Vol.I - The Coptic Orthodox Church

CH. i.] General Structure. \ i
lives and possessions exposed to ceaseless outbursts
of fanatical violence and rapacity on the part of
their conquerors, it became a necessity of existence
to fortify their churches. Hence the absence of
windows other than small skylights in all Coptic
churches, and the early disuse of the triple western
doorway. The latter was retained at Al Mu'allakah,
which, owing to its '
peculiar structure in
depended
the air,'
for its security on other defences. At Abu
Sargah there is one existing door at the west, with
clear evidence of one if not two others having been
blocked up: while at Kadisah Burbarah, Abu-'s-
Sifain, and Anba Shanudah, there is a single western
entrance with no indication of any other having ever
existed. The Jewish synagogue (church of St.
Michael) differs from all others at the present day
in retaining its single original western entrance in
the centre : in the other cases quoted the western
door opens into one of the side aisles. Many
churches have their doorway on the north or south
side, the arrangement being determined by the accidents
of the situation and the facilities afforded by
masses of surrounding buildings. At Mari Mlna
there is a western door opening into the south aisle,
and another opening into the north aisle, though the
latter has been walled off and excluded from the
sacred building. The interesting basilica in the
Harat-az-Zuailah seems to have had one or more
western doorways, though from the west, as the
level of the city rose about the church, the entrance
was removed to the south, and finally to the east.
In nearly all cases the western wall of a Coptic
church aligns the street, but in the little isolated
dairs of Mari Mina and Tadrus, which have no