SW News: A shrine has been blessed on February 15 to commemorate the 5th martyrdom anniversary of 21 Coptic Christians who were murdered by the Islamic State (IS) in Libya.

It is located in the village of Al-Our, Egypt, where most of the martyrs are from. A large statue of Jesus Christ enveloping the kneeling martyrs has been erected as a memorial at the shrine.

The first museum dedicated to martyrs has also been opened, which preserves unprecedented testimonies of the martyrs, from the moment of their kidnapping to the return of their bodies to Egypt.

ISIS had shocked the world in 2015 with its gruesome footage of the beheadings of the young Christians.

The powerful witness of these young Coptic Christians who refused to recant their faith, but chose to die has inspired many to embrace Christianity in Egypt.

The Coptic Orthodox Church had also built a ‘Cathedral of the Martyrs of Faith and the Homeland’ two years ago on the same day.