Churches and cathedrals of Alexandria

The Cathedral of the Annunciation

The Greek Orthodox Cathedral of the Annunciation of the Theotokos, also known as Evangelismos, is a major landmark of patriarchal and community life in Alexandria. Patriarch Ierotheos II laid its foundation stone on 16 November 1847; it was consecrated on 25 March 1856. The Patriarchate's detailed account describes it as a basilica and records the work of craftsmen on the marble iconostasis, throne, pulpit, woodwork and decoration.

The project responded to the needs of a growing Orthodox community. The same account recalls that Saint Savvas had previously been the principal church serving the Greeks, and reaching it could be difficult from scattered neighbourhoods. The new church was a place for worship and for the community's major occasions. Its history includes patriarchal enthronements, funerals and gatherings in which communal memory was made visible.

Theodore II was enthroned here on 24 October 2004. The cathedral continues to host patriarchal worship and the great occasions of the Alexandrian Church, joining its nineteenth-century architectural history to the life of the present community.

Sources: Patriarchate of Alexandria — The Church of the Annunciation of the Virgin of Alexandria · Patriarchate of Alexandria — Biography of Theodoros II

The Patriarchal Monastery of Saint Savvas

Saint Savvas the Sanctified holds a special place in the Orthodox life of Alexandria. The monastery's history traces Christian worship on the site to the early fourth century and its association with the patriarchal residence to about the sixth century. It has served generations as a place of liturgy, learning and hospitality.

The monastery has repeatedly been damaged, repaired and rebuilt. Its account records a seventeenth-century fire and reconstruction, later renovations, and the replacement of unsafe monastic buildings under Nicholas VI while the church was retained. The site has served many needs: prayer, hospitality, care for the poor and sick, burial and education.

The monastery also preserves a marble column traditionally associated with the martyrdom of Saint Catherine, an Alexandrian saint whose memory remains prominent in Orthodox worship.

Sources: Patriarchate of Alexandria — Monastery of Saint Savvas

The church of Theonas

Texts preserve the memory of Alexandria’s ancient churches, including the Church of Theonas. The Historia Acephala describes soldiers entering the church during the conflict surrounding Athanasius in 356. It records his escape and the pressures faced by the congregation.

Athanasius's account evokes the setting of the ancient congregation: night worship, clergy, soldiers and a people gathered in prayer. These details give a vivid sense of the places in which the faith was proclaimed and defended in fourth-century Alexandria.

Sources: Historia Acephala, sections I, IV, VII–VIII

The Caesareum in the life of the city

The Caesareum was another important church in late-antique Alexandria. Athanasius's writings refer to its place in the struggles of his time. It belongs to the history of worship and of political and ecclesiastical conflict.

The Christian historian Socrates places the philosopher Hypatia's murder at the church called Caesareum. He condemns the violence and records that it brought disgrace upon Cyril and the Alexandrian Church.

Sources: Athanasius, History of the Arians VII · Socrates Scholasticus, Church History VII.15

Buildings that continue to gather a Church

Recent patriarchal reports show that these are living places of prayer. The Holy Week account for 2025 names services at Saint Savvas, the Annunciation Cathedral and the Arabic Orthodox parish of the Theotokos in Alexandria. Their different settings belong to the same present pastoral life.

The dedication, architecture, sacred art and prayer of each church reveal different parts of its history. Visitors can ask the local community about services and arrangements for entering these places of worship.

Sources: Patriarchate of Alexandria — Holy Week and the Resurrection in Alexandria