Pope Matthew I of Alexandria

Matheos I redirects here. There was also a Catholicos Matheos I, who ruled c. 1434.

Saint Matthew I of Alexandria
87th Pope of Alexandria & Patriarch of the See of St. Mark
Papacy began	1378
Papacy ended	1408
Predecessor	Gabriel IV
Successor	Gabriel V
Personal details
Born	Egypt
Died	1408 Egypt
Buried	Khandaq Monastery of Saint Ruwais
Nationality	Egyptian
Denomination	Coptic Orthodox Christian
Residence	Saint Mercurius Church in Coptic Cairo
Sainthood
Feast day	(Coptic Calendar)

Papal styles of Saint Matthew

Reference style	His Holiness
Spoken style	Your Holiness
Religious style	Pope and Patriarch
Posthumous style	Saint

Pope Matthew I of Alexandria (or Matheos), 87th Pope of Alexandria & Patriarch of the See of St. Mark. He is revered as a saint by the Coptic Church.

Early life

As a young boy, Matthew was shepherd tending his fathers sheep. When he was fourteen he joined a monastery.

Priesthood

He was ordained as a priest at the age of eighteen. At which time he left for the St. Anthony's monastery then to Palestine, and worked in construction. Upon hearing of the persecution of Copts because of the actions of the Crusaders', he returned to St. Anthony's Monastery. at that time he was appointed abbot of the monastery.

Shortly after his ordination, Prince Yalpogha led the monks and their abbot in humility through the streets of Cairoin an attempt to convince the prince and the authorities that the Crusader's actions were unconnected to the Copts. The Crusader's sack of Alexandria roused the ruling prince and his men against the local Christians (including) Copts.^[1] Afterwards, Matthew left for Al-Muharraq monastery. Matthew was also a monk at the Monastery of Saint Fana.

Coptic Pope

On the death of Gabriel IV Patriarch of Alexandria (1378), Father Matheos was elected be the next patriarch, he solicited the council of the elders of St. Anthony's monastery, and accepted their decision. Escorted to Alexandria, he was consecrated as Pope, and gave himself the title El Meskin ("The Poor").

Pope Matthew was known for his charitable work with the poor.

Relations with ruler

Through his cordial relation with Sultan Barquq, he was able to stop the mob from burning Al-Muallaqa church and the Shahran monastery, because the Muslims were claiming that new constructions were taking place in those two locations. The Sultan appointed four Judges of Islam who declared the falsehood of such claims.

The situation worsened when two Mamlur princes exiled Sultan Barquq, and took his place. Mentach and Yalpogha persecuted the Copts and their Pope.

One of the Mamluks, by the name Gamal-El-Din, also persecuted the Christians. He imposed a tributeof five hundred thousand dinars.

References

↑ Coptic synexarium

Preceded by Gabriel IV	Coptic Pope 1378–1408	Succeeded by Gabriel V

Popes of Alexandria and Patriarchs of the See of St. Mark

Patriarchs prior to the Chalcedonian schism (43–451)	Mark I the Evangelist (founder) Anianus Avilius Kedronos Primus Justus Eumenius Markianos* Celadion Agrippinus Julian Demetrius I Heraclas Dionysius Maximus Theonas Peter I Achillas Alexander I Athanasius I Peter II Timothy I Theophilus I Cyril I Dioscorus I

Coptic Orthodox Popes and Patriarchs (451–present)	Timothy II Peter III Athanasius II John I John II Dioscorus II Timothy III Theodosius I Peter IV Damian Anastasius Andronicus Benjamin I Agathon John III Isaac Simeon I Alexander II Cosmas I Theodore I Michael I Mina I John IV Mark II James Simeon II Joseph I Michael II Cosmas II Shenouda I Michael III Gabriel I Cosmas III Macarius I Theophilus II (AKA Theophanes) Mina II Abraham Philotheos Zacharias Shenouda II Christodolos Cyril II Michael IV Macarius II Gabriel II Michael V John V Mark III John VI Cyril III Athanasius III John VII Gabriel III John VII Theodosius III John VIII John IX Benjamin II Peter V Mark IV John X Gabriel IV Matthew I Gabriel V John XI Matthew II Gabriel VI Michael VI John XII John XIII Gabriel VII John XIV Gabriel VIII Mark V John XV Matthew III Mark VI Matthew IV John XVI Peter VI John XVII Mark VII John XVIII Mark VIII Peter VII Cyril IV Demetrius II Cyril V John XIX Macarius III Joseph II Cyril VI Shenouda III Tawadros II (current)

