St. Mark's Cathedral in Alexandria

St. Mark's Cathedral in Alexandria in 62 AD was the beginning of the Coptic Church in Egypt, where he preached Christianity to the people, establishing the Apostolic See of Alexandria, known as the Coptic Church. The Coptic (Markan) Church has a great place in world church history because from it came the scholarly Coptic patriarchs of Alexandria who confronted various heresies.

In 68 AD, St. Mark was martyred in Alexandria and his body was placed in the church. In 311 AD, just before the martyrdom of Pope Peter the Seal of Martyrs, he prayed a final prayer over St. Mark's tomb. At that time, the church was a small cabin for worship on the eastern harbor. It contained the body of St. Mark and some of his successors. In 321 AD, the church was enlarged during the reign of Pope Archilaus 18.

What can you see inside St. Mark's Cathedral in Alexandria?

As soon as we enter through the outer door of the church, we find on our left a building from the last century that contains the residence of the Pope and his deputy in Alexandria and the halls of the seminary (which specializes in Christian sciences).

The marble iconostasis, iconostasis, and papal chair have been preserved along with the rest of the church's iconography. The six marble columns on which the church rested were moved to the entrance. In 1990, with the steady increase in the number of worshippers, the church was expanded on the western side, during the reign of Pope Shenouda III.