Coptic Saint Mark Cathedral Alexandria
The Coptic Saint Mark's Cathedral in the Egyptian city of Alexandria is the seat of the Coptic Orthodox Pope of Alexandria, head of the Coptic Church .
Early history
The cathedral is said to have been founded in the year 60 by the Evangelist Mark .
According to early Christian tradition, the author of the Gospel of Mark was associated with Alexandria. Coptic Christians believe that he arrived in Alexandria around the year 60 and stayed for about seven years. During this time, Mark is said to have converted many to Christianity and performed some miracles. He is believed to be the founder of the Church of Alexandria and the first Patriarch of Alexandria . According to tradition, in 68 during the Serapis celebrations, Markus was arrested, tortured and dragged through the streets. He is said to have been buried under the church.
Corpse of St. Mark
In 828, the body of Mark was stolen from the church in Alexandria by Venetians and reburied in St. Mark's Basilica in Venice. The saint's head remained in Alexandria, and each newly appointed Patriarch of Alexandria began his first service by holding St. Mark's head in his lap and covering it with a new cloth.
The head has been lost for more than 250 years. 1968, during the patriarchate of Kirellos VI. , however, some relics of Mark returned to Alexandria from Rome.
The current Coptic St. Mark's Cathedral is more recent, but it is said to stand on the foundation of the church that Mark founded.
History of the cathedral
In 311, before his martyrdom , Petros I held a last prayer at the tomb of St. Mark; the church at that time was a small chapel on the east coast. Achillas of Alexandria enlarged the church in 312. When the Arabs entered Egypt in 641, the church was destroyed. The 40th Patriarch , Yoannis III. from Alexandria , rebuilt the church.
During the time of the Crusades, the church was destroyed in 1219 and later rebuilt. The traveler Pierre Belon mentions the church in 1547. In July 1798, during the Egyptian expedition of the French, the church was abandoned. Petros VII of Alexandria built the church for the third time in 1819. At the time of Pope Dimitrios II , the church was restored under the supervision of Bishop Mark of El Behira. In the years 1950 to 1952, in the time of Pope Yusab II , the church was closed due to dilapidation and replaced by a larger building with cement reinforcements. Six marble pillars were placed in the outer entrance. The iconostasis was carefully dismantled into parts and reassembled in the original place. The two bell towers were not demolished, but also reinforced with concrete and decorated with Coptic decorations. Two new bells from Italy were hung, one for each tower. The church was carefully expanded on the west side in the earlier style from 1985 to 1990. The two towers remained in their place, the entire church space doubled. The six pillars were moved to the new west entrance. The supervisory authority had Patriarch Schenuda III.
On Palm Sunday 2017 there was a suicide attack during the service, leaving several dead and injured .
Individual evidence
- ↑ St. Mark's Coptic Cathedral - Alexandria.
- ↑ links.jstor.org
- ↑ Saint Mark Coptic Orthodox Cathedral - Alexandria. ( Memento of April 8, 2010 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ n-tv.de
Coordinates: 31 ° 11 ′ 54 ″ N , 29 ° 53 ′ 58 ″ E