Greek Orthodox Patriarchs (451–present)	Proterius Timothy II Timothy III John I Peter III Athanasius II John II John III Dioscorus II Timothy IV Theodosius I Gainas Paul Zoilus Apollinarius John IV Eulogius Theodore I John V George I Cyrus Peter IV Peter V Peter VI Cosmas I Politianus Eustatius Christopher I Sophronius I Michael I Michael II Christodoulos Eutychius Sophronius II Isaac Job Elias I Arsenius Theophilus II George II Leontius Alexander II John VI Cyril II Sabbas Sophronius III Elias II Eleutherius Mark III* Nicholas I Gregory I Nicholas II Athanasius III Gregory II Gregory III Niphon Mark IV Nicholas III Gregory IV Nicholas IV Athanasius IV Mark V Philotheus Mark VI Gregory V Joachim I Silvester Meletius I Pegas Cyril III Gerasimus I Metrophanes Nicephorus Joannicius Paisius Parthenius I Gerasimus II Samuel Cosmas II Cosmas III Matthew Cyprian Gerasimus III Parthenius II Theophilus III Hierotheus I Artemius Hierotheus II Callinicus Jacob Nicanor Sophronius IV Photius Meletius II Nicholas V Christopher II Nicholas VI Parthenius III Peter VII Theodore II (current)

*Markianos is considered Mark II on the Greek side of the subsequent schism, hence this numbering of Mark III. Category Commons

Coptic saints

Theotokos	Our Lady of Zeitoun Our Lady of Assiut Our Lady of Warraq

Seven Archangels	Gabriel Haniel Michael Raguel Raphael Sariel Zadkiel

Patriarchs	Abraham Isaac Jacob Joseph

Prophets	Moses Job Samuel David Hosea Amos Micah Joel Obadiah Jonah Nahum Habakkuk Zephaniah Haggai Zechariah Malachi Isaiah Jeremiah Baruch Ezekiel Daniel John the Baptist

Apostles	Peter Andrew Bartholomew James, son of Alphaeus James, son of Zebedee John Jude Matthew Matthias Philip Simon Thomas

Evangelists	Matthew Mark Luke John

Disciples	Mary Magdalene Stephen Timothy Titus Philemon Barnabas Apollos Silvanus Priscilla and Aquila Seventy disciples

Martyrs	Abulak Abāmūn of Tarnūt Abanoub Abaskhiron the Soldier Apollonia Catherine Chiaffredo Chrysanthus and Daria Cyrus and John Damian Dasya Demiana Dorothea Felix and Regula Hor, Besoy, and Daydara Maurice Menas Mohrael Protus and Hyacinth Sidhom Bishay Kosheh Martyrs Nag Hammadi massacre 2011 Alexandria bombing 2011 Imbaba Martyrs Maspero Martyrs 2015 kidnapping and beheading of Copts in Libya

Popes	Abraham Agatho Alexander Anastasius Andronicus Anianus Athanasius Avilius Cyril Cyril VI Demetrius Dioscorus I Matthew I Peter

Bishops	Abadiu of Antinoe Abraam, Bishop of Faiyum Augustine of Hippo Basil of Caesarea Ignatius of Antioch Paphnutius of Thebes St. Psote, Bishop of Ebsay St. Serapion, Bishop of Thmuis

Monks and hermits	Ababius Abdel Messih El-Makari Abib and Apollo Abraham of Farshut Abraham of Scetes Amun Anthony the Great Awgin Bashnouna Forty Nine Elder Martyrs of Scetes Hilarion Isaac of Nineveh Isidore of Pelusium John Climacus John the Dwarf Karas Macarius of Alexandria Macarius of Egypt Mary of Egypt Misael the Anchorite Moses the Black Mother Irini Nilus of Sinai Onuphrius Pachomius the Great Pambo Paphnutius the Ascetic Parsoma Paul of Tammah Paul of Thebes Paul the Simple Pijimi Pishoy Poemen Samuel the Confessor Shenoute Tekle Haymanot Zosimas of Palestine

Other saints	Ambrose Didymus the Blind Euphrosyne Simon the Tanner Verena

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