First: Meaning of "Church"

“And when he had said these things, he dismissed the assembly" , Acts 19: 41.

Later the word was confined to the Christian Church with its different meanings. The Syrian

origin was "knoshoto" meaning assembly or a group. In Coptic it is ekk~l/cia .

1. 
   The flock which are the people or the congregation who have one faith and are headed by Christ.
   

“And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it” , Mt 16:18.

1. 
   The Shepherds who are the apostles and their successors, who shepherd the people, and who received the gift of binding, absolution and serving the Divine Sacraments.
   

"And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church, But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector", Mt 18:17.

"So it was that for a whole year they assembled with the church and taught a great many people. And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch", Acts 11:26.

"Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to prayers made in this place" , 2 Chron 7:15.

In the Church of the New Testament, assembles the Holy body of Christ (the Head together with the members) ... where the Head leads the members through His Holy Spirit, and the members enjoy their wright in union with the Head.

1. 
   Solomon's temple and synagogues (Acts 3:1, 14:1, 18:4, 22:17)
   
2. 
   In rooms in the houses, called "upper rooms" (Acts 1:13, 12:12, 15:6, 20:8,9, 1Cor 16:9)
   
3. 
   In special buildings constructed for the purpose of worship.
   

2. 
   The church as a congregation as well as a building is the Lord's garment, which even though did not lose its material nature, at the occasion of the transfiguration, it became shining with the Divine Glory (Mk 9:2).
   

3. 
   The church building in its present design speaks of many symbols and values:
   

1. 
   The location of the baptistery in the west of the church at the entrance, and the altar in the east, has great meaning. It emphasizes to us that our entrance to the church life stems from enjoying the liturgy of baptism. Its action continues accompanying us in our life to bring us always to the altar's liturgy in order to enjoy the mystery of union with the sacrificed Messiah.
   

2. 
   Positioning the lectern ( Mangelia ) between the altar and the assembly of the faithful reveals to us the ranking of the word of God in relation to the Faithful’s liturgical life. The faithful can come near the altar sacraments and practice their liturgy only through the word of God.
   

3. 
   Raising the cross at the top of the iconostasis, drawing it on the doors and every corner of the church, and painting it on the crowns of the pillars, elucidates for us the liturgical truth. It is namely, an entrance in the partnership with the Crucified Christ. The cross is actually the secret of our worship, the subject of our praise, and the reason for our encounter with God forever.
   

Therefore, St. John Chrysostom speaks of those who are regular attendees in the church assemblies:

“We ought to take out what does not suit this holy place, as people coming down from heaven itself! ... Teach those outside that you were in the presence of the Seraphim, counted among the heavenly, and numbered with the angelic hosts, you speak with and accompany the Lord Jesus".
5. The apostles commanded (in chapter 10 of the Daskalia and the 14th. chapter of the Safawi Volumes of Ibn El Assal) that the church building faces eastward for many reasons, e.g.

1. 
   As a sign to our longing to see the Lord Jesus who is the Sun of Righteousness and Justice (Mal 4:2).
   

2. 
   To await for the Lord's return from the east (as He ascended from the east), Mt 24:27, Acts 1:11, Ps 68.
   

3. 
   To remember the paradise and long for it.
   

4. 
   To remember the beginning of our new life which we received through the baptism.
   

5. 
   To look towards the Crucified Lord (Who was looking towards the west when He was on the cross).
   

6. 
   As a means for the order of worship and its arrangement.
   

7. 
   Many biblical happenings took place in the east (the Garden of Eden, the Creation, the star which appeared to the Magi, Jesus' birth, crucifixion, death, resurrection, transfiguration, place of refuge, etc.)
   

8. 
   To be distinguished from the Jewish custom, who pray towards the west because the Holy and Holy of Holies were towards the west.
   

6. During the first four centuries the church buildings in Egypt were influenced by the ancient Egyptian temple which was composed of sections. The church kept the tripartite arrangement, namely the altar (sanctuary), church nave, and the place of the catechumens...

After that the church architecture was influenced by two famous types of buildings:

1. 
   Basilican (or Royal )
   

2. 
   Byzantine
   

The church roof is characterized by domes and the church design is usually in the shape of a cross, e.g. churches of El-Deir-el Ahmar (Red Monestary), El-Deir-el Abyad (White Monestary) at Souhag and Agia Sophia at Constantinople.

