St Mary and St Mercurius Coptic Orthodox Church

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St Mary and St Mercurius Coptic Orthodox Church is the first Coptic Orthodox Church in Wales, at 112 St Mary Street Risca, Newport, South Wales NP11 6GP.

It was consecrated in 1992 by HH Pope Shenouda III in the town of Risca, South Wales, with the official name of the church being St Mary’s and St Abu Saifain’s Coptic Orthodox Church as a parish of the Coptic Orthodox Church.

NP : St Abu Saifain meaning "the Double sworded" in Arabic is another name of Saint Mercurius.

Contents

[edit] Current Priest

Father Philopater Wahba

Rev. Fr. Philopater Wahba had a degree in medicine MBBS and was a consultant in Orthopaedic surgery in Egypt. During his work, he graduated from the Coptic Orthodox Theological University (Three years Graduate course) in Cairo and from the Institution of Pastoral Care (2 year course). He was ordained in Egypt in the 1996 by HH Pope Shenouda III, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch on the Holy See of St. Mark, and was given the name Philopater after St. Philopater Mercurius who is also known as St. Abu Saifain

Reverend Father Philopater Wahba in St Mary and St Abu Saifain Coptic Orthodox Church, Risca, South Wales. Taken by Dr. Victor Aziz
Reverend Father Philopater Wahba in St Mary and St Abu Saifain Coptic Orthodox Church, Risca, South Wales. Taken by Dr. Victor Aziz

[edit] History of the Building

The Church building was a Former Welseyan Methodist church. Founded 1837, it was rebuilt on same site in 1852 and was dedicated to St. John. Architect not known, Church was designed to seat 600 parishioners. It was later was known as "Trinity Methodist Church" [1]

The church is a listed historic building (Grade II) for its well preserved architectural interest, its unusual slender arcades and especially for its fine decorative frontage.

[edit] Exterior

The exterior of the church is of a Chapel with gable end facade in Romanesque style. Red and beige roughly dressed sandstone with cream ashlar is used to define very decoratively the architectural features; artificial slate roof with ashlar coping. Centre 3 bays are framed by pilasters and the bracketed antae which continues diagonally to apex surmounted by the short bellcote with embattled cornice.

[edit] Interior

Two upper-storey pilasters rising from the doorway cornice separate the 3 windows; these are of equal length, long, round-headed with long nook shafts, simple fluted capitals and an impost band; above the central window is the datestone, a shield under a round-arched hood.

The central entrance breaks forward slightly and has a wide moulded round-arched doorway with voussoirs above and impost band; recessed boarded double doors. Set back to each side are small round-headed windows linking with the continuous impost band. To each side are bays with similar though smaller entrance doorways with similar round-headed windows above and end pilasters completing the vertical composition.

Windows have some decorative glazing incorporating glass in cool colours - predominantly blue, green, mauve. Rendered 5-bay side elevation has round arched windows with chamfered surround separated by pilasters with offset; renewed glazing. Attached rear wing, former Sunday School, retains Welsh slate roof and ventilators.

Interior partly converted to Coptic Orthodox liturgical use. Unusual aisled roof structure, wooden trusses rising from posts set on the very tall slender marbled columns with Corinthian derived capitals, which also support the high round arches of a wooden arcade; painted boarded ceiling. Wide moulded reredos arch and gallery. Rear raked gallery with curved and panelled front; pews on both floors retained. Vestibule has glazed panels to partition and swing doors with quarry glazing incorporating Art Nouveau motifs.

‎ Interior of St Mary's and St. Mercurius (the Double sworded) Coptic Orthodox Church, Risca , South Wales , Taken by Dr Victor Aziz
‎ Interior of St Mary's and St. Mercurius (the Double sworded) Coptic Orthodox Church, Risca , South Wales , Taken by Dr Victor Aziz

[edit] References

  1. ^ Jones A V, Risca, its Industrial and Social Development, 1977.

[edit] See also

[edit] Other Coptic Orthodox Churches