Pics: ‘Egypt, the pathway’ celebrates Holy Family's flight to Egypt

CAIRO - 25 June 2019: The Egyptian Opera House celebrated on June 24 the anniversary of the entry of the Holy Family into the land of Egypt on the stage of Al-Manara Conference Center in the Fifth Settlement.

The celebration was attended by Pope Tawadros II of Alexandria and the Patriarch of St. Mark, in addition to a number of ministers and public figures.

The Ministry of Antiquities said in an official statement that the anniversary of the entry of the Holy Family to Egypt has a great historical and religious significance. The Egyptian Coptic Church has assumed a special religious position among churches around the world, for its association with this blessed journey over more than three and a half years, during which the Holy Family blessed more than 25 sites across Egypt, as they moved from the Sinai coast eastwards to the Nile Delta until they reached Upper Egypt.

On the other hand, the Ministry of Antiquities restored and opened several sites, churches and monasteries on the path of the Holy Family.

In 2015, the Hanging Church was inaugurated in Masr al-Qadima after its restoration. The restoration of the church of Virgin Mary and martyr Abanoub in Samanoud was also completed, in addition to the opening of the cave and church of Abi Sarja in Masr al-Qadima in 2016.

Furthermore, the restoration of parts of the four monasteries of Wadi El Natrun was concluded. The restoration of the Church of Virgin Mary in Jabal el-Tayr in Menia is under way and the project to develop the site of Mary's tree in el-Matareya is nearing completion. Also, a catalog to document the path of the Holy Family and the archaeological sites on the path in Arabic and English has been issued.

The Ministry of Antiquities has formed a national committee comprising experts from all concerned bodies to prepare a file to be submitted to UNESCO to record the path of the Holy Family on the list of intangible world heritage, in addition to including the four monasteries of Wadi el-Natrun to the World Heritage List.