Monastery · Egypt
Monastery of Saint Simon the Tanner (Cave Church), Mokattam
دير الأنبا سمعان الخراز
A Coptic monastery carved into the Mokattam cliffs, with rock-cut churches including an amphitheatre-like cathedral.
Where it is
30.0314, 31.2759
Why go
This monastery is cut into the rock of the Mokattam hills, so its churches seem to grow out of the mountain. It honours Simon the Tanner, linked by Coptic tradition to the Fatimid-era miracle of the moving of Mokattam, and was developed from 1974. Residents of the neighbouring Zabbaleen district helped build it. The site holds several churches, including the cathedral of the Virgin Mary and St Simon, whose tiered seating was added in 1994, and carved rock reliefs.
Near Monastery of Saint Simon the Tanner (Cave Church), Mokattam
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