Places of Power

Baucalis, a quiet spot in Alexandria, is where St. Mark, through Christ’s power, started the Coptic Church. Around 60–62 AD, tradition says he built a small church after healing Anianus, some say calling it the “Field of Bulls,” per Coptic stories. It grew quickly as Egypt’s first church, per The Coptic Encyclopedia. In 68 AD, after his martyrdom, tradition says Mark was buried under its altar, his sacrifice blessing the church, per the Coptic Synaxarion (30 Baramoudah). Some say a storm stopped pagans who tried to harm his body, showing God’s care.

Today, Baucalis is part of Cairo’s St. Mark’s Cathedral complex, where relics arrived in 1968. Pilgrims feel strong prayers there, some say like a storm stopped in the 1900s after calling on Mark. Kids visiting imagine him preaching, his lion spirit, seen in Coptic icons, filling the air. Copts thank Mark on 30 Baramoudah for starting their faith; Ethiopians honor him on Yekatit 30 as a shared root through Alexandria, per The Churches of Ethiopia. For children, taught in Sunday school, Baucalis is a special place where Mark’s love through Christ lives on.