SAINT SIDHOM THE LOVER OF CHURCHES
We Don't Know A lot About His Life . He Has Been A merchant Of Wood In A Alexandria The Town Which Liked Jesus Deeply . He Used to come to Damietta once or more in the year in order to buy woods that came often from Syria countries . He loved visiting the churches and he enjoyed saving all its need. No sooner had he know that the wooden roof of the church of Saint George had cracked which is found in bousat El Nasara then he endowen the first ship corning to him with wood in that year to them . As he had it on his account he kept on attending the prayers permanently which were held as he was staying in the town . No wonder as he was a great senior , a recluse and he spent all his life serving Jesus Christ .
THE DARKNESS CONFLICT
Once while Saint Sidhom was on his way to church unchristian man impeded him with intent to prevent him from going there , but he did not care . He didn't even turn back the act which makes that wicked man indignant then he instigated some boys to call him names that never suits him. By accident , the casuist was passing and he asked why this people are crowded . Then thy told him lies declaiming such false and unfair things against him. As a result consequently , the casuist became mad and full with anger and carried , " How could you say that the Christian man has looked down upon Islam and Muslim people and insulted their respected prophet ? "
HIS FALSE TRIAL AND HIS PATIENCE
The Casuist has selected one of those false witnesses and destined for the court and thus they proved the unjust claims on Saint Sidhom Bishay the one who was good by nature and was good temper his age was over forty years old , he loves everybody and was know for his patience , and his godliness the way that makes what has been said against him unbelievable The Court has ordered to bring him before it . While he was passing in the street he was banged and insulted from everyone meeting him up till the moment he standed before the judge who gave his judgment to have him injured even before searching his case .
THE INJURY OF HIS FRIEND HO HAD INTERCEDED FOR HIM
BY accident , his friend Banoub Abrahim Farag a man , it is said to be brave and of great influence in the town had seen him in his condition . so he wanted to intercede to save him , he said to the crowed : " Don't you see how many times had they banged him ? Would you also pull him on his face? " But he also couldn't be saved form their harm as they caught him and banged him until the became unconscious. The manuscript said that he was still for a month after this accident. We found his corpse buried under Saint Sidhom's he was his close friend and a lover to the church as he dedicate a house for it .
THE TESTIMONY OF SAINT SIDHOM BEFORE THE JUDGE
They bought the Saint before the judge after he had been banded and threatened, the judge has already given his judgement " As the said Sidhom Bishay has insulted Islamic religion and degraded our respected prophet , he had to choose between either he would be converted to Muslim that intercede for him or to be Killed at once " .
But the Saint the lover of God , wondered at their demand and refuse their proposal . consequently , the present people took of their shoes and banged him on his face until he bleeded . After that they left him in the prison of the court waiting for his fate until they took a decision what to do with him. It was an awful day because of the coil the vulgar people has aroused. Consequently no Christian could went out of his home to secure his wants .
HIS TESTIMONY BEFORE THE GOVERNOR
In the third day they bought him bound with fernum and made stand before the judge. They tried to induce him and when he didn't surrender to them they sent him to the town's council and they never ceased banging and insulting him when the governor saw him persistence and his inveterate faith and how he refused their counsels , he passed the same judgment the had before. Then they pulled him from upstairs to downstairs until his face was completely deformed. After that they gathered wide in a place banged him five hundred times until he was out of sense. Finally , they pulled him in the streets and threw him in Elahbash agency where they left him in a struggle wit death .
HIS PATIENCE, PERSISTENCE AND HIS DEATH
In the fourth day , they repeated what they have done before as they took off his clothes with intent to scorn him. They put rubbish on his body and defiled a cross with dust and put it on his barb , they pulled him in all the streets of the town where rash and irrational people are found and who were bang in him with their shoes until his body was torn up. In spite of his torment he was still patient , satisfied and he was praying '' virgin , Jesus " . They also passed through the Christian street where there in three churches and they were throwing stones at the Christian houses attacking agencies and the counsel's, the act that made them feel indignant and complain to their governments .
THE APPEARANCE OF VIRGIN AND HER PROPHECY
At last , they pulled him on his face and they destined for the house of his brother Seliman Bishay who lived near minet Damietta ( This house was given to the Patrimony of Church and a house has been built in this land for priests and strangers ) . One of them named Abdou Mashrafa fetched a pot of boiling oil his head. The Said asked one of his relatives who was standing near him to bring a chair from the garden which is before them for the virgin to sit down. He called her Bahnouna until they made fun of him thinking his was calling his wife.
They virgin's prophecy came true as their region became latter. After he had endured all these kinds of unbearable execration , he dead in presence of the virgin who performed his demand .
THE PERMISSION FOR SHOWING THE CROSS OPENLY
The governor ordered that the Saint must be gratified and his funeral be formal in order to calm the angry people. All denominations attended the celebration, which was specially held for being buried. In this celebration they wore guns and the priests their own clothes. The priest Mikhael was the leader of it. The walked in all the streets of the town carrying crosses and flags until they reached the Christian church where they accomplished their prayers and after that they buried him in a special grave in the church where there was the Christian graves he was seen in the night of death as a … Of light above his grave and a lot of people cam and took some dust from the grave and it has already cured many of them from their diseases.
THE GRATIFICATION OF THE SAINT'S BODY
The Saint Body Was buried in the church of Saint George in Damietta . in 565, as they amplified the church , they had to transfer the body into the western south of the church . This is the place where we have found his body , Banoub's and many others .
The body was still there until 1968 , every year , while he was still in the grave , they were celebrating with the day of his death , up till the moment god decided to gratify his Saint , an agency had been formed to transfer the blessed bode ( led by father Bishoy Abdel Maseh and the great senior Mr. Alfonce Nicola ) inside the church in a big celebration in the presence of the priest of Dairout , father Aghabioss . In the days of the priest of the parish of damietta , Kafer El Shekh , El Barary and Saint Demiana monkery , father Bishoy the bleesed body has been transferred into the church of virgin in Damietta where he dead