Vol.I - The Coptic Orthodox Church

33 Ancient Coptic Churches. [CH. vn.
in plaster and raised in low relief. Besides these
six crosses, which unquestionably mark places signed
with the holy oil at the consecration of the church,
there are four other dedication crosses in the choir
on the western face of the piers between the haikal
and the aisle-chapels. These crosses in the choir
are each enclosed in a circular border, no less than
20 in. in diameter: they are of the form called patonce,
with the end of every branch cleft into three leaves,
or rather a central pointed leaf between two half
leaves. Both crosses and borders are filled with
arabesques or other graceful tracery
: the whole
design is in plaster.
Here, as at Anba Bishoi, the haikal-screen consists
of a pair of lofty folding-doors, each in two
leaves ; and here also, instead of opening back and
showing the whole interior of the sanctuary, the four
leaves have been permanently fixed, and the two
inner leaves have been sawn through in such a
manner that while the upper part of each remains
immoveable, the lower swings open on hinges. The
result of course is a fixed opaque iconostasis, with
a low doorway in the centre, agreeing
with the
fashion which seems to have arisen in the eighth
or ninth century. The carvings upon this screen
stand out in very bold relief, and, though purely
conventional, are singularly beautiful.
As usual, all three chapels are rectangular; but
the haikal contains a niche so large as almost to be
worthy the name of an apse. The floor of the niche
is, however, raised so far above the floor of the
haikal as to remove all doubt of the architect's
intention. In the north-west corner of this sanc-
tuary one may notice, embedded in the wall, a