|
Thousands visit this church to gain his grace
and to pray that he may mention them before the
Almighty God. Many of them felt the power of his
prayers towards them through the fulfillment of
their needs and solving of their problems.
Beneath the alter of the church of Abba Rewase
is a Reliquary of the saint. To the right is the
resting place of four popes. These are Abba
Matheos the Great, eigty seventh successor of
St. Mark, Abba Yoannis XI the eightyninth, Abba
Matheos II ninetieth, and Abba Ghabrial VI the
ninety first.
On descending to this Reliquary the visitor
faces an incon of Abba Matheos the Great, seated
on his Chair, while Abba Rewase stands before
him
presenting "O loaf of offering" (Qorbana). At
the bottom of the stairs, to the left near the
enterance of the Reliquary are the relics of his
disciple Soleiman. Beside him, there are the
relics of Saint Apaly Ibn Yostes.
This chruch, though small in size is greatly
venerated for the sake of the Saint whose name
it bears, and whose body it enshrines.
Renewal of the chruch :
Pious people tried to renew the church
completely by putting it down to rebuilt it
again to the modern style. The labour's hand was
paralysed at the instant he hit the old building
of church with his axe to get it down. Crying
for help, the priest prayed, and the workman was
cured. Since then, his tomb was left as it is.
A second trial took place in 1949 when Gamiyat
Nahdet El-Kanais started to renew the church.
They asked H. H. Pope Yousap II to permit them
to remove the corps of the saint untill they
could rebuild the tomb. Their request was
refused, and he ordered them to keep the corps
in its place, and any renewal coule be made
around it. The church was renewed again in 1976. |
