Church of Saint Porphyrius

The Church of Saint Porphyrius (Εκκλησία του Αγίου Πορφυρίου, ; كَنِيسَة الْقِدِّيس بُرْفِيرْيُوس) is a Greek Orthodox church in Gaza City, State of Palestine. It belongs to the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem and is the oldest active church in the city. Located in the Zaytun Quarter of the Old City of Gaza, it is named after the 5th-century bishop of Gaza, Saint Porphyrius, whose tomb is situated in the northeastern corner of the church.

Crusader and Byzantine eras
A church was built on the site as early as AD 425, but the construction of the current church was undertaken by the Crusaders in the 1150s or 1160s; they dedicated it to St Porphyrius. In the seventh century, the church had been converted into a mosque. Records from the 15th century show that the church may have also been dedicated to the Virgin Mary. The church was renovated in 1856.

The Patriarch of Jerusalem appointed Saint Porphyrius, when he was aged 45, as custodian of the Venerable Wood of the Cross of the Lord. He was described by the Roman Christian hagiographer Mark the Deacon as the Christianizer of the "disobedient pagan people of Gaza." According to the legend, there was a terrible drought in Gaza that ended only after Saint Porphyrios and a group of 280 Christians prayed to God with "fasting, vigil and procession." This led to the conversion of 25 pagans, as rain in this region was considered God's greatest gift.

Architecture
There are some cornices and bases that date back to the Crusader period, but much of the other portions are later additions. The church is rectangular shape in shape, with a half-domed roofed temple. Its pavement 1.8 m below ground level in its southern part, and 3 m below ground level at the northern end, suggesting that the present building was built atop of an earlier church structure. The church consists of a single aisle made up of two groin-vaulted bays, with a projecting semi-circular apse preceded by a barrel-vaulted presbytery. Internally, the building measures 22.9 m by 8.9 m, including the apse. It has architectural and constructional similarities with the former Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist (currently the Great Mosque of Gaza).

The church has three entrances. The western entrance has a portico with three marble columns supporting two pointed arches. The bases of the marbles date from the Crusader era. The church can also be entered from its façade or from a side door which opens onto a modern gallery, equipped with stairs for going down to the level of the pavement. Its colossal walls are supported by horizontal marble and granite columns and pilasters.

Israel-Gaza conflict
In the 2014 Gaza War, around 2,000 Palestinians slept in the church during Israeli bombings. The church was again used as refuge for hundreds of civilians during the 2023-24 Israel–Hamas war. In October 2023, it was the site of an airstrike by the Israeli Air Force,  which hit two halls sheltering Gazan Palestinian Muslims and Christians, causing the collapse of at least one building,  and killed between 16–18 civilians.