Gaza’s small Christian community is rarely mentioned in discussions of Gaza but they have a long history dating back to the origins of Christianity.  Gaza City’s Great Mosque was originally a Christian church, which itself was built on the ruins of a Philistine temple.  With so much history in Gaza, the various layers of religion, immigration and settlement overlap here, just as they do across the Holy Land. 

And we do mean layers.  The Church os Saint Porphyrius is located in the old city of Gaza and like the few remaining “original” buildings there, it sits on what used to be the ground level in that neighborhood.  The ground floor of the church is eight feet below the level of the outside street.  The Church of Saint Porphyrius remains a Christian worship site to this day and, like most Christian Palestinians, the church is Greek Orthodox.  The church is named after the 5th century bishop of Gaza, Saint Porphyrius, whose tomb is located at the northeast corner of the church. 

The earliest construction of the church dates back to the beginning of the 5th century but the majority of the modern construction was undertaken by the Crusaders in around 1150.  It was then that the church was dedicated to Saint Porphyrius, who himself is a controversial figure.  Mark the Deacon, who claimed to be Bishop Porphyrius’ deacon and chronicler, claims that it was Porphyrius who had the Pagan temples in Gaza closed, and in some cases destroyed.  But scholars dispute this claim and argue that Porphyrius may never have existed and that his character was mostly invented in the context of hagiography, or the study and writings on saints.

Regardless of origins of Saint Porphyrius, the church itself is a beautiful example of Gaza’s multicultural heritage and it’s interior walls are filled with beautiful art.  Our good friend Mohammed Efrangi was kind enough to post and share some beautiful images that he captured inside the church.

Check out the images here.