‘Where the Church Is, There is the Spirit of God’: Coptic Orthodox Architecture in the Southern United States

KELLEY STROUP fiGURE 1 St. Mina Coptic Orthodox Church, Nashville, Tennessee, ceiling with wood derailing gives the impression of being inside an inverted ship's hull. (Phorograph by < wrhor) ARRIS 70 ~ VoLUME 22 ~ 2011 'WHERE THE CHuRcH Is, THERE IS THE SPIRIT OF Gon' CoPTic RTH ox ARCHITECTURE IN THE SouTHERN UNITED STATES KELLEY STROUP Just outside of Gainesville, Florida, in a suburb that teeters precariously at the edge of rural, there sits a middling-sized ranch house, the property exceptional only in its state of relative horticultural neglect. From the road, it is partially obscured by a stand of ornamental-looking shrubs that serve as a visual barrier . There are no cars, no people, no signage, no outside indication at all that the house is occupied, let alone that it is St. Mary Magdalene Coptic Orthodox Church, and that, within the hour, this morning's service will begin, presided over by the His Grace Bishop Youssef of the Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Southern United States. Roughly 900 miles to the west, another Coptic congregation gathers at the large church complex of St. Mary and Archangel Michael in Houston, Texas. They leave their cars in an immense, paved parking lot and ascend several steps to the church's main entrance , pausing on the large, formal portico before entering. Following service in the sweeping, centraldomed sanctuary with intricately inlaid iconostasis, many will meet in a dedicated activity space for a traditional breakfast. As the community returns to their cars, they pass neatly manicured lawns and an expansive auxiliary building and leave the church property to find themselves in the middle of a bustling suburban shopping area. Despite the different cities and settings, both St. Mary Magdalene and St. Mary and Archangel Michael belong to the Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Southern United States, which currently consists of thirty-five priests serving twenty-eight churches and twenty-seven communities from Arizona to Georgia.1 They illustrate rather disparate ends of a continuum that suggests a correlation between community evolution and architectural priorities. Small communities within the Southern Diocese, such as that ofSt. Mary Magdalene, which frequently borrow or repurpose space for worship, generally exhibit an intentionally introverted aspect-making the experiVOLUME 22 ~ 2011 ~ ARRIS 71 KELLEY STROUP ence of the community of believers a priority over an architectural statement. But as Coptic communities grow and acquire both resources and comfort within the larger community, many strive to construct purpose -built churches that embrace the collective architectural heritage of the group. The resultant buildings are often exuberantly Coptic and, in comparison to adapted spaces, exhibit an extroverted architectural language, or Coptic design and construction references , which directly engage the surrounding community . These extroverted churches proudly display, to varying degrees, the architectural heritage, the uniqueness and "other"-ness, of the communities that inhabit them and mark an important turning point for the Coptic diaspora of the United States.2 OVERVIEW OF THE COPTIC CHURCH The Coptic Church is an Oriental Orthodox Christian church that traces its roots back more than nineteen centuries to the teachings of Saint Mark, the patriarch responsible for bringing Christianity to Egypt around AD 43 Originally contained under the singular moniker of Orthodox Christianity, the Oriental and Eastern branches emerged as separate entities after the Council of Chalcedon in AD 451 wherein a semantic disagreement arose concerning the true nature of Christ. The Eastern Orthodox Churches, which today include the more common Greek and Russian Orthodox churches, allowed that Christ was simultaneously both fully human and fully divine. Conversely, the Oriental Orthodox churches, including the Coptic and Ethiopian branches, maintained that the nature of Christ's humanity and divinity could not be separated, even for purposes of description . The Oriental Orthodox Churches maintain that they are the guardians of the truest, most orthodox form of Christianity.3 As such guardians, the Coptic Orthodox Church also embraces Old Testament traditions concerning ARRIS 72 § VoLUME 22 ~ 2011 what a "House of God" should be, from the all-encompassing paradisiacal church in Eden, impromptu nomadic tabernacles, the first "permanent" church in the house belonging to St. Mark's mother, to the Temple proper. Above all, however, the Coptic Church has believed-and continues to believethat a church is more than simply the building in which it is located. The Coptic concept of church, architecturally speaking, encompasses little more than a place for communal worship, which functions as a means to bring people's hearts to God and is defined not so much by its physical boundaries as by the gathering of the faithful. The Church lies within the body of believers; and the actual architecture of churches exists to symbolically support and physically house those believers and their shared creed. As such, according to prolific second-century author and early Christian theologian St. Irenaeus, "Where the church is, there is the spirit of God, and where the spirit of God is, there exists the church and every grace."4 Despite this metaphysical concept of "church," some structural traditions have historically been associated with Coptic Orthodoxy, derived from both Pharaonic and early Christian architectural sources. According to Father Tadros Malaty in his booklet on Coptic Church architecture, there are three common church typologies, all highly symbolic. Two of these forms-the cruciform and the ark church-can be roughly assembled under the broader heading of basilica . The former, a basilica with