Egypt Church with Jesus Footprint Damaged in Fire

A historic church in Egypt housing a display of Jesus' footprint has been damaged by a fire.

The fire, set off by an electrical fault, caused structural damage to the church and destroyed its altar, according to the Agence France-Presse reported, but did not damage the preserved stone.

Jesus and his family are believed to have stopped at the Sanctuary of the Church of the Virgin Mary, located in Sakha, during their flight from Bethlehem to Egypt to escape King Herod's attacks on children. They reportedly left an imprint of Jesus' foot on a rock that was put on display at the church.

The Coptic name of the Sakha is "Pekha -Issous" which means "the foot of Jesus." It is one of several locations in the Middle East that are said to have imprints of Jesus' footprints.

The Chapel of the Ascension in Jerusalem, the site believed to mark the place where Jesus ascended into heaven, also has a stone imprint of a footprint purportedly belonging to Jesus on display.