"The Holy Family journey in Egypt: Belbeis" Bilbays by Diana75

Bilbays Travel Guide: 7 reviews and 15 photos

Inside the upper church in Belbeis - Bilbays

The lower church

Our day trip on the steps of the Holy Family in Egypt started with Belbeis, a district of El Sharqiya govemorate, located at about 52 km from Cairo, which was an important diocese in the 4th century.

It is said that the Holy Family passed by Bilbais on their return from Mostorod and sheltered under a tree known as "The tree of the Virgin Mary".

On this place stands today the church of St George.

Decoration in the upper church

There are three things that really intrigued me about this place.

First of them is the correct name of the place.

Bilbais, Bilbays, Belbeis, Bilbeis or Bilbes?

The most common are Belbeis, officially used on maps and in the notes about the Holy Family jouney in Egypt, and sometimes Bilbays.

Second is the name of the church.
To us it was presented as the St. George church and the representations of the saint killing the dragon found in the church are confirming this name. Still, on some pictures of the church it was mentioned as Church of the Virgin Mary.

The third aspect is related to the "The tree of the Virgin Mary". There is no evidence of this tree in Belbeis, while the worldwide recognized as Mary's tree is the one located in Al Matariyah.

Last visit to Bilbays: Sep 2005
Intro Updated Apr 9, 2006
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Reviews (7)

Man with gun in Belbeis church - Bilbays

Police surveillance Warnings and Dangers (1)

A police patrol joined our bus on our way to Belbeis and accompanied us from there to Mostorod and Al Matariyah. It was... more travel advice

Visiting the church Things to Do (6)

As almost all the Christian sites in Egypt located in regions with Muslim majority, the Church of St. George in Belbeis... more travel advice

The lower church Things to Do (6)

This is the oldest part of the church which is still currently used as a chapel. An old iconostas is hidden by a velvet... more travel advice

The upper church Things to Do (6)

The upper church is the new part of the church built in 1960. Except the wooden iconostas, the interior of the church... more travel advice

Comments (4)

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barbara#67 Nov 18, 2009 at 2:01 PM

thanks for info. my mother was born in Belbeis in 1904. i want to visit it next year. shall i stay in Cairo or find accommodation in Belbeis? i have a picture of the house. would that be useful? i've got no other information, thanks
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LoriPori Dec 19, 2006 at 4:16 PM

Interesting page on Bilbays Diana. Also thanks for visiting the various France pages. Southern France is absolutely wonderful.
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matcrazy1 Dec 10, 2006 at 7:25 AM

Glad to hear the Coptic monk opens the church for visitors in Belbeis. I'd like to visit it while in Cairo.
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luckyzen Apr 26, 2006 at 11:36 PM

Hi Diana, An Interesting page on Bilbay. Thank you. We are celebrating Freedom Day in South Africa so, yes....off work today.:~)) Hope you are doing ok.