St Mary and St Mercurius Coptic Orthodox Church
Encyclopedia
St Mary and St Mercurius Coptic Orthodox Church is the first Coptic Orthodox Church in Wales
, at St Mary Street in Risca
, Newport
, Wales
.
It was consecrated in 1992 by H. H.
Pope Shenouda III
in the town of Risca
, South Wales
, under the official name of St Mary’s and St Abu Saifain’s Coptic Orthodox Church as a parish
of the Coptic Orthodox Church. NB: St Abu Saifain meaning "the Double-sworded" in Arabic is another name of Saint Mercurius
.
The current priest is Rev. Fr. Father Philopater Wahba, who has a degree in medicine MBBS
and was a consultant in orthopaedic surgery in Egypt. During his work, he graduated from the Coptic Orthodox Theological University (three years graduate course) in Cairo
and from the Institution of Pastoral Care (2 year course). He was ordained in Egypt in 1996 by HH Pope Shenouda III
, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch on the Holy See of St Mark, and was given the name Philopater after St. Philopater Mercurius who is also known as St Abu Saifain.
The church is a listed historic building (Grade II) for its well-preserved architectural interest, its unusual slender arcades and especially for its fine decorative frontage.
The exterior of the church is of a nonconformist chapel with gable end facade in Romanesque style
. Red and beige roughly dressed sandstone with cream ashlar is used to define very decoratively the architectural features; artificial slate roof with ashlar coping. Centre three bays are framed by pilasters and the bracketed antae which continue diagonally to apex surmounted by the short bellcote with embattled cornice.
Interior
Two upper-storey pilasters rising from the doorway cornice separate the 3 windows; these are of equal length, long, round-headed with long nook shafts, simple fluted capitals and an impost band; above the central window is the datestone, a shield under a round-arched hood.
The central entrance breaks forward slightly and has a wide moulded round-arched doorway with voussoirs above and impost band; recessed boarded double doors. Set back to each side are small round-headed windows linking with the continuous impost band. To each side are bays with similar though smaller entrance doorways with similar round-headed windows above and end pilasters completing the vertical composition.
The windows have some decorative glazing incorporating glass in cool colours—predominantly blue, green, mauve. Rendered 5-bay side elevation has round arched windows with chamfered surround separated by pilasters with offset; renewed glazing. Attached rear wing, former Sunday School, retains Welsh slate roof and ventilators.
Interior partly converted to Coptic Orthodox liturgical use. Unusual aisled roof structure, wooden trusses rising from posts set on the very tall slender marbled columns with Corinthian derived capitals, which also support the high round arches of a wooden arcade; painted boarded ceiling. Wide moulded reredos arch and gallery. Rear raked gallery with curved and panelled front; pews on both floors retained. Vestibule has glazed panels to partition and swing doors with quarry glazing incorporating Art Nouveau motifs.
Africa
Coptic Orthodox Church in Wales
The Coptic Orthodox Church in Wales has two churches in Wales. The first is in South Wales and the other in North Wales.-Missionary work of the Church of Alexandria :...
, at St Mary Street in Risca
Risca
Risca is a town of approximately 11,500 people in South Wales, within the Caerphilly County Borough and the historic boundaries of Monmouthshire. It is today part of the Newport conurbation , though it is not a Ward of Newport City Council...
, Newport
Newport
Newport is a city and unitary authority area in Wales. Standing on the banks of the River Usk, it is located about east of Cardiff and is the largest urban area within the historic county boundaries of Monmouthshire and the preserved county of Gwent...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
.
It was consecrated in 1992 by H. H.
His Holiness
His Holiness is the official style or manner of address in reference to the leaders of certain religious groups. In Christianity, specifically the Orthodox Church, the Coptic Orthodox Church, Armenian Orthodox Church, Syriac Orthodox Church, Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church and the Roman Catholic...
Pope Shenouda III
Pope Shenouda III of Alexandria
Pope Shenouda III of Alexandria is the 117th Pope of Alexandria and the Patriarch of All Africa on the Holy Apostolic See of Saint Mark the Evangelist of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria...
in the town of Risca
Risca
Risca is a town of approximately 11,500 people in South Wales, within the Caerphilly County Borough and the historic boundaries of Monmouthshire. It is today part of the Newport conurbation , though it is not a Ward of Newport City Council...
, South Wales
South Wales
South Wales is an area of Wales bordered by England and the Bristol Channel to the east and south, and Mid Wales and West Wales to the north and west. The most densely populated region in the south-west of the United Kingdom, it is home to around 2.1 million people and includes the capital city of...
, under the official name of St Mary’s and St Abu Saifain’s Coptic Orthodox Church as a parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
of the Coptic Orthodox Church. NB: St Abu Saifain meaning "the Double-sworded" in Arabic is another name of Saint Mercurius
Saint Mercurius
Great-martyr Mercurius was a Christian saint and martyr. Born Philopater in the city of Eskentos in Cappadocia, Eastern Asia Minor, his original name means "lover of the Father"...
.
