Pope Benjamin I of Alexandria

Saint

Benjamin I of Alexandria
Pope of Alexandria & Patriarch of the See of St. Mark
Papacy began623
Papacy ended16 January 662
PredecessorAndronicus
SuccessorAgathon
Personal details
Born
Died16 January 662
BuriedSaint Mark's Church
NationalityEgyptian
DenominationCoptic Orthodox Christian
ResidenceSaint Mark's Church
Sainthood
Feast day16 January (8 Toba in the Coptic calendar)

Pope Benjamin I of Alexandria, 38th Pope of Alexandria & Patriarch of the See of St. Mark. He is regarded as one of the greatest patriarchs of the Coptic Church. Benjamin guided the Coptic church through a period of turmoil in Egyptian history [1] that included the fall of Egypt to the Sasanian Empire, followed by Egypt's reconquest under the Byzantines, and finally the Arab Islamic Conquest in 642. After the Arab conquest Pope Benjamin, who was in exile, was allowed to return to Alexandria and resume the patriarchate.

  1. ^ Atiya, Aziz S. The Coptic Encyclopedia. New York:Macmillan Publishing Company, 1991. ISBN 0-02-897025-X.