transept, serves as a literal symbol of Christianity and the Church's "mystical nature" as the crucified body of Christ. The ark form gives no illusions to peculiarity of plan but rather describes an interior vaulted ceiling, often wood and evocative of the inverted hull of a ship (Figure 1). This form is intended to evoke salvation and immortality through Christ, as well as the earthly representation of God's plans for mankind. The third, and arguably least common, form is that of the central plan, or tetraconch, symbolic of eternity. In many churches, domes figure prominently as representations of heaven (Figure 2), and in cruciform-plan churches, it is common for the transept to be thusly crowned. Towers, which are an archetypal feature, are generally domed (Figure 3).5 Within the church, there is typically a tripartite , hierarchical, and directional division of interior space leading to the east, where the altar is located. Entrance to the church is typically gained through the west elevation, into the narthex or catechumenate where the baptismal font may be located, symbolizing that all who enter the church come to Christ (the east) through baptism. Continuing east through the church, the nave is symbolically reserved for the baptized congregation. Customarily raised several steps from the nave and separated from view by an elaborately decorated iconostasis, the sanctuary is located at the easternmost end of the aisle and accessed only by the priest and deacons for the preparation of the Eucharist (Figure 4).6 Traditionally within this most sacred and holy sanctuary space, the altar sits beneath a ciborium-an architectural canopy above the altar, spanning four columns. According to Malaty, the Coptic ciborium can often be distinguished from other Christian ciboria by the broad dome shape of the canopy, as opposed to the more common pyramidal or pointed canopy. Prior to the adoption of the iconostasis, rods would have been suspended between the four columns of the ciborium and hung KELLEY STROUP FJGURE 2 (ABOVE, LEFT) The Church of the Holy Virgin at the monastery of al Baramus, Wadi ai-Natrun, Egypt, around the sixth or seventh century, common Coptic features include barrel-vaulted roof with small, repeating rounded-arch doorways and prominent domes capped with crosses. (Courresy of and used wirh permission. Massimo Capuarri, Christirr11 Egypt: Coptic An fl11d Jvforwments through Tivo Millennia, The Liturgical Press, 1999, 10:)) fiGURE 3 (ABOVE, RIGHT) Monastery of the Syrians, Wadi al-Natrun, towers feature prominently in early Coptic religious architecture. (Courresy of and used wirh permission from lvlassimo Capuani, Christian Egypt: Coptic Art and Monumwt.r through Two Mitle/lnia. The Lirurgical Press. 1999. 66) VOLUME 22 ~ 2011 ~ ARRIS 73 KELLEY STROUP FIGURE 5 (ABOVE) Sr. M ary Magdal ene Coptic O nhodox Church, Gainesville, Florida, wall wirh uiple archways serving as iconosrasis. (Phorograph by aurho r) ARRIS 74 ~ VoLUME 22 § 2011 FIGURE 4 (LEFT) Sr. Barbara, C airo, before rh in eenrh cenrury, small, inlaid iconosrasis wirh single opening. (Courrcsy of and ust'd wirh permission from Massimo Cap u< Jni. Christian Egypt: Coptic Art and J 'fonu ments through TUJo Millwnia, T he Lirurgical Press, 1999. 114) with cloth or veils in order to obfuscate view of the altar during certain parts of mass.7 In the easternmost wall beyond the altar is the niche, typically containing an image of Christ, or a perpetual light. With its opening towards the congregation , this niche represents God's open embrace of the faithful. A lateral, tripartite division of the iconostasis is common, screening small side chapels that are often situated beneath smaller domes and provide a place for the faithful to receive communion. During service, the congregation is divided to the right and left of the nave according to sex. Traditionally men and women take communion in the side chapels along their respective areas.8 Although many Copts regard themselves as the quintessentially Egyptian "Sons of the Pharaohs," heirs to the traditions of both Pharaonic Egypt and early Christianity, they are today a notable minority in Egypt. As of 2009, the total population of Egypt was estimated to be about eighty million, approximately ten percent of which were members of the Coptic Orthodox Church.9 The Church itself approximates its membership at closer to fifteen million . Of all Coptic Christians in the world, it is estimated that approximately two million live outside of Egypt, with the United States diaspora accounting for anywhere from 250,000 to one million individuals , most of who have arrived since the early 1950s.10 There are successful Coptic communities in nearly every major metropolitan area of the United States, although they are particularly concentrated in the South, Southwest, and along the east coast. The reasons that many Egyptian Christians give for their immigration differ little from those given by other groups: many come to escape the economic pressure facing modern-day Egypt; many come to escape religious persecution; and many come for whom both issues are conflated.ll It seems only natural that the Church itself, along with individual churches, would become a centerpiece of each community, and that the very act of immigration and subsequent population displacement would have profound effects on the ideal construction and use of spiritual space. INTROVERTED CHURCHES Suburban houses, strip malls, and recycled church buildings house vibrant, if sometimes small, congregations where members either cannot yet afford to erect purpose-built Coptic churches or have elected to build churches without a clearly Coptic exterior. These introverted churches are nevertheless fully Coptic worship spaces, adapted as far as possible to conform to standards of church form and function that have their origins in the Old Testament. Although manipulation of the worship space-which, in some cases, is