Priests
MBBS
MBBS was a popular BBS system in the Nordic countries during the mid-1990s. It was created by a team of Oslo-based enthusiasts, led by Mike Robertson. As many BBS systems of that era, it was only available for the DOS platform. Since one process could only handle one node, multitaskers such as...
and was a consultant in orthopaedic surgery in Egypt. During his work, he graduated from the Coptic Orthodox Theological University (three years graduate course) in Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
and from the Institution of Pastoral Care (2 year course). He was ordained in Egypt in 1996 by HH Pope Shenouda III
Pope Shenouda III of Alexandria
Pope Shenouda III of Alexandria is the 117th Pope of Alexandria and the Patriarch of All Africa on the Holy Apostolic See of Saint Mark the Evangelist of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria...
, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch on the Holy See of St Mark, and was given the name Philopater after St. Philopater Mercurius who is also known as St Abu Saifain.
History of the building
The church building was a former Wesleyan Methodist church. Founded in 1837, it was rebuilt on the same site in 1852 and was dedicated to St John. The architect is unknown. The church was designed to seat 600 people. It was later known as "Trinity Methodist Church".The church is a listed historic building (Grade II) for its well-preserved architectural interest, its unusual slender arcades and especially for its fine decorative frontage.
Description
ExteriorThe exterior of the church is of a nonconformist chapel with gable end facade in Romanesque style
Romanesque Revival architecture
Romanesque Revival is a style of building employed beginning in the mid 19th century inspired by the 11th and 12th century Romanesque architecture...
. Red and beige roughly dressed sandstone with cream ashlar is used to define very decoratively the architectural features; artificial slate roof with ashlar coping. Centre three bays are framed by pilasters and the bracketed antae which continue diagonally to apex surmounted by the short bellcote with embattled cornice.
Interior
Two upper-storey pilasters rising from the doorway cornice separate the 3 windows; these are of equal length, long, round-headed with long nook shafts, simple fluted capitals and an impost band; above the central window is the datestone, a shield under a round-arched hood.
The central entrance breaks forward slightly and has a wide moulded round-arched doorway with voussoirs above and impost band; recessed boarded double doors. Set back to each side are small round-headed windows linking with the continuous impost band. To each side are bays with similar though smaller entrance doorways with similar round-headed windows above and end pilasters completing the vertical composition.
The windows have some decorative glazing incorporating glass in cool colours—predominantly blue, green, mauve. Rendered 5-bay side elevation has round arched windows with chamfered surround separated by pilasters with offset; renewed glazing. Attached rear wing, former Sunday School, retains Welsh slate roof and ventilators.
Interior partly converted to Coptic Orthodox liturgical use. Unusual aisled roof structure, wooden trusses rising from posts set on the very tall slender marbled columns with Corinthian derived capitals, which also support the high round arches of a wooden arcade; painted boarded ceiling. Wide moulded reredos arch and gallery. Rear raked gallery with curved and panelled front; pews on both floors retained. Vestibule has glazed panels to partition and swing doors with quarry glazing incorporating Art Nouveau motifs.
See also
- Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria
- Coptic Orthodox Church in WalesCoptic Orthodox Church in WalesThe Coptic Orthodox Church in Wales has two churches in Wales. The first is in South Wales and the other in North Wales.-Missionary work of the Church of Alexandria :...
- CoptCoptThe Copts are the native Egyptian Christians , a major ethnoreligious group in Egypt....
s - Coptic iconography
- Coptic languageCoptic languageCoptic or Coptic Egyptian is the current stage of the Egyptian language, a northern Afro-Asiatic language spoken in Egypt until at least the 17th century. Egyptian began to be written using the Greek alphabet in the 1st century...
- Coptic musicCoptic musicCoptic music is the music sung and played in the Coptic Orthodox Church . It consists mainly of chanted hymns in rhythm with instruments such as cymbals and the triangle...
- Coptic abstinenceCoptic abstinenceThe Copts, the Christians of Egypt, who belong mostly to the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria, observe fasting periods according to the Coptic calendar. These fasting periods are matched by no other Christian community. Out of the 365 days of the year, the Copts fast over 210 days.- Fasting...
- Patriarch of AlexandriaPatriarch of AlexandriaThe Patriarch of Alexandria is the Archbishop of Alexandria and Cairo, Egypt. Historically, this office has included the designation of Pope , and did so earlier than that of the Bishop of Rome...
- Pope Shenouda III of AlexandriaPope Shenouda III of AlexandriaPope Shenouda III of Alexandria is the 117th Pope of Alexandria and the Patriarch of All Africa on the Holy Apostolic See of Saint Mark the Evangelist of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria...
- British Orthodox ChurchBritish Orthodox ChurchThe British Orthodox Church is a small Oriental Orthodox jurisdiction, canonically part of the Coptic Patriarchate of Alexandria. Its mission is to the people of the British Isles, and though it is Orthodox in its faith and practice, it remains British in its ethos...
- Coptic Orthodox Church in EuropeCoptic Orthodox Church in EuropeThe Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria has many churches and congregations in Europe and on 2 June 1974 Pope Shenouda III has received in the Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria a native Orthodox Church in France known as the French Orthodox Eparchy, along with their Primate, who in turn...