- In the shape of a cross (symbolizing the church as the body of the Crucified Christ)

- In a circular shape (referring to the eternal nature of the church).
7. The Church Fathers determined that the church must have three doors (Daskalia, ch. 35) like the Holy Trinity, as no one enters it except through baptism in the Name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit:
a)The western door, entrance for the congregation,

b)The southern door, entrance for the offerings (Karabeen),

c)The northern door, entrance for the clergy directly to the sanctuary or the front Khoros.
The church doors symbolize the doors to the Kingdom of God (The Way, The Truth, and The Life) and the gates of God's mercy.
Opening of the church doors refers to:

a) God's pleasure in our salvation,

b) His longing that all come to know the truth.,

c) The opening of the gates of God's mercy to everyone : "Therefore your gates shall be open continually; they shall not be shut day or night..." , Is 60 : 11,

d) That salvation is for all, for there is no distinction between Jew or Greek, slave or free, male or female...(Rm 10:11-13, Gal 3:26-28, Col 3:10,11).
8. The church has one or two towers at its entrance. The tower symbolizes the ship's sail or the lighthouse which leads the ship and people. Hermas said in the “shepherd's book”: “The church is a tower built in the midst of waters “.

The cross at the top of the church tower indicates that the church follows the Crucified Christ, that it will appear before His second coming (Mt 24: 30) as the sign of the Son of Man, and that the Cross is the way for unity and peace for the world (Eph 2: 13,14).

Church bells are normally hanging in the tower. They are used to call the congregation for prayers, and are used on the following occasions:
a) In the evening and morning before starting the praises (Hymnology or Doxologies, i.e. Tasbeha)

b) At the time of offering the Lamb (to declare that Christ the King rules on our souls through His sacrifice)

3. 
   During the communion ( to declare the church's joy with this heavenly feast)
   
4. 
   During feasts, with a joyful ring (because the bells are the church's voice)
   
5. 
   At the departure of a member from the congregation (with a tone of grief) as the church shares the grief of its members
   
6. 
   At the beginning of every hour of Good Friday's services (with tone of grief)
   
7. 
   At the arrival of a bishop (in joy for the apparent Head of the Church)
   

It should be noted that the tone of grief is not used during the Lord's feasts, on Sundays and during the Pentecost (50 days between Easter and Pentecost) as these are periods of joy.

1. 
   To protect the faithful from the evils of this vanishing world, and lead them to the port of salvation in heaven.
   
2. 
   So the faithful remember that they are strangers in the world, and that they are travelling to the heavenly homeland.
   
3. 
   To protect the faithful from this world's tumultuous waves.
   
4. 
   To confirm the words of St. Cyprianos " There is no salvation for man outside the church"
   

10. The Baptistery is located in the northern west side near the Khoros of the catechumens (Daskalia, ch. 35).

The western part of the church represents the "Khoros of the catechumens' who are being prepared to receive the sacrament of baptism.
The baptistery has two doors or at least two paths, one from the west side wherein enter those seeking baptism and leaving behind them the darkness of the world; and the other in the east through which they enter with the enlightened population of the church who are assembled for the Eucharist.
Through baptism we are transferred from darkness (the west) to light (the east) and from the north (the place of condemnation) to the south (right hand which is the place of acceptance).

11. 
    The Lakkan (lakan/) is situated in the mid-western area of the church.
    

11. 
    The Immersion Trough (El-Maghtas) used to be in the south-western side of the church. It used to be filled with water on the Eve of Epiphany for immersion of the faithful commemorating the Lord Jesus' baptism in the Jordan River. It is no longer in use.
    

13. The Sanctuary

The Sanctuary represents heaven. It has its special reverence (not entered in by laypersons, one enters bare-footed, no talking in the sanctuary except for needs of the service, the priests and deacons enter with the right foot and exit with the left foot looking towards the altar).

Inside the Sanctuary are:

It is built in the midst of the Holy of Hollies declaring our entrance to Heaven itself through the sacrifice of Christ Jesus.

