Saint Matthew I of Alexandria | |
|---|---|
| Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark | |
| Papacy began | 1378 |
| Papacy ended | 1408 |
| Predecessor | Gabriel IV |
| Successor | Gabriel V |
| Personal details | |
| Born | |
| Died | 1408 (1409) |
| 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 andPatriarch |
| Posthumous style | Saint |
Pope Matthew I of Alexandria (orMatheos) was theCopticPope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark from 1378 to 1408. He is revered as asaint by the Coptic Church.[citation needed]
As a young boy, Matthew was a shepherd tending his fathers sheep. When he was fourteen he joined a monastery.
He was ordained as a priest at the age of eighteen. At which time he left for theSt. Anthony's monastery then toPalestine, and worked in construction. Upon hearing of the persecution ofCopts because of the actions of theCrusaders, he returned to St. Anthony's Monastery. at that time he was appointed abbot of the monastery.
Shortly after his ordination, PrinceYalpogha led the monks and their abbot in humility through the streets ofCairo in an attempt to convince the prince and the authorities that the Crusaders' actions were unconnected to the Copts. The Crusaders' sack ofAlexandria roused the ruling prince and his men against the local Christians (including) Copts.[1] Afterwards, Matthew left forAl-Muharraq monastery. Matthew was also a monk at theMonastery of Saint Fana.
On the death ofGabriel IVPatriarch 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 titleEl Meskin ("The Poor").
Pope Matthew was known for his charitable work with the poor.
Through his cordial relation with SultanBarquq, 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 theMamluks, by the name Gamal-El-Din, also persecuted the Christians. He imposed a tribute of five hundred thousand dinars.
| Preceded by | Coptic Pope 1378–1408 | Succeeded by |
