Mark the Evangelist was the author of the Gospel of Mark and founder of the Church of Alexandria, one of the most important episcopal sees of Early Christianity. In 828, his relics were stolen from Alexandria (at the time controlled by the Abbasid Caliphate) by two Venetian merchants with the help of two Greek monks and taken to Venice. In 1063, during the construction of a new basilica in Venice, Saint Mark's relics could not be found. However, according to tradition, in 1094, the saint himself revealed the location of his remains by extending an arm from a pillar. The newfound remains were placed in a sarcophagus in the basilica of San Marco. His feast day is celebrated on April 25, and he is a Holy Patron of Barristers, Venice, Egypt, and Mainar.
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