The altar takes the form of a cubic. It is in the middle of the sanctuary, not attached to the walls (Rev 9:13) and is usually hollow to accommodate the relics of Saints. No drawings are engraved in it. Quite often, the sanctuary is one step higher than the Khoros of the Deacons. It is possible to have more than one altar in the same church. The bishop consecrates the altar before using it. However, it may be used before consecration provided the holy tablet, which has already been consecrated, is put on it.

The altar has three covers: one goes down to the floor and is covered by the second which is made of white linen (symbolizing purity) and goes down to about 15 cm from each side; the third is the Altar's veil (Prospharine).

In reverence to the altar, nothing is laid on it other than the holy offerings, vessels, and gospels (we do not put any flowers, even the relics of Saints were not put on the altar...). Two candlesticks are put, one on each side of the altar, symbolizing the two angels who were attending the tomb of our Lord Jesus.

The Holy Tablet is also put on the altar. Usually it is made of wood, has a cross or several crosses drawn in the middle, plus two Greek letters A and W. Sometimes, citations from the psalms are written on it e.g. “His foundations in the holy mountains, The Lord loves the gates of Zion “ (Ps 87:1,2). There is a prayer for consecrating the Holy Tablet, and the Eucharist cannot be offered on an altar without a consecrated tablet.

The Altar throne: Above the altar there is usually a dome, called the throne, which is supported by four pillars of stone or marble. Curtains used to be placed between the pillars. The throne points to honoring the sacrifice and its sanctity. It is usually in the form of a semicircular dome which is ornamented with icons. It carries a large cross in the middle and sometimes four other crosses, one on each side, referring to the five wounds of the Lord.
b)The Father's Bosom (The Easterly = The Sharkya)
This is a semi-circular curve at the centre of the eastern wall of the sanctuary, behind the altar. It symbolizes the bosom of the Father embracing all the worshippers and longing to His church. Normally it contains the icon of the Lord Christ in His Glory. In front of the icon there is a lantern (kandeel) which is lit all the time and is called the perpetual lantern. It refers to the star which appeared to the magi and leads them where the Lord was born. Above the icon, in most of the churches, there is a small window through which the sun rays enter. We fix our eyes to it so that Christ enlightens our minds and sight.
c) The Stairs (Aldarag)
This consists of seven stairs of stone or marble around the easterly. Upon those stairs used to be chairs for the priests, the top one for the Patriarch or Bishop, followed by the priests according to their ranks. The Bishop's chair was called cunyronoc (SYNTHRONOS) which means throne, so that he oversees the people; leading, teaching and blessing them. Presently, the church prefers to seat the Patriarch or Bishop in the right side of the sanctuary or on a special chair in the church nave.
14. The Church Nave
a) Deacons' Khoros
An area which is normally three steps higher than the main church nave and is separated from the altar by the iconostasis. It has the seating for deacons and also includes the following:

+ Two lamp stands in front of the sanctuary: one refers to the law of the old testament and the other to the law of the new testament.

The latin word "legere” means to read. It is a four-legged wooden or metal bookstand, on which the lectionary (the book for the spiritual readings in the liturgy of the Eucharist) and other liturgical books are placed for reading. The churches used to have two lecterns, one in the northern side facing the east, for the Coptic readings; and the other in the southern side facing the west, for the Arabic or English readings. Sometimes one lectern is used with a part facing east and the other facing west.

The lectern symbolizes Mount Sinai on which Moses took the law from God. It is therefore put in a place higher than the congregation in order to listen to God's teachings, and recognize the honor of evangelizing the Gospel.
It is noteworthy that the lectern replaced the Ambo (anbil in arabic) which is an elevated pulpit where the bishop or priest used to stand on and preach.

The ambo stands at the north-eastern side of the nave. It is built of white or colored marble, stone or wood, supported on pillars, and is reached by a staircase. It symbolizes Zion's "upper room'', the stone on which the angel stood on the Lord's tomb, proclaiming the resurrection to the women, the mountain on which Moses stood to take the law, and the mountain on which the Lord Jesus (God's Word) transfigurated before His disciples.

Church canons indicate that the church is lit with many lights like heaven, particularly at the time of reading the Holy Scriptures. It should be very bright with the candles and lanterns.

