Who was Pope Matthew I of Alexandria and what characterized his patriarchate during the Mamluk period?

By CopticBot.ai (Coptic Space Inc.) · Last reviewed 2026-10-10

An Exceptional Patriarch in a Difficult Era

Pope Matthew I, who served as the 87th Patriarch of Alexandria from 1378 to 1408, represents a remarkable exception to the pattern of sparse historical documentation that characterizes most patriarchs of the Mamluk period. As epdf.pub the coptic papacy in islamic egypt 641 1517 explains, the entry for Matthew I in the History of the Patriarchs breaks from the typical "short, uninformative paragraphs" found for other Mamluk-era patriarchs, instead presenting an excerpt from an extensive Life of Matthew composed soon after his death. This biography was originally part of a larger hagiographic work that included liturgical material suitable for commemoration of a great saint on the anniversary of his death, indicating the extraordinary veneration Matthew received.

Matthew was born around 1336 to poor parents in a village outside al-Ashmunayn, a background that would later contribute to his epithet "Matthew the Poor" (Mattā al-Miskīn). The Mamluk period in Egypt (1250–1517), which formed the setting for Matthew's patriarchate, was punctuated by crises of various kinds. External military threats came from multiple directions: Latin Crusader principalities until the conquest of Acre in 1291, Mongols who remained a threat until peace was established in 1328, and Timur-Lenk who swept into Syria in 1399 before turning his attention to the Ottomans rather than Egypt in 1402. These broader geopolitical tensions created a volatile environment in which the Coptic Church had to navigate carefully.

Sanctity and Miraculous Power

The defining characteristic of Matthew I's patriarchate was his reputation for holiness and miraculous intervention, which set him apart from his contemporaries and immediate successors. The extensive Life composed about him and his commemoration as a great saint demonstrate that he was understood within the tradition as embodying the ideal of the patriarch as holy man. This sanctity manifested in practical ways throughout his tenure, particularly in his ability to confront temporal authorities and protect the Christian community through spiritual power rather than political maneuvering.

Epdf.pub the coptic papacy in islamic egypt 641 1517 records several specific instances of Matthew's miraculous interventions. On one occasion, he rescued a deacon from an oppressive amir who was threatening execution, causing the amir to back down and set the deacon free. On another, Matthew successfully faced down a mob bent on destroying the Shahran Monastery. In yet another incident, he rebuked an amir who was enacting discriminatory legislation against Christian women and threatened him with military reprisals at the hands of Christian kings, presumably those of Nubia and Ethiopia. These accounts illustrate how Matthew's perceived sanctity translated into practical protection for the Coptic community during a period of vulnerability.

Relations with Mamluk Authority

The first two decades of Matthew's patriarchate correspond closely with the period in which the Circassian Mamluk Barquq held power, from 1382 to 1399, though Barquq had effectively ruled since 1378, the year of Matthew's accession. As epdf.pub the coptic papacy in islamic egypt 641 1517 notes, although traditional "Benjamin-'Amr" accounts of patriarch-ruler encounter are not found in the sources for this period, the Life reports that Matthew had a good relationship with the sultan, stating that Barquq "loved this father, and he (Matthew) loved him also." This mutual regard appears to have provided a measure of stability for the Coptic Church during much of Matthew's patriarchate.

However, this favorable relationship was disrupted by political instability within the Mamluk sultanate itself. Difficulties came when Barquq was temporarily forced to flee Cairo in 1389, and his usurper arrested and fined the patriarch. This incident demonstrates how the fortunes of the Coptic hierarchy remained vulnerable to shifts in Mamluk politics, even when individual sultans were well-disposed toward the Christian community. The patriarch's position depended significantly on the stability and goodwill of whoever held power at any given moment, and Matthew's experience illustrates both the possibilities and the limitations of patriarch-sultan relations during this era.

Legacy and Prophetic Authority

Matthew I's reputation for holiness extended beyond his lifetime and influenced the succession of future patriarchs through his perceived prophetic gifts. As guides to the eucharist in medieval egypt three arabic commentaries records, Matthew I, known as Mattā al-Miskīn (Matthew the Poor), had miraculously prophesied Gabriel's elevation to the patriarchate. Gabriel IV (1370–1378 in one numbering system) began his career as a government official in charge of tax collection before entering monasticism at the Monastery of Saint Samuel of Qalamūn near Fayyūm. The fact that Matthew's prophetic word regarding Gabriel's succession was remembered and recorded indicates the authority his sanctity conferred, even in matters of ecclesiastical governance.

The contrast between Matthew's relatively successful patriarchate and the difficulties faced by his successors further highlights his exceptional character. The Muslim historian al-Maqrīzī described the period following Matthew as "the worst days through which Christians had ever passed," referring to pressures on the community from many fronts. This deterioration suggests that Matthew's personal sanctity and his good relationship with Barquq may have shielded the Coptic community from some of the harsher conditions that would follow. His patriarchate thus represents a moment of relative stability and spiritual vitality within the broader challenges of the Mamluk period, a "burst of holiness" as one source characterizes it, that provided both practical protection and spiritual inspiration to the Coptic faithful during uncertain times.

Sources

• epdf.pub the coptic papacy in islamic egypt 641 1517
• epdf.pub the coptic papacy in islamic egypt 641 1517
• guides to the eucharist in medieval egypt three arabic commentaries
• epdf.pub the coptic papacy in islamic egypt 641 1517