His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, Patriarch of the Coptic Orthodox Church, led the grand consecration of the new Cathedral of St. Mark the Apostle in the village of Rizqat al-Dayr, located within the Diocese of the Al-Muharraq Monastery in Asyut Governorate.

The historic ceremony was attended by twenty metropolitans and bishops, along with local officials and thousands of faithful, according to the official website of the Coptic Church.

In his sermon following the Divine Liturgy, Patriarch Tawadros emphasized the Church’s dual mission: cultivating morally upright citizens and preparing souls for eternity. "The construction of a church is a service to the homeland,” he said. “The Church is the oldest institution of the people, bearing witness to faith through service, love, and giving.”

The Patriarch highlighted three symbolic aspects of the new cathedral: its spaciousness, representing the call to love all people; its soaring ceiling, which lifts hearts and prayers to God; and its ornate beauty, reflecting the need for inner beauty through repentance.

Lieutenant General Hisham Abu al-Nasr, Governor of Asyut, was present at the event and presented the Patriarch with an icon of the Holy Family, painted by a young artist from the region. He expressed his gratitude for the Patriarch’s visit and praised the spiritual and cultural significance of the cathedral.

Rizqat al-Dayr, a village home to around 16,000 Copts, now hosts three churches. The newly consecrated cathedral, whose construction began in 2007, is the largest in the area.

During the consecration, three altars were blessed in the upper church — in honor of St. Mark the Apostle, St. Mina the Martyr, and Saints Anthony and Paul of Thebes. In the lower church, three more altars were consecrated, dedicated to the Virgin Mary, St. Mercurius of Caesarea, and St. Kyriakia of Nicomedia, venerated in the Coptic Church as Muhrael. All the cathedral’s icons were also blessed during the service.