not even owned by the attendant congregations-is necessarily minimal in some locations , the effort effects a spiritual affirmation of the congregational activity in accordance with the foundational definition of a Coptic church as nothing more than the body of believers who gather together, which at every turn reinforces a community that owes much of its very existence to religious persecution . Moreover, this introversion represents not only a frequently necessary but also a very natural entrance into new communities in keeping with both individual pre-immigration experience and the manner in which the Church typically relates to non-believers. The ranch house-church of St. Mary Magdalene, serving the small Coptic community in Gainesville, for example, fulfills the most basic tenet of Coptic church standards in that it routinely housed a small congregation of the faithful. But the sanctuary is at KELLEY STROUP the southern end of an aisle constructed by chairs in what would have been a living room or den. There are no domes and no baptismal font. Although the plan of the house church could roughly be described as an "ark," it lacks any deliberately form-related symmetry . The congregation has created a tripartite iconostasis by modifying an extant wall; however, the space behind it is entirely undifferentiated, such that the side arches serve only as an extra means ofsanctuary access for the deacons and congreganrs to receive communion through the central aisle (Figure 5). 12 The experience of this house-church, however, is unmistakably Coptic; and it stands as a perfect example of the introversion. From the exterior, there is absolutely no indication of the building's function beyond that of a house. Even though the address for the church is listed on the Southern Diocese's website , an awareness of its existence through a personal connection or an intentional search for a Coptic congregation would be the only way someone would know that a church stands here. In either instance, some knowledge of the Coptic community itself is required. Worship practices remain intact and dictate the use and arrangement ofthe space, and the congregation observes the strict linear hierarchy dictated by the Church. The living-room-turned-worship-space is deliberately laid out such that the altar occupies the short wall, rescuing some sense of axial progression from a domestically proportioned space. The overall effect is that of an insular and protective community that has preserved for itself a place of worship, wherein the liturgy can be observed in accordance to custom and relative spatial orientation. Similarly, the St. Abanoub Community in Savannah , Georgia, worships in a traditionally less-thanideal space: the side chapel of the Episcopal Church of St. Paul the Apostle. While the altar is close to being easterly, the chapel has an entirely undifferentiated , central-aisle plan with an open sanctuary raised one step. The community acquired this space VoLUME 22 .· 2011 § ARRIS 75 KELLEY STROUP for their monthly worship via a fortuitous and coincidental meeting. Father William Willoughby III, the Rector of the Episcopal Church of St. Paul the Apostle, encountered Coptic priest Father Eleia Eskander in the airport. He had just arrived in Savannah on a mission to establish a Coptic community in the area, and Willoughby offered use ofthe chapel for the small group of approximately six families.13 Since the space is not theirs, the St. Abanoub congregation has little flexibility to customize it in accordance with any traditional precepts of what a Coptic church should be. According to Willoughby, the visiting priest (Coptic "communities" are differentiated from "churches" on their inability to support a full-time priest) simply dresses the extant altar in red cloth in order to complete the physical transformation from Episcopal side chapel to Coptic worship space. St. Paul's offered to install a rod and curtain, to affect a rood screen and obfuscate the view ofthe altar, but the community members gracefully declined.14 Here, perhaps even more than at St. Mary Magdalene , the community prioritized the availability of a space in which to congregate over one that possessed traditional building elements or could even be heavily modified. In so doing, the St. Abanoub community made a statement to the non-Coptic community that the surroundings in which services were held were not as important as the services themselves. Both St. Mary Magdalene and St. Abanoub illustrate an assertion supported by religious scholar Jeanne Halgren Kilde that the religious buildings of so-called new groups have a very specific dialogue with the surrounding community into which they have arrived, frequently highlighted by the initial adoption and alteration of extant building stock, rather than the construction of purpose-built spaces .15 Through relatively minimal alterations, both St. Mary Magdalene and St. Abanoub have crafted worship spaces sufficient to suit their own concept of a Coptic church. Without elaborate churches, secular ARRIS 76 § VOLUME 22 § 2011 advertising, signage, or even, in the case of St. Abanoub , an autonomously controlled building, these churches exist only to serve their community and, in embracing that service, disengage almost entirely from participation within the larger, non-Coptic community around them. Of course, the decision to maintain a minimal church presence may not always be a conscious or ideal decision at all. Financial pressures, especially among smaller communities of more recent immigrants , may dictate what spaces are available and to what extent they may be modified. There are certainly churches that are modified considerably as their congregation's circumstances allow. One such church is St. Demiana in Jacksonville, Florida. Housed in a former Baptist church that the community purchased in 2004, the St. Demiana congregation has made significant alterations