This church which is consecrated to the Virgin Mary and to St. Dimiana was known as the hanging church. It is thus called so because it is built over the Roman fortress on top of which has been put palm trees wood with a layer of stones over the fortress to be the ground of the church so the hanging church is the unique church without domes, it has a wooden roof in the shape of Noah’s Ark.

It is known that Noah’s Ark is one of the symbols which representing the church and salvation. It is commonly known that this church goes back to the late third century and the beginning of the fourth century AD.

Some historians however think that it was built ages before that, as it was a Roman temple, which then it was transformed into a Roman church. After that became Coptic Church, the proves are,

01. The discovery of wall paintings belonging to the Roman pagans gods at the western side of the right aisle of the church, in front of saint Takla Hjmanot’s alter. Certainly, these paintings goes back to the era before Christianity, but were covered with Layers of plaster this was during the last restoration of the church in 1984.

02. From estimating the age of a wooden specimen from the floor of saint Mark’s church (at the hanging church) was taken during the last restoration and the renewal of the church in 1984. This was evaluated by the archeologists by means of Cairo’s Laboratory for the history of archaeology, by radiating carbon 14. The age of this specimen’s goes back to the year 140 – 150 BC.

This seems to be proved by what remains of the original wood work at the Coptic Museum representing the triumphal entry of Jesus the Christ to Jerusalem.

This church was very spacious but became much smaller throughout the ages after the modifications, the last one of which was by obeid by Khozam during 1775 AD.

The nave of the church is divided into parts separated from each other by three rows of marble pillars.

The hanging church played an important part in the history of the Coptic Church. It became the seat of the Patriarchs after transferring it from Alexandria to El-Fustat and it is recorded that Anba Christodolos the 66th Patriarch (1039 – 1070 AD) was the first Pope to chant the holy liturgy in it.

The holy virgin appeared in it in a vision to Anba Abraam the 62th Patriarch, who had spent three days in prayer and fasting, when the Caliph, Al-Imam El-Mouiz Lidin Ellah, asked him to move the Moqattam hill in order to prove the words of the gospel ‘’If you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you shall say to this mountain: remove from hence to yonder place, and it shall remove’’. According to that story, there was a great earthquake and the mountain moved.

After witnessing this miracle the Caliph allowed the Patriarch Abraam to restore the churches of El Moallaqa (the hanging church) and Abu-Sefein.

The seat of Saint Mark remained a long time in the hanging church till it was transferred to the church of Abu-Sefein in the 14th century.

There are 110 icons. The oldest of which go back to the 8th century but the majority of them go back to the 1777 AD, and some were painted in the time of Nakhla Al-Baraty Bey (1898 AD) who was the supervisor of the church at that time.

The church’s iconstasis are carved in ebony and ivory and in front of the middle alter in the nave of the church there is a pulpit which rests on fifteen columns with decorations in relief and adorned with mosaics. Among the fifteen pillars there are two attached to the main body of the pulpit representing Saint Mark and Saint Luke evangelists who are not from the twelve disciples.

The first pillar of other thirteen stands in front and represents Jesus the Christ, while the other twelve, the disciples. We notice that each two similar pillars are put together and this is because the Christ sent his disciples two by two. It dates from the fifth century.

Anba Abraam during whose time the miracle of the Moqattam Mountain happened is buried under this pulpit.

The frescos which decorated the walls of church long ago with its pillars were damaged during the periods of persecution, their remains are found at the eastern wall of Saint Tecla Hymanot’s Alter. These frescos go back to the fourth and fifth century AD. There is also a picture on the pillar in the church’s nave, which goes back to the fourth century. Besides there are layers of fresco lately discovered.

There are seven alters in the hanging church three of them are found in the main aisle and which are: The alter of Saint George in the northern side followed by the alter of the Virgin Mary then the alter of Saint John the Baptist.

The right aisle contains three alters among which is the alter of Tecla Hymanot the Ethiopian saint at the northern side followed by two alters recently discovered.

Next to them, there is the Baptistery which goes back to the fifth century. It is made of solid marble bearing decorations of wavy lines, a symbol of water in the hieroglyphic language. There is also an Upper church of Saint Mark and its alter is the seventh one.

These alters have very intricate iconstasis, they are in ebony inlaid with walnut and cedar wood without using nails or glue. They go back to the tenth or thirteenth century.

Entering the right aisle, the visitor passes through adoor made of cedar wood decorated with translucent layers of ivory dated to the eleventh century AD.

The iconstasis of Saint George’s alter is decorated with seventeen icons depicting the tortures of the Saint Meanwhile, there are seven icons above the Virgin’s alter which are from right to left: saint Paule the Apostle, Archangel Michael, John the Baptist, Jesus the Christ sitting on his throne, the Holy Virgin Mary, Gabriel the Angel, Peter the opostle.

The iconstasis of Saint John the Baptist’s alter is decorated with seven icons depicting his tortures, Vansleb a monk who was sent to Egypt by King Louis 14th.

King of France, to study the state the churches and monasteries of the Nile valley said that on one wall of the hanging church he found traces of an inscription by hand of Amr Ibn El Ass asking the Moslem people not to cause any damage to this church.

New discoveries during the last restoration carried by the Egyptian Archaeologist Department in 1984 AD, are:

01. Between the alter containing the baptistery and Saint Tecla Hymanot’s alter, in the southern side, they found a group of frescos, some of which were extracted so as to restore them, the others are fragmentary.

02. Small room under the tiles of the church floor ends at the east with a small Niche with vaulted ceiling. It was built of sun dried pulpit. Were found together with mosaics. It may have been a small church.

03. A stair was leads to the outside of the church beside the discovered one which we think was used during the persecutions of the church which lead to the mountain and it still in a restoration.

The church has been restored in 10, 13, 17 and 18 centuries. In this 20 century, it was restored. When the first part of restoration ended, president Moubarak visited the church that was on 8th of March 1984, and under the Papacy of H.H.P. Shenouda III.