Father Anthony Munir, Priest of St. Peter Coptic Church in Abbasia, said that Engineering Authority of the armed forces have finished the restoration of St. Peter Coptic Church in record time in order to hold the celebrations of new year and Christmas.
The church is considered by local historians to be of high religious and artistic value. It was designed in the basilica style by Italo-Slovene architect Antonio Lasciac, Khedive Isma'il Pasha's designated chief architect, with 28 meters in length and 17 meters in width. The central nave is separated from the aisles by a row of marbled columns on each side, above which are a series of Italian paintings depicting the life of Jesus, his apostles and a number of saints. At the end of the central aisle is a two-step plate of black marble containing Boutros Ghali's supposed final words. Venetian mosaics can be found on the walls, including one depicting the baptism of Jesus on the Jordan River, and another one behind the sanctuary showing Jesus above a dome, with the Virgin Mary to his right and Mark the Evangelist to his left.