in order to bring the space in line with more traditional Coptic architectural expression. At St. Demiana, the first consideration was to reorient the church to a more traditional axis, which included prioritizing the relocation of the altar to the eastern wall. The main entrance was, and remained so as of September 2009, on the north elevation; however, the church is in the process of constructing a new entrance, complete with narthex and baptismal font at the west wall. The plan of the church is roughly cruciform with doors added to the north and south walls of the nave in order to reference the symmetry of the traditional ark form. The iconostasis stretches across the nave, is covered with icons, and exhibits a tripartite division that creates two functional side chapels for the segregated communion (Figure 6). The sanctuary itself is raised one step above the nave, although the area in front of the iconostasis is not technically as large as it is ideally supposed to be.16 As with the interior of St. Mary Magdalene, axial hierarchy within St. Demiana is strictly observed. Not only does the reorientation of the altar and en- trance provide for more ideal directional procession, but it also ensures that entrance to and procession through the church are achieved via the longest axis. This adherence to axial progression is common to all Coptic churches and reinforces the hierarchy of space: one comes to the church opposite the altar and must progress through symbolic spaces that are visually distant, emphasizing the journey one must make toward the sacred. Seating within the church is almost purely technical, as the majority of the almost three hour, regular liturgical services is experienced while standing. Nevertheless, available seating in St. Demiana, as with other Coptic churches, is oriented toward the altar and serves to direct the attention of the congregation. Even in stillness, the entire experience of the church is one of eastward momentum. An abrupt departure from this eastern focused can be seen in many churches in the placement of chairs on the dais. These chairs are provided for the deacons, who, in addition to the priest, are the only church members allowed into the sanctuary. This emphasis on axial progression and hierarchy can be traced beyond traditional Christian basilica forms back to Pharaonic temples, which highlighted both. Entrance to Pharaonic mortuary and cultic temples was gained via a series of axially aligned spaces that pressed inward toward a sanctuary , which could only be accessed by the Pharaos or their priestsY This belief system dovetailed nicely with early Christian church forms, as both highlight the journey from profane to sacred (in architecture as well as creed) and restricted access to the most holy spaces. In fact, the generalized introversion of Coptic churches in the diaspora can claim some precedent in Pharaonic temples, which were "an intricate, inwardturning world that passed from the earthly to the supernatural realms."18 Despite considerable interior alterations, the exterior ofSt. Demiana is still relatively difficult to discern as a functional church, let alone a Coptic church. The KELLEY STROUP FIGURE 6 Sr. Demiana Coptic Orthodox Church, Jacksonville, Florida, pews focus attention toward altar and tripartite iconostasis. (PhowgrJph by aurhor) FIGURE 7 St. Oemiana Coptic Orthodox Church, Jacksonville, Florida, unaltered exterior gives little indication that the building houses a vibrant Coptic community. (Phorograph by durhor) VoLUME 22 ~ 2011 ~ ARRIS 77 KELLEY STROUP exterior form is very simple, with a gable roof and no domes or pronounced entry vestibules. The church sits back from the road beyond a large, unadorned lawn (Figure 7). A new sign stands at the entrance to the church drive, emphatically un-ostentatious, with a solid marquee perched atop a faux stone base that identifies it as St. Demiana Coptic Orthodox Church. The introversion of the church is glaringly obvious: large-scale investments of money and effort were quickly applied to enrich the experience of the community members inside, whereas comparatively little was done to make the church conspicuous to members of the larger, non-Coptic community. The act of worship itself further supports the introversion of diaspora churches. During a regular liturgical service, the liturgy is performed in the sanctuary , behind the iconostasis. Although the central curtain remains open, the view of the priests and deacons are at least partially obscured for much of the service. There is, to the objective observer at least, a great air of mystery to the entire proceeding, which can be at turns uncomfortable and incomprehensible (doubly so as many services are in Arabic with some Coptic refrains). The service mimics-or is supported by-the architecture, in that the singular focus is towards the sanctuary, and from the sanctuary only occasional attention is paid to the congregation or the volume of the nave in general. The entirety of the building, and the religious experience within, is oriented toward the most inward, most sacred space of the building. This is in marked contrast to the more democratic Catholic and Protestant services to which Americans are more accustomed and which align more readily with an engaging architectural exterior. The relative obscurity that seems to be deliberately embraced by such churches can seem quite foreign in the United States, especially in the southern states covered by the Southern Diocese, where evangelical churches are so commonly beheld and advertised. The foundations of this initial introversion may be ARRIS 78 ~ VoLUME 22 .