Church of Saint Porphyrius

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This article is about the church. For the 2023 airstrike, see Church of Saint Porphyrius airstrike.
Church of Saint Porphyrius
كنيسة القديس برفيريوس
Saint Porphyrius Church and minaret
Map
Church of Saint Porphyrius
31°30′12″N 34°27′44″E / 31.5033°N 34.4621°E / 31.5033; 34.4621
LocationGaza City
CountryState of Palestine
DenominationGreek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem
History
DedicationSaint Porphyrius
Architecture
Completed1150s/1160s[1]
Specifications
Length22.9 meters (75 ft) (inside)
Width8.9 meters (29 ft) (inside)
Administration
ArchdioceseArchdiocese of Tiberias[citation needed]
Clergy
ArchbishopAlexios Moschonas[when?]

The Church of Saint Porphyrius (Greek: Εκκλησία του Αγίου Πορφυρίου, romanized: Ekklisía tou Agíou Porfyríou, IPA: [e.kliˈsi.a tu aˈʝi.u por.fiˈri.u]; Arabic: كَنِيسَة الْقِدِّيس بُرْفِيرْيُوس, romanized: Kanīsat al-Qiddīs Burfīryūs) is a Greek Orthodox church in Gaza City, Palestine. It belongs to the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem and is the oldest active church in the city. Located in the Zaytun Quarter of the Old City of Gaza, it is named after the 5th-century bishop of Gaza, Saint Porphyrius, whose tomb is situated in the northeastern corner of the church.[2]

On 19 October 2023, during the Gaza war, a building from the church compound was damaged during an Israeli airstrike, killing 18 Palestinian civilians, but the church building itself was not damaged.[3]

History

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Saint Porphyrius of Gaza

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The Patriarch of Jerusalem appointed Saint Porphyrius (c. 347–420), when he was aged 45, as custodian of the Venerable Wood of the Cross of the Lord.[4] He was described by the Roman Christian hagiographer Mark the Deacon, Porphyrius' companion from 395 until 420, as the Christianizer of the "disobedient pagan people of Gaza."[5] According to the legend, there was a terrible drought in Gaza that ended only after Saint Porphyrios and a group of 280 Christians prayed to God with "fasting, vigil and procession." This led to the conversion of 25 pagans, as rain in this region was considered God's greatest gift.[6]

The Byzantine- and Crusader-period churches

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A church was built on the site as early as AD 425,[7] and was converted into a mosque in the 7th century.[8]

The current church was built by the Crusaders in the 1150s or 1160s; they probably dedicated it to St Porphyrius as well.[8] Records from the 15th century however show that the church was also dedicated to the Virgin Mary.[1]

The church was renovated in 1856.[2]

The church and cemetery in 1922, view from SW

Gaza wars

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See also: Church of Saint Porphyrius airstrike

In the 2014 Gaza War, around 2,000 Palestinians slept in the church compound during Israeli bombings.[9][10]

The church premises were again used as refuge for hundreds of civilians during the Gaza war,[11] which started on October 7, 2023. On 19 October 2023, it was the site of an airstrike by the Israeli Air Force,[12][13][14] which hit two halls sheltering Gazan Palestinian Muslims and Christians, causing the collapse of at least one building,[15][16] and killed 18 civilians. Over 450 Palestinians had been sheltering there.[17] A church annex was targeted again in July 2024.[18]

Description

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Elevation from west, Clermont-Ganneau (1873/74). There is no portico depicted.

