Church of Alexandria

The Church of Alexandria in Egypt is the Christian Church headed by the patriarch of Alexandria. It is one of the five sees of the pentarchy, alongside Rome, Antioch, Constantinople and Jerusalem.

Tradition holds that the Church of Alexandria was founded by Saint Mark the Evangelist[1] circa 49 AD and claims jurisdiction over all Christians on the African continent.

Today, three churches claim to be direct heirs of the original Church of Alexandria:

  • The Coptic Orthodox Church, an Oriental Orthodox church
  • The Greek Orthodox Church of Alexandria, part of the wider Eastern Orthodox Church
  • The Coptic Catholic Church, one of 23 Eastern Catholic churches who are in full communion with the Catholic Church led by the bishop of Rome

Formerly, also the Latin Patriarchate of Alexandria did so.

References

  1. ^ Catholic Encyclopedia, "Church of Alexandria", accessed 11-17-2015

External links

Wikisource has the text of the 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia article The Church of Alexandria.
  • The Catholic Encyclopedia Online: The Church of Alexandria
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Traditional ecclesiastical jurisdictions of primates in Christianity, sorted according to earliest apostolic legacy and branched where multiple denominational claimants:
bold blue = Catholic Church, light blue = Eastern Orthodox Church, bold/light green = Oriental Orthodoxy, italic blue = Nestorianism
Early
Christianity
(Antiquity)
(30–325/476)
Pentarchy
(five
apostolic
sees)
Patriarch of Rome (1st cent.)
Patriarch of Constantinople
(451)
Patriarch of Antioch
(1st cent.)
Patriarch of Alexandria
(1st cent.)
Patriarch of Jerusalem (451)
Other
Patriarch of Carthage (2nd cent.–1076)
Patriarch of Seleucia-Ctesiphon
(280–1552)
Patriarch of Armenia (301)
  • Catholicos of All Armenians (Patriarch of Etchmiadzin) (since 301)
  • Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia (since 1058)
  • Patriarchate of Cilicia (since 1742)
Middle Ages
(476–1517)
Early Modern era
(1517–1789)
Late Modern era
(since 1789)
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