Saint Mark the Evangelist

Mark the Evangelist was born into a wealthy Jewish family. We only know about him what is narrated in the Acts of the Apostles and some letters of Saints Peter and Paul. He was not a disciple of Jesus, although some scholars identify him with the boy, son of the widow Mary, who followed Jesus after his arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane.

Marcos collaborated with the Apostle Paul, whom he met in Jerusalem. He traveled with him to Cyprus and later to Rome. In the year 66, Saint Paul wrote to Timothy from a Roman prison: “Take Mark and bring him with you, because he is useful to me for the ministry” (2Tm 4,11).

Saint Mark in Rome and other trips

It is not known if Marcos arrived in Rome in time to attend Paul’s martyrdom, but the truth is that in the capital of the Empire he put himself at the service of Peter. The Roman Basilica of San Marcos, in the historic center, bears witness to his presence: it is said that it was erected on the site of the house where the evangelist lived

Saint Peter often quotes the name of Mark. In his first Letter, for example, we read: “The church in Babylon, which has been chosen like you, greets you, as does my son Mark” (1Pt 5,13). It also appears in the Acts of the Apostles (12,12), after Peter was miraculously freed from prison: “When he realized what had happened to him, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John, called Mark, where a large group was gathered in prayer.

After Pedro’s death, Marcos is lost track of. An ancient tradition places him in Egypt as an evangelizer and founder of the Church in Alexandria. Another says that before going to Egypt he traveled to Aquileia (in northern Italy) to deal with the evangelization of the northeastern part of the Empire. There he converted Ergamora, who was the first bishop of the city. After leaving Aquileia, it seems that, due to a storm, he reached the Rialtinas Islands, the original nucleus of the future city of Venice. There he dreamed of an angel who promised him that in that land he would sleep while waiting for the last day.

The supreme testimony of Saint Mark

Mark the Evangelist probably died between the years 68 and 72, in Alexandria in Egypt. In the Acts of Marco (from the 4th century) it is written that on April 24 the pagans dragged him through the streets of Alexandria, tied with ropes around his neck, and then threw him into prison. There he was comforted by an angel. The next day he suffered the same torment, and died. His body had been destined for the flames, but he was saved by the faithful and buried in a cave.

From there it was transferred, in the 5th century, to a church. According to a legend, in the year 828, faced with the threat of the Arabs, two Venetian merchants brought the body to their city; and there he remains entombed in the Basilica dedicated to him. Some of his relics are also preserved in Cairo (Egypt), in the Cathedral of San Marcos, seat of the Coptic Orthodox Patriarch.

The “concrete” Gospel of Mark

Marcos is considered as “the stenographer” of Saint Peter. His Gospel was written between the 50s and 60s. According to tradition, he transcribed Peter’s preaching, addressed mainly to the early Christians of Rome, without elaborating or adapting it to a personal scheme. For this reason, his Gospel possesses great vivacity and clarity. He wrote in Greek, the most widely spoken language at that time, with the aim of demonstrating the power of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, which manifested itself in numerous miracles.

The words of the Gospel of Mark “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature” clearly indicate, according to Pope Francis, what Jesus wants from his disciples.

Marcos, patron saint of Venice

Saint Mark was chosen as the main patron of Venice in the year 1071. Throughout the centuries, the city remained inextricably linked to his person, to the point that the symbol of the evangelist, the winged lion, became the symbol of the city.

San Marcos is also the patron saint of notaries, glassmakers and opticians. He is revered as a saint by several Christian churches, in addition to the Catholic, including the Orthodox and the Coptic, which considers him their patriarch.