"[6] According to the legend, there was a terrible drought in Gaza that ended only after Saint Porphyrios and a group of 280 Christians prayed to God with "fasting, vigil and procession."

[10] In October 2023, it was the site of an airstrike by the Israeli Air Force,[11][12][13] which hit two halls sheltering Gazan Palestinian Muslims and Christians, causing the collapse of at least one building,[14][15] and killed between 16 and 18 civilians.

[4] The church consists of a single aisle made up of two groin-vaulted bays, with a projecting semi-circular apse preceded by a barrel-vaulted presbytery.

It has architectural and constructional similarities with the former Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist (currently the Great Mosque of Gaza).

[20] The church can also be entered from its façade or from a side door which opens onto a modern gallery, equipped with stairs for going down to the level of the pavement.