Vol.I - The Coptic Orthodox Church

CH. iv.] The Roman Fortress. 189
Abu Sargah is paved with hard siliceous grey lime-
stone. The choir floor is two steps higher than the
nave floor: a broad stone bench, probably answer-
ing to the solea, runs across the nave and north aisle
at the foot of the choir-screen, which is of modern
lattice-work. In a panel over the central choir door
there is written, or rather wrought, in square Cufic-
'
like letters of wood a short text, Ya Allah al Khalas,'
i.e. ' O God, Salvation.' There is also a rude Coptic
inscription upon the lintel of the doorway, which
closes by double doors. Over the screen is a row
of fifteen small paintings, and higher still nine large
ones all, except the central Redeemer, nearly iden-
tical in treatment with those in the corresponding
here, as there, the
position at Abu-'s-Sifain ; and
larger series lies between two bands adorned with
golden texts in Arabic and Coptic. The other three
pictures in the nave are of no merit artistically : one
however, representing Abu Sargah and Abu Rakus,
stands over a locker in which the relics of the two
saints are treasured : and
another depicting the Flight
into Egypt is interesting from the fact that it shows
the Holy Family arriving at a Coptic dair.
Before the haikal and the north chapel the choir
is of unusual width, but is narrowed southward by
the intrusion of the south aisle and by the heavy
pier 1
through which one descent is cut from the
aisle to the crypt. The other descent is by an open
staircase railed round in the northern part of the
1 On this pier, at a height of about twelve feet from the ground,
there is a large stucco cross in relief with small crosses between
the branches ; the principal cross is about two feet long and broad,
and of Maltese form.