Church Building
The church building has significant meaning and many of the smallest features of the church have beautiful spiritual significance. The first of many examples is the church building itself. The church buildings are one of three different shapes that reflect the mission and presence of the church in the world:
- Cruciform: The church is the crucified body of Christ. (Usually in Byzantine style)
- Circular: The church is timeless and without end. (More common)
- Ship/Ark: The church is like Noah’s Ark–a fortress for believers. (Most common)
Regardless of the shape of the church, the congregation while praying and the church building always face east, for the following reasons:
- Christ was called the East and the Sun of Righteousness (Malachi 4:2)
- We remember the Lost Paradise which was in the east
- We look to Christ’s Second Coming (Matthew 4:27)
- We look to the Cross
All Coptic churches follow the same layout and can be divided into three sections:
- The Sanctuary (with the Altar)
- The Nave: where the congregation stands. The Chancel is an elevated part of the Nave where the deacons and the pulpits are.
- The Narthex: the place of the Baptismal Font
Icons
The sanctuary is separated from the Nave and the rest of the church by the iconostasis, which contains many icons of saints. The iconostasis represents the saints looking to us from heaven and the unity between the Church and heaven. The Church does not worship the saints or put them in the place of God, but rather venerates them as those who have successfully finished the race. Saints are present with us in our liturgical worship. Icons help us to remember that we are not alone and that we “are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses” (Hebrews 12:1). We ask for the saints’ prayers with the knowledge that the “prayer of a right person is powerful and effective” (James 5:16).
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