St Mary and St Abraam Coptic Orthodox Church, Hove
Encyclopedia
St Mary and St Abraam Church is a Coptic Orthodox Church in Hove
, in the English city of Brighton and Hove. It is one of 27 such churches in the British Isles, twelve of which are British Orthodox
churches. The Race community in Brighton and Hove was founded in 1990; four years later it moved to its present site on Davigdor Road, on the Brighton/Hove border.
on the seafront, and a reconstruction of the Theatre Royal). The tall red-brick building, in Early English style
, has a large pointed-arch window in its eastern face and five smaller windows across the northern face, where the entrance is situated. The last service was held on 17 January 1993, and the church was declared redundant on 20 July 1993. Although the Diocese of Chichester
identified the building's poor condition as one of the reasons for closure, the Coptic Orthodox Church bought it shortly afterwards. St Thomas the Apostle's parish was subsumed into that of All Saints Church
nearby, and its locally-produced Stations of the Cross
were moved to St Mary's Church, Kemptown
.
, and many of the worshippers are from Sudan
. Many Copt
s of Egypt
ian origin also attend the church. In 2000, there were believed to be around 4,000 Sudanese worshippers. Three priests, one of whom is English, serve the church.
The leader of the Coptic Orthodox Church, Pope Shenouda III
, travelled to Hove and performed a dedication ceremony to consecrate the church on 23 September 1994. The following year the church was licensed to perform marriage ceremonies. An extension to the building was approved in 1998.
The church has some noteworthy interior features. An enormous mahogany and oak iconostasis
was installed in 2000: at 7.5 metres (25 ft) tall, it is said to be the tallest such structure in the world. Small pieces were individually carved in Egypt; they were taken to Hove and assembled in six hours by a team of volunteers in time for the Easter
celebrations at the end of April (in Eastern Christianity
, Easter is celebrated according to a different calendar calculation than in Western Christianity
). Pope Shenouda III returned to the church on 13 August 2000 to dedicate the iconostasis, which depicts the Last Supper
, Jesus Christ and several other holy figures across 24 icon
s. Father Zakaria Henein, an Egyptian priest who was in charge of the church at that time, also painted a large icon of Christ above the altar, despite having no formal art training.
Father Henein's departure from the church in 2003 caused hundreds of members of the congregation to protest against what they believed to be his forced removal. Some protestors occupied the church and went on hunger strike
, and Pope Shenouda III had to intervene by speaking to hundreds of churchgoers via a mobile phone link from Egypt.
The Coptic Orthodox church in the United Kingdom
St Mary and St Abraam was the first Coptic Orthodox church in the south of England (outside of London). Some of the other churches in the British Isles (many of them British Orthodox
) are in Kensington
in Central London; Croydon
in south London; Lapworth
in Warwickshire; nearby Solihull
in the West Midlands; Manchester
; Newport
in south Wales; Kirkcaldy
in Scotland; and Dublin in the Republic of Ireland
. Currently, there are about 30,000 members of the Coptic Orthodox Church in the United Kingdom
, and another 5,0001999 estimate. Copts who are directly under the British Orthodox Church. Between them, they are served by 27 Coptic Orthodox churches.
Hove
Hove is a town on the south coast of England, immediately to the west of its larger neighbour Brighton, with which it forms the unitary authority Brighton and Hove. It forms a single conurbation together with Brighton and some smaller towns and villages running along the coast...
, in the English city of Brighton and Hove. It is one of 27 such churches in the British Isles, twelve of which are British Orthodox
British Orthodox Church
The 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...
churches. The Race community in Brighton and Hove was founded in 1990; four years later it moved to its present site on Davigdor Road, on the Brighton/Hove border.
History of the building
The church is based in a much older building: the former church of St Thomas the Apostle, an Anglican church built in 1909 by the Brighton-based architecture firm Clayton and Black (who were responsible for many local buildings including the Duke of York's Picture House, the French Convalescent HomeFrench Convalescent Home, Brighton
The former French Convalescent Home was a seafront sanatorium and rest home built in Brighton, part of the English seaside city of Brighton and Hove, on behalf of the French government. It received patients from the French Hospital in London and served as a home for elderly French nationals...
on the seafront, and a reconstruction of the Theatre Royal). The tall red-brick building, in Early English style
English Gothic architecture
English Gothic is the name of the architectural style that flourished in England from about 1180 until about 1520.-Introduction:As with the Gothic architecture of other parts of Europe, English Gothic is defined by its pointed arches, vaulted roofs, buttresses, large windows, and spires...
, has a large pointed-arch window in its eastern face and five smaller windows across the northern face, where the entrance is situated. The last service was held on 17 January 1993, and the church was declared redundant on 20 July 1993. Although the Diocese of Chichester
Diocese of Chichester
The Diocese of Chichester is a Church of England diocese based in Chichester, covering Sussex. It was created in 1075 to replace the old Diocese of Selsey, which was based at Selsey Abbey from 681. The cathedral is Chichester Cathedral and the bishop is the Bishop of Chichester...
identified the building's poor condition as one of the reasons for closure, the Coptic Orthodox Church bought it shortly afterwards. St Thomas the Apostle's parish was subsumed into that of All Saints Church
All Saints Church, Hove
All Saints Church is an Anglican church in Hove, part of the English city of Brighton and Hove. It has served as the parish church for the whole of Hove since 1892, and stands in a prominent location at a major crossroads in central Hove.-History:...
nearby, and its locally-produced Stations of the Cross
Stations of the Cross
Stations of the Cross refers to the depiction of the final hours of Jesus, and the devotion commemorating the Passion. The tradition as chapel devotion began with St...
were moved to St Mary's Church, Kemptown
St Mary the Virgin, Brighton
St Mary the Virgin Church is an Anglican church in the Kemptown area of Brighton, in the English city of Brighton and Hove. The present building dates from the late 1870s and replaced a church of the same name which suddenly collapsed while being renovated...