~ 2011 found in the religious climate that so many members of the larger Coptic community left, in conjunction with the general view of the Church toward actively acquiring outside members. According to Father Samuel William Bakhoum, at St. Mary's church in Colleyville, Texas, (also the seat of the Southern Diocese), and Father Younan Labib at St. Mary and Archangel Michael in Houston, Texas, many members oftheir communities arrived in the United States after years of Muslim majority attempts to silence churches' outreach. Given the near constant cycles of Christian repression in Egypt since the martyrdom of St. Mark in 68 A.D, it seems unsurprising that communities would prioritize quiet celebration amongst themselves, at least initially.19 The Coptic Church also places little emphasis on proselytizing and evangelism, although there are evangelical groups within the Church. When asked about the Church's stance on conversion-both seeking and accepting-several priests, deacons, and community members responded that, while the Church welcomes people who are drawn to them, they do little to actively encourage conversion. It is widely believed that in order to truly become a member of the Coptic Church, one must be brought to it by some innate desire. Visitors are welcomed and may attend as many services as they like, up to and including regular attendance, but formal conversion is never mandatory or even encouraged. With such a passive attitude toward acquiring new members from outside of the ethnic fold, it would seem to make little sense to allocate resources to the elaboration of exterior facilities. Instead, the churches can focus on serving extant community members. THE MOVEMENT TOWARD EXTROVERSION Within the architectural heritage of the Copts, there exists a foundation for the discrepancies visible be- tween introverted and extroverted churches in the United States diaspora. In Egypt, Coptic churches fall primarily into two typologies: urban and monastic . Urban churches are further divided into large city and rural types, with the former typically benefitting from the greater wealth and resources available in urban centers. As a result, urban churches in Egypt's large cities tend toward greater monumentality, whereas rural churches remain more modest venues ofworship, largely due to their limited means.20 This tradition of monumentality as a function of means has been reproduced across the southern United States in the construction ofovertly Coptic, or extroverted , churches as communities accrue the necessary resources. However, additional socio-political factors have tempered the process. The increased force of architectural expression is always supplementary to the fundamental purpose of the church as divine space for believers, and to that end, the extroversion of church buildings is, in the eyes of the faithful, secondary to the church's import as a gathering space and messenger of creed. Completed in 2004, St. Mary and Archangel Michael Church in Houston, Texas, exemplifies an extroverted church building with a specifically Coptic exterior design as well as a primary responsibility to the community that regularly inhabits it. Set amidst a large expanse of parking on a bustling commercial strip, the St. Mary and Archangel Michael Church cuts an imposing figure. Although the church is actually comprised of a small complex of buildings, including an auxiliary building with a small upstairs chapel for weekday morning liturgies, the central focus of the campus is the church building, which houses the main sanctuary (Figure 8). Oriented with the altar facing east, as dictated by tradition, the building is a soaring, stucco monument in cruciform plan. The main entrance features a rise ofseveral steps to a formal portico embraced by a broad arch and accessed through tripartite rounded arches. A single, KELLEY STROUP domed tower on the south fas:ade sits above the large, hemispherical dome of the crossing. Everything about the church exterior recalls Coptic building traditions: the repeated round arches, the tower, the domes, the reliefcross above the main arch on the portico, and the replication of desert building materials in the selection of stucco finishing. While those familiar with the architecture of the more common Greek and Russian Orthodox faiths would certainly note similarities, the St. Mary and Archangel Michael Church is unlike any other in its immediate environs. It is unabashedly Coptic, a truly extroverted church, and an utterly unique building within the surrounding strip mall and suburban residential community. Despite having a notable presence within the landscape, the building does little to court those outside ofits community. Signage is scarce. Little beyond the monumental church building speaks to the function ofthe campus. Thus the St. Mary and Archangel Michael building proclaims a dichotomy: it is confident in its architectural expression and yet not physically welcoming to those not already part of its community. It takes only one step past the broad catechumenate and into the nave to realize that, for all its exterior gravitas, the building's true treasure for its members is the interior. The traditional design elements visible from outside, most especially the crossing dome, reappear inside and, with the aid of ornamentation and iconography, render the sanctuary a literal text of faith and cultural history. Beneath the dome, biblical scenes and figures are hand painted and interspersed with Pharaonic iconography, including a winged sun disk, Cobra-wrapped cross, and an ankh (Figure 9). These paintings are executed in a decidedly western style, rather than in the flat, Byzantine style typical of orthodox iconography, and depict dynamic scenes rather than the more common images ofstatic saints. As Labib explains, the Pharaonic iconography was included for its link to the Coptic cultural past and VoLuME 22 .