Saint Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral is a
Coptic church in
Alexandria
Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandri ...
,
Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning the North Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via a land bridg ...
. It is the
historical seat of the
Pope of Alexandria, the head of the Coptic Orthodox Church.
On
Palm Sunday, 9 April 2017,
an Islamic State operative detonated his suicide belt in the cathedral, killing 17 people and wounding 48.
Beginning
The cathedral is said to stand on the site of the church founded by St.
Mark the Evangelist
Mark the Evangelist ( la, Marcus; grc-gre, Μᾶρκος, Mârkos; arc, ܡܪܩܘܣ, translit=Marqōs; Ge'ez: ማርቆስ; ), also known as Saint Mark, is the person who is traditionally ascribed to be the author of the Gospel of Mark. Acco ...
in AD 42.
St. Mark the Evangelist (author of the second Gospel) has been connected with the city of
Alexandria
Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandri ...
since earliest Christian tradition. Coptic Christians believe he arrived in Alexandria around AD 42 and stayed for about seven years.
During this time, Mark converted many to
Christianity
Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global popula ...
and performed many miracles. He is considered the founder of the
church in Alexandria and the first
Bishop of Alexandria. According to tradition, St. Mark was arrested during a festival of
Serapis in AD 68 and martyred by being dragged through the streets. He was buried under the church he had founded.
Relics of Saint Mark
In 828,
relics
In religion, a relic is an object or article of religious significance from the past. It usually consists of the physical remains of a saint or the personal effects of the saint or venerated person preserved for purposes of veneration as a tangi ...
believed to be the body of St. Mark were stolen from
Alexandria
Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandri ...
by Venetian merchants and taken to
Venice
Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...
.
Copts believe that the head of St. Mark remains in a church named after him in Alexandria, and parts of his relics are in
St. Mark's Cairo's Cathedral. The rest of what are believed to be his relics are in the
St Mark's Basilica in Venice, Italy.
Every year, on the 30th day of the month of
Paopi, the
Coptic Orthodox Church celebrates the commemoration of the consecration of the church of St. Mark, and the appearance of the head of the saint in the city of Alexandria. This takes place inside St. Mark Coptic Orthodox Cathedral in Alexandria, where the saint's head is preserved.
The head of St. Mark was moved around a great deal over the centuries, and has been lost for over 250 years. Some of the relics from the body of St. Mark, however, were returned to Alexandria from
Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus ( legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
in 1968 during the papacy of Coptic
Pope Cyril VI.
The present St. Mark's Coptic Cathedral is of recent date, but is said to stand on the site of church founded by St. Mark himself.
History
In AD 311, before the martyrdom of
Pope Peter the Last of Martyrs, he prayed a last prayer on the grave of Saint Mark, the church was then a little chapel on the eastern coast, and it contained bodies said to be of Saint
Mark
Mark may refer to:
Currency
* Bosnia and Herzegovina convertible mark, the currency of Bosnia and Herzegovina
* East German mark, the currency of the German Democratic Republic
* Estonian mark, the currency of Estonia between 1918 and 1927
* Finn ...
and some of his holy successors. The church was later enlarged in the days of
Pope Achillas, the 18th Pope.
The church was greatly ruined in 641 when the
Arabs
The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...
invaded
Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning the North Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via a land bridg ...
. In 680
Pope John III rebuilt the church. In 828, the body of
Saint Mark was stolen by Italian sailors and was taken from Alexandria to
Venice
Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...
in
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
. However, Saint Mark's head remained in
Alexandria
Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandri ...
.
The church was destroyed again in 1219, during the time of the crusades, then it was rebuilt once more. Sixteenth-century French explorer
Pierre Belon mentions the founding of the church in 1547.
The church was pulled down during the
French invasion of Alexandria in July 1798. The church was rebuilt and opened in 1819 by
Pope Peter El Gawly in the time of Mohammed Ali Pasha. The church was renewed in the time of
Pope Demetrius II and by the supervision of Bishop Marcos of El Behira in 1870. Between the years 1950–1952, in the time of
Pope Yusab II, the church building was pulled down and another, larger building was built with reinforced concrete after the basilique style. The six marble pillars were transferred into the outer entrance of the church. The icon carrier was accurately cut into parts, each part given a number, and then it was cautiously returned to where it was originally. The two bell tower were not pulled down as they were reinforced with concrete and were decorated with beautiful
Coptic engravings. Two new bells – brought from Italy – were provided, one for each bell tower.
Between 1985 and 1990, the church was widened from the western side after the former style with great accuracy, keeping the two bell tower in their places, so the entire area of the church was doubled. The six pillars were transferred to the new western entrance of the church supervised by
Pope Shenouda III
Pope Shenouda III (; cop, Ⲡⲁⲡⲁ Ⲁⲃⲃⲁ Ϣⲉⲛⲟⲩϯ ⲅ̅ '; ar, بابا الإسكندرية شنودة الثالث '; 3 August 1923 – 17 March 2012) was the List of Coptic Orthodox Popes of Alexandria, 117th ...
.
See also
*
List of Coptic Orthodox churches in Egypt
The Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria is the official name for the largest Christian church in Egypt. The Church belongs to the Oriental Orthodox family of churches, since the Council of Chalcedon in AD 451. This church was established by Sa ...
**
Saint Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral (Azbakeya)
**
Saint Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral (Cairo)
References
External links
Saint Mark's Coptic orthodox Cathedral (Alexandria)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mark, Cathedral in Alexandria
Coptic Orthodox churches in Egypt
Copts in Alexandria
Churches in Alexandria
Cathedrals in Egypt
Burial places of popes
Oriental Orthodox congregations established in the 7th century
Oriental Orthodox cathedrals in Egypt
Religious buildings and structures in Alexandria
1810s establishments in Egypt
19th-century Oriental Orthodox church buildings
19th-century churches in Egypt