"CORDI JESU"

the Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Cairo

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The history of this church goes back to 1874, when, for the first time, serious urban planning was carried out in Cairo. Comboni received land from the khedive Ismail on which he was to construct a centre for the formation of young Sudanese. At that time, the present Ramsis street was a big canal along which ran a road used mainly by caravans going and coming from the port of Bulaq. Comboni first built two institutes for missionaries, after which, on 27^th December 1880, he blessed the first stone of Cordi Jesu. This became the first sanctuary in Africa to be dedicated to the Heart of Christ. The work was completed in 1884. In 1927, the church was demolished so as to be enlarged and adorned with precious marble from Italy. Renovation was completed in 1930. The vault of the apse, which is 85 m², was decorated in 1960 by Trivisonno Amedeo, a famous artist from Florence.