MECMiddle East
Churches
CHURCH BUILDING

Saint Antony Coptic Orthodox Cathedral

Al Mushrif · Abu Dhabi · Coptic Orthodox

Locality
Al Mushrif · Abu Dhabi
Tradition
Coptic Orthodox
Type of place
CHURCH BUILDING
Coordinates
24.44925° N, 54.38477° E
Identity
Matched to a public listing

A brief history

The Coptic Orthodox cathedral of Abu Dhabi stands at Al Mushrif and is named for Antony the Great, the Egyptian hermit whom both Eastern and Western Christians count as the father of monasticism. Christians make up about 12.9 per cent of the population of the United Arab Emirates, nearly all of them foreign residents, and the country recognises Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox and Protestant churches.

Saints & traditions

Antony's own monastery is in the Egyptian Eastern Desert, and this guide documents it too. The Copts of Abu Dhabi named their cathedral after a man who went into a desert about 2,000 kilometres away.

Sources & directions