The Basin
Church tradition tells us that the Virgin Mary kneaded in a basin while she was in the city. This basin was preserved in the church until it was lost, but it was found in the sixties when the foundations of the priest’s house were dug inside the church walls in 1965 AD, at a depth of approximately 3 meters. The antiquities report acknowledged that it is from the first century AD. Water is placed in it after the Communion from the Holy Mysteries to be a blessing for visitors and worshipers, and many miracles happen through its blessing.
Among the many miracles that occurred in the church from this basin, and the most important, is the one which happened on the day of Pentecost, on June 7th 1987, immediately after the Divine Liturgy. All the water in the basin turned into oil, and this miracle was witnessed by all the worshipers in the church, which amazed them and made them hurry to take its blessing.
The Holy Well
It exists in the churchyard and local tradition says that the Holy Family drank from this well during their stay in the city. It is at a depth of 12 meters from the surface of the earth. Also, many miracles happened through the blessing of the Holy Family with the water of this well.
The Relics of the Holy Martyr Abanoub
In the church there are the relics of Saint Abanoub, who was martyred at the age of 12 with other martyrs. He was from Nahisa and that is why he was called Abanoub al-Nahisi. He went to Lysias, the governor of Samanoud, and confessed that he was a Christian. So the governor took him on a ship and crucified him on the mast of the boat, but he descended by a miracle, and in the end Armanius, the governor of Alexandria, killed him.