· 2011 ~ ARRIS 79 FIGURE 8 St. Mary and Archangel Michael Coptic Orthodox Church, Houston, Texas, large, purpose-built church complex features barrelvaulted roof and domed tower amidst vast parking lot in suburban Texas. (PhocogLlph by aurhor) FIGURE 9 St. Mary and Archangel Michael Coptic Orthodox Church, Houston, Texas, biblical and Pharaonic imagery combined on central dome. (Phorograpb by aurhor) FIGURE 10 St. Mary and Archangel Michael Coptic Orthodox Church, Houston, Texas, traditional inlaid iconostasis blocks sanctuary from view. (Phorograph by aurho r) as illustration that the "Sons of the Pharaohs," from which Copts claim their descent, were close to Christianity even prior to the conversion of Egypt by St. Mark. According to Labib, Pharaonic Egyptians simply needed the guidance of the Christians to show them the "true" meanings of their symbolism and beliefs.21 In this context, the paintings claim for all Copts a type of Pre-Christian Christianity, linking them to the very inception of their creed and serving as icons for the cultural, historic, and religious reflection of the community of St. Mary and Archangel Michael. Additional traditional elements, including an elaborate, tripartite iconostasis, ciborium dome, and altar niche, are also present relating both the divinity of the space and the Coptic heritage to the faithful within (Figure 10). Not all purpose-built churches are quite as exuberant and extroverted as St. Mary and Archangel Michael. Owing to the complicated religious situation that many early Coptic immigrants had fled, in addition to the inherently limited resources of a small congregation, some churches elect to build with greater subtlety. St. Mary's in Colleyville, Texas, is an example of the tendency toward understatement early in a congregation's history and a subsequent later shift toward more overtly Coptic structures. The current complex of buildings, including the first sanctuary, was purpose built by the church to serve as a Coptic chapel but with an eye toward building a newer, bigger church on the front part ofthe property once the congregation required it.22 Although Bakhoum of St. Mary's states convincingly that his hands are tied by Orthodox tradition in the construction of any purpose-built church, the original church gives little indication that it is a church at all (let alone Coptic), beyond a latticed, rectangular false front applied to the entrance gable and a small cross perched atop the roof. Executed in brick, with ornamental stone belt courses, the entire ranch-style complex looks more like an elementary KELLEY STROUP school than spiritual seat of an Egyptian Christian diocese. One is compelled to speculate on the desire to blend in with the surrounding upper-middle-class, suburban neighborhood (Figure 11). However, the elements and orientation necessary for a Coptic interior and ritual are in place, and the exterior, less significant to actual services, is the only element that does not openly speak to the function of the building (Figure 12). This interior/exterior tension was relieved this past November when the church members moved into their new, very Coptic church, complete with multiple domes, a tower, and a more specific design vocabulary. With the design of the original church, St. Mary's had the opportunity to present an overtly Coptic structure, and yet the church complex they created was rather intentionally generic, or at least very modestly Coptic. This conscious design decision invites speculation as to the motives ofthose in charge of the church. As Bakhoum explained, many of the church's congregants emigrated from Egypt at a time when Copts were not permitted to actively encourage participation in their church.23 The original design of St. Mary's represented a cautious and deliberately subtle entrance into a new community, while the subsequent construction of a high-profile, "extroverted" church at the front of the property constituted the natural evolution of an established community that feels a pride in and a spiritual obligation toward their architectural heritage. In the late 1990s when the congregation of St. Mary's was determined to have reached capacity, the growing community founded its second congregation of St. Philopateer in the north Dallas suburbs. His Grace Bishop Youssef blessed the site in 1996, which was followed in 2001 by the completion of the initial phase of church construction that consisted of a ground-level, temporary worship space and the shell of the would-be main sanctuary.24 This interim space served the church until funds were raised to VoLUME 22 ~ 2011 ~ ARRIS 81 KELLEY STROUP fiGURE 11 St. M ary Coptic Orthodox Church, Colleyville, Texas, original church complex employs few traditional C optic design cues. (Pho w graph by aurhor) finish the main sanctuary above the chapel. Upon its completion in the summer of 2010, the construction of St. Philopateer Church consumed fourteen years and four million dollars.25 Although the initial worship space-now maintained as a smaller chapel with surrounding religious education space-was relatively modest, the resultant church is exuberantly extroverted and reflects the time and resources dedicated to its design and construction . The congregation added secondary domes and ornamentation on the main fas;ade. Traditional building elements, such as the heavy stucco exterior, the domes, and round arched doors and windows, give the church a decisively Coptic appearance and make it a unique structure amongst the surrounding office buildings and restaurants (Figure 13). From the architecturally modest beginnings of the first St. Mary's grew two large, extroverted churches enabled by community growth and, ultimately, the subsequent availability of resources. The design of both the new St. Mary and St. Philopateer churches was kept close to the fold and ARRIS 82 ~ VoLUME 22 § 2011 influenced by specific Coptic experience. Architect Awad Eskander, president of Paradigm Consulting and congregation member ofSt. Mary, played a small but significant role in the design ofboth churches. He served as the designer of the interim worship space at St. Philopateer and completed the initial exterior sketches of the new St. Mary's church before handing off the remainder