Coptic Architecture

Coptic architecture is the architecture of the Coptic Christians, who form the majority of Christians in Egypt, ranging from great cathedrals such as Saint Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral to small rural village churches, alongside ancient monasteries such as the Monastery of Saint Anthony in the Eastern Desert. Some scholars trace its origins to ancient Egyptian temple architecture, seeing a resemblance between the temple plan's progression from an outer courtyard to a hidden inner sanctuary and the Coptic church's arrangement of an outer narthex or porch leading to a sanctuary concealed behind an iconostasis. The Hanging Church in Coptic Cairo is among its most historically significant surviving examples.