Mary’s Tree in Matariyya, located in ancient Heliopolis on Cairo’s eastern edge, is one of the most beloved stops along the Holy Family route in Egypt. According to Coptic tradition, the Virgin Mary, Joseph and the Child Jesus rested here under the shade of a tree. At this spot, Jesus is said to have brought forth a fresh-water well whose blessed water healed and refreshed all who drank from it. Mary washed the Child there, and from the spilled water a fragrant balsam plant is believed to have grown. Medieval travellers – among them Bruchard of Mount Sion and the Venetian Marino Sanuto – described Matariyya’s famous balsam gardens and the well associated with the Virgin. For centuries, the Matariyya balsam was prized across the Mediterranean, both for healing and as a key ingredient in the holy chrism used by Eastern and Western churches.
The “Tree of the Virgin” has not survived as a single trunk over two millennia: the original tree collapsed in 1656 and was replanted by Franciscan friars, and several different trees have successively taken its place. Devotion – and sometimes carelessness – left its mark: pilgrims broke off branches as keepsakes, visitors carved their names, and French soldiers even left graffiti during the 1800 campaign. In 2013 the tree fell again, likely due to rising groundwater, and only a few living branches survived to form the new tree now protected within a quiet walled enclosure beside Mary’s Well and a small chapel. Despite the urban sprawl surrounding it, the site has been carefully restored with pathways, accessible facilities and a visitor center. Inside, the gentle shade of the tree still offers a powerful symbol of refuge, tenderness and blessing.
- Address
Al Matareyah Al Bahreyah, El Matareya, Cairo Governorate 11753, Egypt - Web
https://egymonuments.gov.eg/en/archaeological-sites/marys-tree-archaeological-site/ - Visiting Hours
Every day from 8:00 to 17:00 - What to see
Mary’s tree
