| Saint Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral | |
|---|---|
&sq=Envato&lang=en&file=File:StMarkCathAlex.jpg) An interior view of St. Mark's Cathedral in Alexandria | |
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| 31°11′54″N 29°53′58″E / 31.198290°N 29.899403°E | |
| Location | St. Mark's Coptic Cathedral, Mahatet el-Raml, Alexandria |
| Country |  Egypt |
| Denomination | Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria |
| History | |
| Founder(s) | Saint Mark |
| Dedication | Saint Mark |
| Architecture | |
| Architectural type | church |
| Style | Coptic |
| Clergy | |
| Bishop(s) | Pope Tawadros |
| Priest(s) |
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Saint Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral is a Coptic church in Alexandria, Egypt. It is the historical seat of the Pope of Alexandria, the head of the Coptic Orthodox Church.
Believed to stand on the site of a church founded in AD 42 by Mark the Evangelist, in AD 311 a chapel was recorded here, containing bodies said to be of Mark and his successors. Enlarged in the days of Pope Achillas, the church was ruined in 641 when the Arabs invaded Egypt, but was rebuilt in 680 by Pope John III of Alexandria. In 828, most of the body of Saint Mark was stolen and removed to Venice, with only the head remaining in Alexandria.
The church was destroyed again in 1219, during the crusades, then rebuilt again. It was pulled down during the French invasion of Alexandria in 1798, then rebuilt and reopened in 1819 by Pope Peter VII of Alexandria and restored in the 1870s.
Between 1950 and 1952, the church was again pulled down, apart from its two bell towers, and replaced by a larger building of reinforced concrete, with six marble pillars retained as part of the new portico, and with the icon carrier reinstated. The two bell towers were reinforced with concrete and decorated with beautiful Coptic engravings.
Between 1985 and 1990, the church was doubled in size by being widened.