CATHEDRALS

Alexandria, let us remember, is one of the great Christian cities of antiquity, which was the historic seat of St Mark's preaching in Egypt, and a true apostolic city. So it is not in Cairo that the country's historic cathedrals are to be found, but in Alexandria. Due to the separation of Christians into various families, today there are four cathedrals in Alexandria: the Latin Cathedral, the Coptic Orthodox Cathedral, the Greek Catholic Cathedral and the Greek Orthodox Cathedral.

Three are located in the same Mancheya district, south of Tahrir Square, between the Hanaux department store and the Sidi Metwally sharia. The Coptic Orthodox Cathedral is on Nabi Daniel Street.

St Catherine's Latin Cathedral. A large 19th-century church with a central nave and two side aisles, the interior of which is painted white. Behind the high altar is the tomb of King Victor-Emmanuel III of Italy, who died in exile in Alexandria. The Cathedral is adjacent to the seat of the Apostolic Vicariate; for the sake of ecumenical dialogue, the Catholic Church appoints a bishop for Egypt who does not bear the title of Bishop of Alexandria.

Greek Orthodox Cathedral of the Patriarchate of Alexandria and All Africa. The Greek Orthodox Church of Alexandria is said to be autocephalous, meaning that its community does not depend on a higher hierarchy, although they are members of the Union of Orthodox Churches. This church, also built in the 19th century and consisting of three naves, is remarkable for its iconostasis.

Greek Catholic Cathedral, seat of the Patriarchate of Alexandria. It is the Melkite church born in Syria in the wake of St Peter, which is one of the sui juris churches of the Catholic Church. The building, built in the 19th century, is painted in ochre colours. On Sundays, it is the place where Melkite songs, known for their quality, can be heard under its vaults.

Coptic Orthodox Cathedral of St. Mark. The foundations and the crypt of the cathedral date back to the first centuries of our era. It was from here that the bones of Saint Mark were stolen in the 9th century before being taken and kept in Venice until Pope Paul VI returned them in 1968. The present building dates from the 1950s. It is the historical seat of St. Mark's preaching. On April 9, 2017, at the end of the Palm Sunday Mass that Pope Tawadros II conducted that day, a suicide bomber exploded at the entrance and killed 17 people.