Vol.I - The Coptic Orthodox Church

3O2 Ancient Coptic Churches. [CH. vu;
The third church lies on the southern side of the
courtyard, and is dedicated to Abu Iskharun^, or St.
Ischyrion, a martyr of Alexandria. It is perhaps
rather more basilican in structure than the other
churches, but not of a very decided type of architec-
ture. The choir and nave are almost covered by
one magnificent dome of brick, the low pitch of which
secures a curve of great beauty. A door once lead-
ing into the north part
of the choir is now blocked :
it is square-headed, and above the lintel there is set
a large panel of finely wrought mosaic of brickwork.
Ornamentation of this kind, no less than the noble
span and superb lightness of these desert domes, shows
that the ancient monastic builders possessed an un-
rivalled mastery over brickwork, and delighted in
producing effects on which western architects would
scarcely
venture. The shell of these churches is
generally built of unhewn limestone, which is found
in large quantities in the desert hills : but the bricks,
which .are small and dark red in colour, must have
been carried on camels from the far-off cities of
Egypt.
The north chapel of Abu Iskharun contains at
present no altar, but doubtless had one originally.
In the haikal there is an unusual feature : against
the wall in the north-west corner is placed a sort of
small table of stone, which possibly may have been
designed as a credence, and close by it an unmistakeable
piscina. The latter is formed of an ordinary
earthenware jar, or kullah as the natives call it, with
the bottom broken out, and the mouth set downwards
in the wall,
in which it is cemented. This is doubt-
>>.