Saint Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral
Saint Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral
Saint Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral
4.5
About
The former seat of the Coptic Orthodox Patriarch prior to being moved to Cairo in 1968. This Cathedral is an excellent example of Coptic architecture and is a wonder to behold. A couple of notes upon entry:1.Your bag will be searched and you will walk through a metal detector; 2.Please dress modestly out of respect for the sanctity of the building; 3.A small donation is appreciated
Duration: < 1 hour
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- El Shohada • 5 min walk
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
4.5
34 reviews
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Voyager_Nineteen71
Pune, India585 contributions
Dec 2023 • Couples
We visited this church around noon. There is a little bit of security around the entrance to the compound.
It is quite a pretty church and very calm. There is a display of the full life of St Mark including how he was tortured to death which was poignant. His body was buried below but it was stolen and relics of it are there at the St Mark's cathedral in Venice. Apparently, the relic of the Saint above the neck are still buried in this church. We wanted to go below and see the crypt but there was a service going on (it was a Friday) and we weren't allowed to go below.
It is quite a pretty church and very calm. There is a display of the full life of St Mark including how he was tortured to death which was poignant. His body was buried below but it was stolen and relics of it are there at the St Mark's cathedral in Venice. Apparently, the relic of the Saint above the neck are still buried in this church. We wanted to go below and see the crypt but there was a service going on (it was a Friday) and we weren't allowed to go below.
Written 29 January 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Gloria Katherin... S
United Arab Emirates6 contributions
Jan 2023
The staff was kind enough to let me in late at night and saw the church's beauty. For sure I'd love to be there again
Written 8 February 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Travel4Fun
Norfolk, NE107 contributions
Oct 2021
Saint Mark's is located in a very interesting section of Alexandria. It is interesting and I enjoyed the history of the place. I would include this on the Must See list.
Written 28 November 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Linda Y
Frisco, TX5,665 contributions
Feb 2020
Due to the suicide bombing of 2017, security around the Christian neighborhood of St. Mark’s is tight. To enter the area, the police held our passports, which were returned to us when we left. The church is named after Saint Mark the Evangelist, author of the second Gospel. St. Mark moved to Alexandria later in his ministry and founded the first Church of Alexandria around 50 AD. The lovely church you see today, built in 1952, stands on the same site. St Mark was martyred in 68 AD and a miraculous storm prevented the pagans from burning his body. The Christians were then able to carry him away and bury him in a cave under the church. It is said that the saint’s body was stolen in 828 AD and taken to Venice, but other relics remain in the church. Our guide asked a church caregiver to unlock the entrance to the crypt for us. We passed through a vestibule decorated with mosaics describing St. Mark’s life. Steps then descended to a hallway where we could peer through a window to a shrine and relics of the saint. I had not expected this, what a surprise! A spiritual visit for those of the faith.
Written 8 May 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jeffry b
Essendon, Australia14,298 contributions
Sept 2019
St Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral is named after St Mark the evangelist, founder of the Coptic Church. It is the seat of the Coptic Pope. The catdhedral is of relatrively recent construction, even though the Coptic Church is one of the oldest denominations in the world. Joseph and Mary took the baby Jesus to Egypt to escape Herod's slaughter of the innocents.
Written 16 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jake23
New Jersey6,523 contributions
Jul 2019 • Couples
St. Marks was a great stop. It was the first church in all of Africa. When we arrived a priest was giving mass for a summer camp. It was filled with children learning their faith. If you want to enter bring your passports they’ll be held by security a block of two away.
Written 22 July 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mike
Minneapolis, MN74 contributions
Jul 2019 • Family
One of the most holy place visited , very nice and great architecture, must see when visiting Alexandria.
Has a lot of spiritual feelings and contains religious history
Has a lot of spiritual feelings and contains religious history
Written 19 July 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
couki
Dubai91 contributions
Apr 2019 • Friends
In Arabic we call it AL MORKOSEYA Please google the name as there is so much history about this church that has been built on the old church and I do not want to miss something while writing this review.
Written 26 April 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
steve w
Alexandria, Egypt45 contributions
Apr 2018 • Solo
Great way to experince coptic life,cant emphasize enouh the value of visiting these places of worship,the security is tight now,so there is no concerns reagding security breaches.
Written 4 March 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
William F
Denver, CO654 contributions
Jan 2019 • Friends
Enjoyed this church. Was part of a day tour of Alexandria. Given it was Coptic christmas security getting in was tight. My first coptic church and was stylistically a bit different from caltholic churches I am used to. Worth an hour to look around.
Written 16 January 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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Frequently Asked Questions about Saint Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral
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