of the work to an architectural firm. 26 St. Philopateer subsequently employed the Fort Worth, Texas, firm of Hahnfeld Hoffer Stanford (HHS) to build upon Eskander's interim space for the second phase of construction. The congregation chose HHS based on several factors. First and foremost, the community of St. Philopateer thought the firm's execution of a Fort Worth synagogue was "amazing." Additionally, the congregation appreciated the amount of time the firm had put into researching their religious history and building elements and believed that HHS firm was large enough to handle the project without being "too big."27 Despite the Coptic belief that a church need only be a gathering of the faithful, there is an FIGURE 12 St. Mary Coptic Orthodox Church, Colleyville, Texas, interior and iconostasis of original church sanctuary. (Pho rograph by aurho r) FIGURE 13 Sr. Philopateer Coptic Orthodox Church, Richardson, Texas, exterior of new church under construction. (PhowgrJpfl by aur hor) KELLEY STROUP VOLUME 22 ~ 2011 . ARRIS 83 KELLEY STROUP additional supposition that the actual design of a Coptic church is a very specific undertaking . According to both the Coptic Architecture website established to facilitate communication between congregations constructing new diaspora churches and architects with experience in designing them and Malaty's booklet, The Church House of God, the Coptic church building embodies the very specific symbolism and meaning of the religion. Coptic churches, therefore, are ideally physical expressions of ephemeral religious concepts, and who better to imbue church designs with this meaning than members of the religion or, in the case of Awad Eskander, members of the actual church seeking a new building? The selection of HHS to complete St. Philopateer reflects a similar concern, in that the firm-while not Coptic-had impressed the community with its previous work on a religious structure and their commitment to understand the im portant symbolic elements of the religion through careful research. From the necessarily introverted spaces of churches like St. Abanoub in Savannah, Georgia , which borrow (but do not own) worship space, to the architectural engagement of extroverted churches like St. Mary and Archangel Michael in Houston, Texas, the design vocabulary of Coptic churches in the Southern Diocese reflects the evolution and resources available to the communities of faithful who inhabit them. As resources, membership, and comfort increase, the Copt churches in the southern United States tend to become increasingly more elaborate, intentionally engaging the surrounding environments while maintaining the Church's greatest priority as a service to the faithful and always embracing the Coptic tradition of a church as gathering space, indeARRIS 84 VoLUME 22 ~ 2011 pendent of the architectural extroversion available to the individual community. ~ KELLEY STROUP is a Master ofFine Arts candidate at the Savannah College ofArt and Design (SCAD). ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The author wishes to thank Ehab Abdelmalek and family, Sally Azer, Father Samuel William Bakhoum, Father John Boutros, Massimo Capuani, Awad Eskander, Sami Hage, Father Younan Labib, Andrew Saad, Father William Willoughby III. Thanks also to the countless unnamed community members who welcomed and assisted me. ENDNOTES 1. The Copric Orrhodox Diocese of rhe Southern United Scares, "About rhe Diocese," hrrp://suscoprs.org/diocese/abourl. 2011. For more information on rhe history of rhe Coptic Orthodox Christian Church and irs traditions, see David Bell, Orthodoxy: Evolving Tradition (Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 2008), Birger Albert Pearson, Gnosticism and Christianity in Roman and Coptic Egypt (New York, NY: T&T Clark International, 2004); Michael Angold, ed., The Cambridge History ofChristianity: Eastern Christianity (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2004); Otto F.A. Meinardus, Two Thousand Years ofCoptic Christianity (New York: The American University in Cairo Press, 1999). 2. The author uses rhe terms introverted and extroverted to describe rhe profound differences between the rwo church categories. As there is no known, published scholarship dealing specifically wirh Coptic Church architecture in the Un ited Stares, numerous other sources on religious architecture were consulted in order to provide a framework for understanding borh rhe church building themselves, as well as the interaction between building and congregation. Of particular import to the srrucrure and formation of this study are: Gretchen Buggeln, Temples ofGrace: The Material Transformation ofConnecticut's Churches, 1790-1840 (Lebanon, NH: University Press of New England, 2003); Sally K. Gallagher, "Building Traditions: Comparing Space, Ritual and Community in Three Congregations," Review ofReligious Research, 47, no.2 (September 2005): 70-85; Thomas Hubka, Resplendant Synagogue: Architecture and Worship in an Eighteenth Century Polish Community (Hanover, NH: Brandeis University Press, 2003); Jeanne Halgren Kilde, "Urbanization and Transformations in Religious Mission and Architecture," U.S. Catholic Historian 22, no. 2 (Spring 2004): 13-32; Carl Lounsbury, "God is in the Derails: The Transformation of Ecclesiastical Architecture in Early Nineteenth-Century America," Perspectives in Vernacular Architecture 13, no. 1 (2006): 1-21; Louis P. Nelson, ed. American Sanctuary: Understanding Sacred Spaces (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2006); Louis P. Nelson, The Beauty ofHoliness: Anglicanism&Architecture in Colonial South Carolina (Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina Press, 2008); Dell Upton, Holy Things and Profane: Anglican Parish Churches in Colonial Virginia (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1986). In addition, it was important in chis study to consider rhe role of architecture as expression -in rhis case, the expression of particular cultural and religious identity . Sources engaged for the framework of this study include: Tony Airkin and Carol Herselle Krinsky, "Cultural Identity in Modern Native American Architecture: A Case Srudy," journal ofArchitectural Education 49, no. 4 (May 1996): 237-45; Kevin S. Blake and JeffreyS. Smith, "Pueblo Mission Churches as Symbols of Permanence and Identity," Geographical Review 90, no. 3 (July 2000): 359-80; Amos Rapoport, "On rhe Cultural Responsiveness of Architecture," journal ofArchitectttral Education 41, no. 1 (Autumn, 1987): 10-15; Sreven M. Schnell, "Creating Narratives of Place and Idenrity in 'Litde Sweden, USA,"' Geographical Review 93, no. 1 (January 2003): 1-29. 