The Coptic Orthodox Church has been the church of Egypt since the first century when Saint Mark the Apostle came to preach Christianity in Alexandria around 42 AD. After establishing the church in Alexandria, the pagans martyred him, and his blood ran down on its ground in the year 68 AD.
Saint Mark was one of the 70 Apostles who had extensive ministry with saints Peter, Paul, and Barnabas in many countries. He wrote his gospel, the gospel of Mark, around 61 AD before the other three gospels of the Bible. His gospel is characterized by being focused and paying attention to the minute details which he eye viewed first hand.
Saint Mark established a divinity school in Alexandria, which later was lead by a group of great fathers of the church; some became Patriarchs of the see of Alexandria. This school taught general sciences such as medicine, astronomy, mathematics, and philosophy in addition to Biblical and religious studies. Among the most famous fathers of this school is saint Pantaenus, Clement of Alexandria, Origin, and Didymus the blind who invented a reading method using engraved letters on wooden boards, 11 centuries before Braille’s method.
Since the beginning of Christianity, the see of Saint Mark has been one of the four Apostolic sees, i.e, the sees that were established by one of the Apostles, namely Jerusalem, Alexandria, Antioch, and Rome, later the sees of Constantinople and Ephesus were added to them.
this day, Coptic Patriarchs continue in succession serving the see of Saint Mark. Currently, Pope Tawadros II is the 118th Pope, considering Saint Mark being the first.