Overview
St. Mark, one of the Seventy Apostles and the first Pope of Alexandria, was martyred on April 26, 68 A.D. Born in Cyrene to a Jewish family, he later moved to Jerusalem, where he became a follower of Christ and a disciple of St. Peter. He preached across the Roman Empire before bringing Christianity to Egypt, where he converted many, including a cobbler named Anianus, after healing his wounded finger. St. Mark founded the Church of Alexandria and was brutally martyred by pagans during a festival.
The lion in St. Mark’s icon refers to the miracle where his prayer killed a lion and a lioness, showing God’s power through him. The boat symbolizes his journey by sea to evangelize Egypt. The lighthouse represents a landmark in ancient Alexandria, showing how it brought Christ’s light to Alexandria.
Full Description
Our father, St. Mark the Evangelist, was blessed enough to have our Lord host the Last Supper in his house! After the ascension of the Lord Christ, he accompanied Paul and Barnabas to preach the Gospel in Antioch, Seleucia, Cyprus, Salamis, and Perga Pamphylia, where he left them and returned to Jerusalem.
After the Apostolic Council in Jerusalem, he went with Barnabas to Cyprus. After the departure of Barnabas, St. Mark went to Africa, Berka, and the Five Western cities. From there, he went to Alexandria, where he was later martyred at the hands of the pagans. He is referred to in this icon as “ⲙⲁⲣⲕⲟⲥ ⲡⲓⲁⲡⲟⲥⲧⲟⲗⲟⲥ,” meaning Mark the apostle.
The icon of St Mark consists of him dressed in a pallium, as a cleric, carrying a gospel book and standing on the Alexandrian shore. The apostle stands, announcing the good news to the viewer, and from his feet sprouts a paradisiacal garden- he irrigates the soil of Egyptian land with the life-giving Word. The gospel book in his hand is in and of itself an icon of Christ, Christ being represented by the central cross and surrounded by four smaller crosses- the evangelists. The lighthouse of Alexandria is depicted capped with a cross, as the Church of Alexandria becomes the house of light for the country.
St Mark is always depicted with a lion- an element of the tetramorph, he is associated with the lion largely for two reasons: the first being a parallel between the voice crying in the wilderness (Mark 1:3) and the roar of a lion, and the second being a tale related by Severus Ibn Al-Muqaffa, “Once a lion and lioness appeared to Mark and his father Arostalis while they were traveling in Jordan. The father was very scared and begged his son to escape, while he awaited his fate. Mark assured his father that Jesus Christ would save them and began to pray. The two beasts fell dead, and as a result of this miracle, the father believed in Christ.”
Interesting Fact
His house (the “upper room”) in Jerusalem was the first Christian church and the site of the Last Supper and Pentecost.
Citations
CopticChurch.net. “Baramouda 30: Lives of Saints – Synaxarium.” CopticChurch.net, https://www.copticchurch.net/synaxarium/8_30.html. Accessed 16 May 2025.