3. The word "Orrhodox" translates literally to "correct opinion" or "correct worship." All Orrhodox churches, rherefore, presenr themselves as heirs ro the "mosr correcr" form of Chrisrianiry. The Copric Orrhodox Church is no differenr, and adds ro their asserrion rhe opinion rhar rhe Council of Chalcedon, which caused rhe first grear schism in rhe Christian Church, was incorrecr. Since this schism resulted in the splinrering of the church inro two factions of Orthodoxy, rhe Orienral Orrhodox churches (including rhe Coptic Church) view their specific orthodoxy as being the least changed. For additional information, see John Binns, An Introduction to the Christian Orthodox Churches (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2002). 4. Tadros Malary, The Church House ofGod (Alexandria, Egypt: Sr. George Copric Orrhodox Church, n.d.), 9-13. 5. Malaty, 84-89. 6. In the parlance of rhe Orrhodox Church rhe term sancruary is ofren used ro describe rhe inner-most sanctum behind rhe iconostasis. This differs from the more common reference to the sanctuary as the main volume of the church in which the altar is located. I have made every efforr ro use the term sanctuary only as it applies within rhe Coptic Church-to indicate the sacred space beyond the iconostasis. 7. Malaty, 136. 8. Basanri, Andrew, "Architecrure of the Coptic Church," Heritage of the Coptic Orrhodox Church (HCOC) Choir, hrrp://www.copticheritage.org/ orrhodoxy/ architecture_of_the_coptic_church, 2007. 9. UNICEF, "Egypt Sratistics," UNICEF, hrtp://www.unicef.org/ infobycounrry/ egypt_sratistics.html; Noah El-Hennawy, "Egypr: Coptic Diaspora Spreads rhe Word," Babylon & Beyond blog, Los Angeles Times, June 24, 2008, htrp:lllatimesblogs.latimes.com/ babylonbeyond/2008/06/ in-the-midst-of.html [accessed Seprember 2010]. 10. According ro the United States Census Bureau's 2009 American Community Survey !-Year Estimares, the roral Egyptian population of the United States (creed unspecified) is approximately 197,160. 11. Mohammed El Baz, trans., "Why Do The Copts Run Away From Egypt'," Copric Assembly of America, http://www.copticassembly.org/showarr. php?main_id=1881. For additional information on the specific economic and religious conditions facing Copts in Egypt since the mid Twenrieth Cenrury, see: J.D. Penningron, "The Copts in Modern Egypt," Middle Eastern Studies, vol. 18, No.4 (April1982):158-179; For insight inro common push factors for emigration, see: Matthew J. Gibney and Randall Hanson, eds., Immigration and Asylum: From 1900 to the Present, Entries A to I, Vol. 1 (Sanra Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 2005); Bimal Ghosh, Huddled Masses and Uncertain Shores: Insights into Irregular Migration (The Hague: Kluwer Law Inrernational, 1998); George Henderson and Thompson Olasiji, Migrants, Immigrants and Slaves: Racial and Ethnic Groups in America (Lanham, MD: University Press of America, Inc., 1995); Peter Kivisro and Thomas Faist, Beyond a Border: The Causes and Consequences ofContemporary Immigration (1l1ousand Oaks, CA: Pine Forge Press, 2010). 12. All church observations were made by the aurhor during the summer and fall of 2009. 13. Father William Willoughby III, Recror of The Episcopal Church ofSr. Paul the Aposrle, inrerview by author, The Episcopal Church of Sr. Paul the Aposrle, Savannah, Georgia, Summer 2009. 14. Ibid. 15. Jeanne Halgren Kilde, "Urbanization and Transformation in Religious Mission and Architecrure," U.S. Catholic Historian, vol. 22, No.2, (Spring 2004): 13-32. 16. Ehab Abdelmalek, Deacon at Sr. Demiana, imerview by author, Sr. Demiana Coptic Orrhodox Church, Jacksonville, Florida, Seprember 2009. 17. Marvin Trachtenberg and Isabelle Hyman, Architecturefrom Prehistory to Postmodemity (Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prenrice Hall, 1986], 69. 18. Ibid., 71. 19. Father Samuel William Bakhoum, Priesr, Sr. Mary Coptic Orthodox Church, Colleyville, Texas, imerview by author, Sr. Mary Coptic Orthodox Church, Colleyville, Texas, September 2009; Father Younan La bib, Priest, KELLEY STROUP Sr. Mary and Archangel Michael, inrerview by aurhor, Sr. Mary and Archangel Michael, Housron, Texas, September 2009. 20. Massimo Capuani, Christian Egypt: Coptic Art and Monuments through Two Millennia (Collegeville, MN: The Liturgical Press, 1999), 41. 21. Labib interview, September 2009. 22 . Awad Eskander, AlA, Presidem Paradigm Consulting and member of Sr. Mary's, Sr. Mary Coptic Orrhodox Church, interview by author, Sr. Mary Coptic Orrhodox Church, Colleyville, Texas], September 2009. 23. Bakhoum interview, September 2009. 24. Sr. Philopateer Coptic Orrhodox Church, "Abour Our Church", Sr. Philopateer Coptic Orrhodox Church, hrrp://www.stphilopateerdallas.org/abour-us. html. 25. Sami Hage, member of Sr. Philopateer, email message ro author, 31 December 2010. 26. Awad Eskander, email message ro author, December 5, 2010. 27. Sami Hage, email message ro author, December 31, 2010. 28. Sr. Mark Coptic Orthodox Church, Myrrle Beach, Sourh Carolina, "A New Coptic Church is a Real Glowing Candle," Coptic Architecrure, hrrp:// www.copticarchitecture.com; Malaty, The Church House ofGod. VoLUME 22 § 2011 ~ ARRIS 85 ...