza'". Wall Street Journal. 19 October 2023.
  14. ^ "Historic church sheltering civilians struck in deadly Gaza City blast". The Washington Post. 20 October 2023.
  15. ^ "Greek Orthodox church building collapses in Gaza due to 'Israeli airstrikes'". Roya News. 19 October 2023.
  16. ^ "'Caritas Mourns Colleagues Death in Attack in Gaza". Caritas Internationalis. 20 October 2023.
  17. ^ "WCC condemns attacks on St Porphyrius Church in Gaza and Golan Heights". World Council of Churches. Retrieved 18 August 2024.
  18. ^ a b Alliata, Eugenio; de Luca, Stefano (19 December 2000). "Gaza – (Gaza, al-'Azzah)" Christus Rex. Jerusalem: Studium Biblicum Franciscanum. Archived 23 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  19. ^ a b Travel in Gaza Archived 23 August 2013 at the Wayback Machine MidEastTravelling.
  20. ^ Meyer 1907, p. 111.

Bibliography

Media related to Saint Porphyrius Church (Gaza City) at Wikimedia Commons

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