The church pavement is far below ground level (1.8 meters (5.9 ft) in its southern part, and 3 meters (9.8 ft) on the northern side), suggesting that the present building was built atop of an earlier church structure.[1] There are some cornices and bases that date back to the Crusader period, but much of the other portions are later additions.[19]

Elevation from south, Clermont-Ganneau (1873/74)

The church is rectangular in shape, with a half-dome roof over the altar apse.[20] It consists of a single aisle made up of two groin-vaulted bays, with a projecting semi-circular apse preceded by a barrel-vaulted presbytery. Internally, the building measures 22.9 meters (75 ft) by 8.9 meters (29 ft), including the apse. It has architectural and constructional similarities with the Crusader-period former Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist (currently the Great Mosque of Gaza).[1]

The church has three entrances. The main entrance is at the western façade and has a portico with three marble columns supporting two pointed arches.[20] The column bases date to the Crusader period.[21] A second entrance passes through the former medieval window on the southern side of the west bay, enlarged to become a door opening onto a women's gallery added in the modern period, equipped with stairs for going down to the level of the pavement.[19][22] The third entrance, which offers access from the north side toward the eastern bay, seems to also be of recent date in its current form, probably dating to the 1856 restoration, but retains several medieval elements.[22]

Southern wall with modern entrance to women's gallery (2022)

The thick-walled structure is supported by horizontal marble and granite columns and pilasters.[2]

Kuwaitis visiting the church during wartime (2 Dec. 2024)

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d Pringle 1993, p. 216
  2. ^ a b c Dumper 2007.
  3. ^ Lakritz, Talia; Makhoul, Reem (24 October 2023). "Photos show Gaza's Church of Saint Porphyrius, one of the oldest churches in the world, after the complex was damaged by Israeli airstrikes". Business Insider. Retrieved 23 September 2025. Business Insider cites The New York Times as its source.
  4. ^ "St. Porphyrius the Bishop of Gaza. Commemorated on February 26". OrthoChristian.Com. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
  5. ^ Chrysopoulos, Philip (30 October 2023). "Saint Porphyrius: The Bishop Who Brought Christianity to Gaza". Greek Reporter.
  6. ^ Philippides, Anastasios (26 February 2014). John Sanidopoulos (ed.). "Saint Porphyrios of Gaza and the World of Late Antiquity". Orthodox Christianity Then and Now. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
  7. ^ Cohen & Lewis 1978, p. 119.
  8. ^ a b "World's third-oldest church damaged in deadly Gaza rocket strike". News Desk. Artforum. 20 October 2023. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
  9. ^ "Greek Orthodox church in Gaza shelters Muslims fleeing war". Reuters. 22 July 2014. Retrieved 29 November 2022.
  10. ^ "Israel-Gaza conflict: Greek Orthodox church of St Porphyrios becomes a". The Independent. 28 July 2014. Retrieved 29 November 2022.
  11. ^ "'War knows no religion': Gaza's oldest church shelters Muslims, Christians". Al Jazeera. 16 October 2023. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
  12. ^ "Orthodox church says it was hit by Israeli air strike in Gaza". Reuters. 20 October 2023.
  13. ^ "'Dozens of Palestinian feared dead after Orthodox Church Complex in Gaza targeted'". Roya News. 19 October 2023.
  14. ^ "'Blast Goes Off at Orthodox Church Campus in Gaza'". Wall Street Journal. 19 October 2023.
  15. ^ "Historic church sheltering civilians struck in deadly Gaza City blast". The Washington Post. 20 October 2023.
  16. ^ "Greek Orthodox church building collapses in Gaza due to 'Israeli airstrikes'". Roya News. 19 October 2023.
  17. ^ "Israel/OPT: 'Nowhere safe in Gaza': Unlawful Israeli strikes illustrate callous disregard for Palestinian lives". Amnesty International. 20 November 2023. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
  18. ^ "WCC condemns attacks on St Porphyrius Church in Gaza and Golan Heights". World Council of Churches. Retrieved 18 August 2024.
  19. ^ a b Alliata, Eugenio; de Luca, Stefano (19 December 2000). "Gaza – (Gaza, al-'Azzah)" Christus Rex. Jerusalem: Studium Biblicum Franciscanum. Archived 23 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  20. ^ a b "Gaza - Culture: The Greek Orthodox Church". MidEast Travelling. Archived from the original on 23 August 2013.
  21. ^ Meyer 1907, p. 111.
  22. ^ a b Pringle 1993, p. 219

Bibliography

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Media related to Saint Porphyrius Church (Gaza City) at Wikimedia Commons