Light in the church expresses the transfiguration of Christ in it (Mt 17:8), the church's glory (Rev 21:23), and to remind us to shine as lights in the world (Philippians 2:15).

The lanterns are kept lit during prayers and the Divine Liturgy, and put off at the end of the service, except the two great lanterns which are not to be put off:

1.The lantern in the easterly and is called in Greek "akim/toc" which means He who does not sleep , or perpetual. It symbolizes the star which appeared to the wise men in the east.

2. The "askena in Arabic = Tc~k/n/" (meaning the tent). This is hung in front of the altar's door and symbolizes the light of Christ into the world.

Those two lanterns are not put off at all, for the house of God must be continually lit like the tabernacle (Ex 27:20, 40:38), and no foreign fire should get inside the church. It is preferable that the deacon takes fire from these lanterns to lit the other lanterns, for from the Sun of righteousness (lantern of the easterly) goes out the light and shines on the stars (the Saints).
+ The Ostrich Eggs

These are hung in the Khoros between the icons. They are before the eyes of the worshippers, reminding them with the resurrection, God's watchful eyes upon them, and in order to have their thoughts concentrated on the spiritual and heavenly matters...

It is normally divided into two parts separated by a group of pillars:

• 
  The Southern Khoros which is consecrated to the nuns, followed by those who live in virginity, the widows, women with children, and finally the young girls.
  
• 
  The Northern Khoros for men, followed by the youth.
  

In this are found the following

+ The Domes

In some of the churches which are built according to the Byzantine model (which is characterized by domes), the main dome, which fills almost the whole church nave, is called the Pantocrator (Pantokratwr)= Almighty= who controls all. It is usually painted in blue color and ornamented with the figures of angels and stars.

Some churches contain three domes, symbolizing the Trinity. Some others have five domes, the main one refers to the Lord the Pantocrator, and the smaller ones refer to the four evangelists.

+ The Pillars

The pillars of Solomon's temple used to have special names : "Then he set up the pillars before the temple, one on the right hand and the other on the left; he called the name of the one on the right hand Jachin, and the name of the one on the left Boaz",

2 Chr 3:17.

In the byzantine model, there are normally four pillars (referring to the four evangelists), however in the basilican model most of the time there are twelve pillars in the church nave (referring to the twelve apostles)...

St. Paul called the disciples pillars: " and when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars… ", Gal 2:9.

Our Lord Jesus Christ promised to make us pillars in His Father's eternal temple (Rev 3:12), that is if we conquer the devil.

In the ancient churches, the pillars' tops were ornamented with different crowns indicating that we will be crowned in heaven. Everyone will have his/her own special crown even though we have been all crowned in the worthiness of Christ's blood.

It separates the sanctuary from the rest of the church. It is a wooden or marble stand that holds the sanctified icons according to a specific church order:

1. 
   On the southern side of the royal door is put our Lord's Icon (holding the Gospel), then St. John the Baptist (who prepared the way to Christ), then icon of the Church's Saint, followed by others.
   
2. 
   On the opposite side (northern side of the royal door) one finds the Virgin Mary's icon (carrying Christ, as the Queen sitting at the King's right hand) and She represents the whole church. This is followed by the Annunciation's icon, then the Archangel Michael, then St. Marc and sometimes other apostles...
   
3. 
   Above the royal door is put the Last Supper's Icon (The Lord giving communion to His disciples, practicing His Priesthood), and on its right and left sides are put the icons of the twelve apostles who spread the faith to the world.
   
4. 
   At the top of the iconostasis stands the Holy Cross with St. Mary and St. John looking to Golgotha.
   

Raising the cross refers to the unity of the Saints and the Heavenly creatures, which is fulfilled through Christ's cross. The cross is the centre of all the gospel's events. As we look to Him on the cross opening His Arms (as the eagle's wings) He protects His Saints and lifts them up to the heavenly nest.

5. 
   The Iconostasis has three doors (Holy Trinity). The middle one is called the Royal door (or Holy door) because through it enters the Lamb which becomes the Body of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. At the sides of the minor doors used to be two small windows (to protect the sacrifice from the invaders and to give communion to the people).
   

The Iconostasis conveys many benefits to the worshippers: