St. Mark the Evangelist

Vatican City stamps featuring Saint Mark: "Saint Mark in Storm", Scott 518 (1972) Basilica of Saint Mark, Venice, Scott 520 (1972) From the Evangelists Airmail Set, Scott C56 (1971) Evangelists Vending Machine Set, Scott V12 (2002) The feast day of Saint Mark the Evangelist is celebrated on April 25. St. Mark’s dates are 5-68 AD, and he is said to have been martyred on 23 April, 68 in Cyrene. He is held to be the author of the Gospel of St. Mark, often said to be the oldest of the Gospels. After the Resurrection, Mark traveled with St. Peter and at that time recorded accounts of Jesus’ preaching. By tradition, after the Council of Jerusalem, Mark is said to have traveled to Egypt. He is held to be the patron saint and founder of the Church of Alexandria (Egypt), today the Coptic Orthodox Church, the Greek Orthodox Church of Alexandria, and the Catholic Coptic Church. There is also some confusion about who Mark was. He is sometimes considered to be John Mark, another figure in Christianity’s first years. According to the Book of Acts, John Mark accompanied Barnabas to Cyprus. Another connection is that Mark was the naked young man who ran from the crowd when Jesus was arrested. West Facade of the Basilica of Saint Mark, Venice Photo by Zairon From Wikipedia In the Public Domain In 828, St. Mark’s relics were stolen from Alexandria by Venetian merchants, assisted by Greek Orthodox monks, and transferred to Venice. To escape the Muslim guards, the relics were hidden under pork and cabbage leaves to prevent discovery, since the guards would not touch pork. The relics were interred in St. Mark’s Basilica when it was re-constructed in the 11th century and remain there today under the central altar. His symbol is a winged lion, a design also featured as a symbol of Venice: "The Lion of St Mark", by Vittore Carpaccio (c. 1516) Doge's Palace, Venice Italy From Wikipedia, In the Public Domain The inscription on the painting reads: PAX TIBI MARCE EVANGELISTA MEVS ('Peace be upon you, Mark, my evangelist'). REFERENCES: Anonymous, Vatican Notes, Volume 20, Number 3, pp. 1-2, 1971, The Four Evangelists Air Mails Louis Padavan, Vatican Notes, Volume 36, Number 6, p. 5, 1988, Air Mail Issues of the Vatican - Part II Wikipedia, Mark the Evangelist Vatican Philatelic Society website, www.vaticanstamps.org, Stamp Database Search