The Rt. Reverend Archimandrite Jack Khalil and Dr. Michel Abs Visit the Babylon Fortress in the Patriarchal Monastery of St. George - Cairo
Cairo, July 14, 2024
The Rt. Reverend Archimandrite Jack Khalil, Dean of the Saint John of Damascus Institute at the University of Balamand, Lebanon, and President of the Association of Theological Institutes in the Middle East A.T.I.M.E., and Dr. Michel Abs, the Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), continued their pilgrimage to the Patriarchal Monastery of St. George in Cairo, affiliated to the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria and All Africa for the Greek Orthodox, and visited the Roman Fortress of Babylon.
They were accompanied by the Rt. Reverend Archimandrite Damaskinos Alazrai, the Head of the Monastery, and the Journalist Lea Adel Maamary, the MECC Media Church Relations Coordinator. The visitors had a look at the Fortress, its sections, and content, as well as visited its Churches, the graves of the Patriarchs and of the new holy martyrs, as well as everything it includes.
It should be noted, and according to information, that after the founding of the city of Cairo in 970 AD, the name of the area where the Babylon Fortress was located changed to Ancient Egypt. During this period, the Fortress was known as the Palace of Rum and the Palace of Wax. According to Christian tradition, the Babylon Fortress is the place where the Holy Family settled during their escape to Egypt.
Moreover, St. George was imprisoned in the Fortress itself in the early fourth century AD. This is why the Monastery and Church of St. George in Ancient Egypt represents one of the most important Holy Shrines for the Orthodox.
