The Caliph Who Defied the Coptic Church (IV)

Researchers have attempted to find historic proof of this miracle and the true existence of Saint Simon. Mottokan Mountain is actually crossed by three faults. Pope Abraam the Syrian chose to declare the 3-day fast as a definitive rule, adding them to the 40 days of fasting before Christmas. Inside the so-called "Suspended Church" of the Virgin Mary in Old Cairo is an icon, hanging on the northern wall of the courtyard, representing Abraam, Saint Simon the Tanner and the Virgin Mary. It is said to be the copy of a more ancient icon that has been lost. Taking into account the known date of the renovation of the Abu Sifein Church authorized by decree in A.D. 979, the miracle is believed to have occurred in that same year. The 3-day fast addition to the Advent fast gives an indication of the date of the miracle. Since the Christmas fast begins on September 28 in Egypt-ending on their "Christmas day" (January 7 according to the Coptic calendar) the miracle occurred on November 17 (18 Hatur 695 AM). In 1969, Mokattam Mountain became the city's landfill by a ruling of the governor of Cairo. This is where the Christian community of Cairo moved and they have charge of collecting and sorting the trash. Since that time many miracles have occurred there and in the 1970s the great church of Saint Simon was built on the mountain to serve the faith of this vibrant community, poor but traditionally very fervent. In 1989, archeological research was done with the blessing of His Holiness Shenouda III in search of the relics of Saint Simon. Some manuscripts suggested that in the 16th century Popes Johannes X and Ghobrial IV (see the History of the Patriarchs by Youssab) had been buried alongside Saint Simon the Tanner in Al-Habach in Old Cairo. On August 4, 1991, during the renovation of the ancient Church of Saint Mary in Babylon El-Darag, the skeletal remains of a man in his fifties were discovered. Not far from that spot a thousand-year-old clay pot was unearthed with an inscription saying that the tomb was Saint Simon the Tanner's. The presence at his side of the patriarchs' tombs was additional proof of his importance. The results of a more thorough investigation convinced His Holiness Shenouda III that the bones were in fact those of Saint Simon. The findings were officially confirmed on July 7, 1992, the date on which three different churches were conferred the honor of housing his relics: the Church of Saint Mary in Babylon El-Darag, the Suspended Church of Saint Mary, and the Church of Saint Simon the Tanner in Mokattam.