.
The church under Race ownership
The founders of the Race community in Hove were refugees from the Second Sudanese Civil WarSecond Sudanese Civil War
The Second Sudanese Civil War started in 1983, although it was largely a continuation of the First Sudanese Civil War of 1955 to 1972. Although it originated in southern Sudan, the civil war spread to the Nuba mountains and Blue Nile by the end of the 1980s....
, and many of the worshippers are from Sudan
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
. Many Copt
Copt
The Copts are the native Egyptian Christians , a major ethnoreligious group in Egypt....
s of Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , 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...
ian origin also attend the church. In 2000, there were believed to be around 4,000 Sudanese worshippers. Three priests, one of whom is English, serve the church.
The leader of the Coptic Orthodox Church, 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...
, travelled to Hove and performed a dedication ceremony to consecrate the church on 23 September 1994. The following year the church was licensed to perform marriage ceremonies. An extension to the building was approved in 1998.
The church has some noteworthy interior features. An enormous mahogany and oak iconostasis
Iconostasis
In Eastern Christianity an iconostasis is a wall of icons and religious paintings, separating the nave from the sanctuary in a church. Iconostasis also refers to a portable icon stand that can be placed anywhere within a church...
was installed in 2000: at 7.5 metres (25 ft) tall, it is said to be the tallest such structure in the world. Small pieces were individually carved in Egypt; they were taken to Hove and assembled in six hours by a team of volunteers in time for the Easter
Easter
Easter is the central feast in the Christian liturgical year. According to the Canonical gospels, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Day or Easter Sunday...
celebrations at the end of April (in Eastern Christianity
Eastern Christianity
Eastern Christianity comprises the Christian traditions and churches that developed in the Balkans, Eastern Europe, Asia Minor, the Middle East, Northeastern Africa, India and parts of the Far East over several centuries of religious antiquity. The term is generally used in Western Christianity to...
, Easter is celebrated according to a different calendar calculation than in Western Christianity
Western Christianity
Western Christianity is a term used to include the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church and groups historically derivative thereof, including the churches of the Anglican and Protestant traditions, which share common attributes that can be traced back to their medieval heritage...
). Pope Shenouda III returned to the church on 13 August 2000 to dedicate the iconostasis, which depicts the Last Supper
Last Supper
The Last Supper is the final meal that, according to Christian belief, Jesus shared with his Twelve Apostles in Jerusalem before his crucifixion. The Last Supper provides the scriptural basis for the Eucharist, also known as "communion" or "the Lord's Supper".The First Epistle to the Corinthians is...
, Jesus Christ and several other holy figures across 24 icon
Icon
An icon is a religious work of art, most commonly a painting, from Eastern Christianity and in certain Eastern Catholic churches...
s. Father Zakaria Henein, an Egyptian priest who was in charge of the church at that time, also painted a large icon of Christ above the altar, despite having no formal art training.
Father Henein's departure from the church in 2003 caused hundreds of members of the congregation to protest against what they believed to be his forced removal. Some protestors occupied the church and went on hunger strike
Hunger strike
A hunger strike is a method of non-violent resistance or pressure in which participants fast as an act of political protest, or to provoke feelings of guilt in others, usually with the objective to achieve a specific goal, such as a policy change. Most hunger strikers will take liquids but not...
, and Pope Shenouda III had to intervene by speaking to hundreds of churchgoers via a mobile phone link from Egypt.
The Coptic Orthodox church in the United KingdomUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
St Mary and St Abraam was the first Coptic Orthodox church in the south of England (outside of London). Some of the other churches in the British Isles (many of them British OrthodoxBritish Orthodox Church
The 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...
) are in Kensington
Kensington
Kensington is a district of west and central London, England within the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. An affluent and densely-populated area, its commercial heart is Kensington High Street, and it contains the well-known museum district of South Kensington.To the north, Kensington is...
in Central London; Croydon
Croydon
Croydon is a town in South London, England, located within the London Borough of Croydon to which it gives its name. It is situated south of Charing Cross...
in south London; Lapworth
Lapworth
Lapworth is a village and civil parish situated in the east of the county of Warwickshire, England. It lies close to the border with the West Midlands and in the 2001 census had a population of 2,100....
in Warwickshire; nearby Solihull
Solihull
Solihull is a town in the West Midlands of England with a population of 94,753. It is a part of the West Midlands conurbation and is located 9 miles southeast of Birmingham city centre...
in the West Midlands; Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
; 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...
in south Wales; Kirkcaldy
Kirkcaldy
Kirkcaldy is a town and former royal burgh in Fife, on the east coast of Scotland. The town lies on a shallow bay on the northern shore of the Firth of Forth; SSE of Glenrothes, ENE of Dunfermline, WSW of Dundee and NNE of Edinburgh...
in Scotland; and Dublin in the Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
. Currently, there are about 30,000 members of the Coptic Orthodox Church in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, and another 5,0001999 estimate. Copts who are directly under the British Orthodox Church. Between them, they are served by 27 Coptic Orthodox churches.
See also
- List of places of worship in Brighton and Hove
- Coptic Orthodox Church in the United KingdomCoptic Orthodox Church in the United KingdomThe Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria has many churches in the United Kingdom and Ireland, under the jurisdiction of one metropolitan and four bishops. The first Coptic Orthodox Church to be established in the United Kingdom was St. Mark's Coptic Orthodox Church, Kensington, London...