In St Mark’s Cathedral in Azbakiya, Cairo, a shrine housing the relics of three of the greatest patriarchs and bishops of the Coptic Church: Pope Morqos VIII, Pope Botrous VII commonly known as Botrous al-Gawly and Bishop Sarabamon Abu-Tarha, was recently inaugurated after renovations. Father Ghobrial Abdel-Nour, who attended in person the July 2000 unearthing of the relics which had remained buried for some two centuries, told Watani about it.
“Even before the relics were discovered, Fr Ghobrial said, we had known that they must have existed, since it was mentioned in the Coptic Church Synaxarium that the relics of these popes were buried south-east the altar of the main church. “However, the site was never dug out,” he said.
“In 2000,” Fr Ghobrial continued “we began works to renovate and expand the church. During the digging, a closed door was found. After opening the door we found the four relics. Excitedly, we were almost sure those were the ones mentioned in the Synaxarium”. Each of three of the bodies had a ribbon-belt around with the name of the person.
Miracle workers
The first body was that of Anba Morqos VIII who was pope from 1797 to 1808. He was the one who moved the papal seat from the Church of the Holy Virgin at Haret al-Rum in Fatimid Cairo, where it had remained from 1660 to 1799, to the then newly-built St Mark’s in Azbakiya.
The second was Pope Botrous VII, commonly known as Botrous al-Gawli, who was the 109th pope in the Coptic Orthodox Church, from 1808 to 1852. He is famous for a certain miracle that occurred in Jerusalem during his papacy. In the mid-19th century, when Ibrahim Pasha, son of Mohamed Ali the founder of modern Egypt, occupied Jerusalem, his followers cast severe doubts over the veracity of the miracle of the light emerging from Christ’s tomb at Easter. They cautioned Ibrahim Pasha against the unrest that could easily spark off among the multitudes crowding in the church, awaiting the so-called miracle. Ibrahim Pasha then sent for the Coptic Orthodox Pope Botrous VII to clarify the situation, and as a precaution, ordered the Church of the Holy Sepulchre shut for Easter Saturday. The crowds however could not be kept out, but gathered as was the tradition—only this time they could not enter the church, so they thronged in its courtyard. The Coptic and the Greek Orthodox popes prayed before the crowds, and at the usual time, to the unspeakable delight of the people, the holy fire emerged out of a pillar in the churchyard. To this day, the blackened pillar stands witness to the Easter Light.
The body of Fayoum bishop Anba Sarabamon Abu-Tarha was the third found. He was consecrated as a bishop at the hands of Pope Botrous Gawli, and was famous for his miracles. One of the best known was his healing of Princess Zahra, Mohammed Ali’s daughter, who had long been ailing with no cure.
As for the fourth relic, it is not known beyond doubt to whom it belongs. Coptic historian Nabih Kamel believes that it may belong to Bishop-General Botrous. He was consecrated at the hands of Pope Kyrillos V who was pope from 1874 to 1927.