- The Holy Synod of the Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria
- Oriental OrthodoxyOriental OrthodoxyOriental Orthodoxy is the faith of those Eastern Christian Churches that recognize only three ecumenical councils — the First Council of Nicaea, the First Council of Constantinople and the First Council of Ephesus. They rejected the dogmatic definitions of the Council of Chalcedon...
- EgyptEgyptEgypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
Other Coptic Orthodox Churches
- Coptic architectureCoptic architectureCoptic architecture is the architecture of the Copts, who form the majority of Christians in Egypt.Coptic churches range from great cathedrals like Saint Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral to the smallest churches in rural villages. Many ancient monasteries like Monastery of Saint Anthony, the oldest...
— about Coptic Orthodox Churches - List of Coptic Orthodox Churches in the United States
- Saint Mary and Saint Abasikhiron Coptic Orthodox Church, LlandudnoLlandudnoLlandudno is a seaside resort and town in Conwy County Borough, Wales. In the 2001 UK census it had a population of 20,090 including that of Penrhyn Bay and Penrhynside, which are within the Llandudno Community...
, North WalesNorth WalesNorth Wales is the northernmost unofficial region of Wales. It is bordered to the south by the counties of Ceredigion and Powys in Mid Wales and to the east by the counties of Shropshire in the West Midlands and Cheshire in North West England...
Africa
- Coptic CairoCoptic CairoCoptic Cairo is a part of Old Cairo which encompasses the Babylon Fortress, the Coptic Museum, the Hanging Church, the Greek Church of St. George and many other Coptic churches and historical sites. It is believed that the Holy Family visited this area and stayed at the site of Saints Sergius and...
- Seat of the Coptic Orthodox Pope of AlexandriaSeat of the Coptic Orthodox Pope of AlexandriaThe Seat of the Coptic Orthodox Pope of Alexandria is historically based in Alexandria, Egypt. It is commonly known as the Holy See of St. Mark, as the Coptic Pope is the successor of St. Mark....
- Saint Barbara Church in Coptic CairoSaint Barbara Church in Coptic CairoThe Coptic Orthodox Church of St. Barbara is one of the many famous Coptic Orthodox parishes that can be found in the district of Coptic Cairo. The building is located on the eastern part of the Babylon Fortress and is one of the oldest buildings in Cairo, dating back to the 5th or 6th century AD...
- Saint Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral, Cairo
- Saint Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral (Alexandria)Saint Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral (Alexandria)Saint Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral in Alexandria is the historical seat of the Pope of Alexandria, the head of the Coptic Orthodox Church.-Beginning:The cathedral is said to stand on the site of the church founded by St. Mark the Evangelist in 60 AD.St...
- Saint Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral (Azbakeya)Saint Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral (Azbakeya)Saint Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral in Azbakeya, Cairo was the seat of the Coptic Pope from 1800 to 1971.Due to Ibrahim El-Gohary's influential position in the government and his great favor to the Muslim rulers, he was able to issue fatwas that permitted the Copts to rebuild the destroyed...
- Saint Mark Coptic Orthodox Church (Heliopolis)Saint Mark Coptic Orthodox Church (Heliopolis)St. Mark's Coptic Orthodox Church is the first Coptic parish that was built and established in the district of Heliopolis in Cairo, Egypt. Being one of several Coptic Orthodox Churches in Heliopolis, St. Mark's Church is specifically located on Cleopatra Street, near the Cleopatra...
- Saint Mary Church (Haret Elroum)Saint Mary Church (Haret Elroum)Saint Mary Church El-Adra-El Mughitha church is a Coptic Orthodox church in Haret Elroum in Elghoureya Cairo. near the st Theodore Nun's monastery....
- Saint Mercurius Church in Coptic CairoSaint Mercurius Church in Coptic CairoSaint Mercurius Church in Coptic Cairo is one of the churches situated just to the north of the Babylon Fortress in Old Cairo among a group of important churches, and within the area known as the Abu Sayfayn Cloister is to be found three churches and a convent...
- Saints Sergius and Bacchus Church (Abu Serga)Saints Sergius and Bacchus Church (Abu Serga)Saints Sergius and Bacchus Church, also known as Abu Serga, in Coptic Cairo is one of the oldest Coptic churches in Egypt, dating back to the 4th century.-Importance:...
- The Hanging ChurchThe Hanging ChurchSaint Virgin Mary's Coptic Orthodox Church also known as the Hanging Church is one of the oldest churches in Egypt and the history of a church on this site dates to the 3rd century AD....
- Church of the Holy Virgin (Babylon El-Darag)Church of the Holy Virgin (Babylon El-Darag)The Church of the Holy Virgin in Babylon El-Darag is a Coptic Orthodox church in Coptic Cairo built in the 11th century AD.-History:...
- Church of the Virigin Mary (Haret Zuweila)Church of the Virigin Mary (Haret Zuweila)The Church of the Virgin Mary in Haret Zuweila is the oldest church in the district of Haret Zuweila, near the Fatamid section of Cairo. It was probably built around the AD 10th century, though it is first mentioned in writing in the early 12th century on the occasion of the consecration of the...