Christmas Ceilings: Looking Up at Egypt’s Beautiful Churches

If you find yourself in a church, don’t forget to look towards the heavens. In the world of architecture, churches offer some of the most visually stimulating ceilings, evoking religious significance through captivating aesthetics. From Cairo to Port Said, we look at some of Egypt’s dramatic church ceilings…

The Heavenly Cathedral | Sharm El Sheikh

It took a team of 19 to complete the Heavenly Cathedral, a tourist attraction that features an ocean of artworks covering its surfaces. Frescoes and murals depict biblical scenes such as the Last Supper, the Creation and Exodus, while the ceiling hosts St. John’s vision of the apocalypse.

Saint Mary Church | Garden City

Saint Mary is one of the earliest Coptic churches to not feature columns within its interior. This is due to its postmodern architectural influences, which are apparent in its folding ceiling.

Saint Barbara Church | El Fustat

Acting as an everlasting example of Coptic architecture, Saint Barbara still draws inspiration from ancient basilicas with its narthex, long nave and several aisles. Minimally decorated, the 1943 structure features neat woodworking that just happens to frame its ceiling art when looking up.

Saint Mary Church | Faggala

Built in 1884 and founded by Pope Cyril V of Alexandria, the longest serving pope in the history of the Coptic Orthodox Church, Saint Mary Church is centred by a massive dome with coloured glass encircling its base.

Saint George Church | El Fustat

Intended as a family home, Saint George’s was built in 1938 by Egyptian architect Maher Demain. Covered in white, its vault ceiling is decorated with an ocean of stars and crosses.

Saint Mary, Lady of Kneeling, Church | Shoubra

Inside this 1906 French Gothic-inspired church, the nave provides an overwhelming sensation of height as a quadripartite, ‘four-part’ rib vaulting supports its ceiling. Dark blue covers the surface, with an array of stars imprinted on it to give visitors the sense of staring into an infinite night sky.

Saint Antony Church | Shoubra

Built between 1935 and 1950, and designed by Riyadh Gerges and Seif Nasrallah, the ceiling inside Saint Antony’s is filled with stars, while yellow glass windows on the clerestory provide complimentary warmth into the interior.

Saint Eugénie Church | Port Said

Port Said’s oldest church was first a wooden structure in 1867 which was then suplanted with the current structure in 1890. European in style, it features Neo-renaissance features that landed it in the Heritage List for Islamic and Coptic Monuments.

Saint Catherine’s Cathedral | Alexandria

Designed by Franciscan architects Serafino da Baceno and Mario Avena who worked on its facade, the Cathedral’s Basilica was built between 1847 and 1856 and depicts painted figures at the base of its central dome.