St. Mark the Apostle

The Coptic Church or the Church of Alexandria was founded by St. Mark, one of the seventy Apostles (Mark 10:10) and one of the four Evangelists. The church is called “See of St. Mark” and it is one of the earliest four sees: Jerusalem, Antioch, Alexandria, and Rome.

St. Mark is regarded by the Coptic hierarchy as the first of their unbroken 117 patriarchs, and also the first of a stream of Egyptian martyrs.

St. Mark was a broad-minded Apostle. His ministry was quite productive and covered large field of activities including: (i) preaching in Egypt, Pentapolis, Judea, Asia Minor, and Italy during which time he ordained bishops, priests, and deacons, (ii) establishing the “School of Alexandria” which defended Christianity against philosophical school of Alexandria, and (iii) conceived a large number of great Fathers, and writing the Liturgy of the Holy Eucharist which was modified later by St. Cyril to the liturgy known today as the Liturgy of St. Cyril.

Icons of St. Mark courtesy of www.copticartstudio.com