Vol.I - The Coptic Orthodox Church

.CH. iv.] The Roman Fortress. 185
been desecrated by domestic usage. For domestic
purposes also the large bays or openings from the
triforia into the nave have been blocked up with thin
walls : but on each side north and south the two
bays remain visible, each divided by two small
columns : in each bay also three small latticed
windows still give a little light to the triforia. The
main building is lighted only by a window in the east
and in the west gable, and by a single skylight in the
nave roof,
the result, of course, being obscurity.
The whole south-western corner of the church has
been sadly altered. The south part of the narthex
has been cut out of the church, and an entrance
besides has been thrust into the south aisle.
porch
So the modern entrance-way, by the original south
aisle door, is blocked in front, but turns to the right,
then winds back through another opening in the
original south wall to the porch (which serves as
guest-room), and so reaches the nave. Over the
modern entrance are domestic buildings occupied
by the priest's family and communicating with the
triforia.
The large Epiphany tank lies boarded over in
the narthex : a smaller tank for ablutions and for
the Maundy washing of feet, as at Abu'-s-Sifain, is
in the women's section, which is divided from the
narthex by a lofty lattice screen. Between the
women's section and men's section there is the
unusual arrangement of a third division, a narrow
space co-extensive in width with the nave, but only
it has four door-
about 8 ft. broad from east to west ;
ways one into the south aisle and one into the baptistery
in the north aisle, besides those leading into
the sections of the nave. Within this narrow space,