Pope Michael IV of Alexandria, also known as Khail IV, 68th Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark. He was initially a

monk A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decides to dedica ...

at the

Monastery of Saint Macarius the Great The Monastery of Saint Macarius The Great also known as Dayr Aba Maqār ( ar, دير الأنبا مقار) is a Coptic Orthodox monastery located in Wadi El Natrun, Beheira Governorate, about north-west of Cairo, and off the highway betwee ...

Scetes Wadi El Natrun (Arabic: "Valley of Natron"; Coptic: , "measure of the hearts") is a depression in northern Egypt that is located below sea level and below the Nile River level. The valley contains several alkaline lakes, natron-rich salt de ...

. He later went to a place near Singar, where he lived in a cave for more than 20 years. On 12

Paopi Paopi ( cop, Ⲡⲁⲱⲡⲉ, ''Paōpe''), also known as Phaophi ( grc-gre, Φαωφί, ''Phaōphí'') and Babah. ( ar, بابه, ''Baba''), is the second month of the ancient Egyptian and Coptic calendars. It lasts between 11 October and 9 Novem ...

, 809 A.M. (9 October 1092 AD), he was ordained

Pope of Alexandria The Pope of the Coptic Orthodox Church ( cop, Ⲡⲁⲡⲁ, translit=Papa; ar, البابا, translit=al-Bābā), also known as the Bishop of Alexandria, is the leader of the Coptic Orthodox Church, with ancient Christian roots in Egypt. The ...

. He was known for his love of the poor and needy, and for spending the church money on paying the Jizya for those Copts who could not afford to pay it, so that they could keep their

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...

. The Arabic historian al-Makin is quoted by later historians as recounting that Pope Michael IV made a journey to

Ethiopia Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...

to ask that country's Emperor to allow the

Nile The Nile, , Bohairic , lg, Kiira , Nobiin: Áman Dawū is a major north-flowing river in northeastern Africa. It flows into the Mediterranean Sea. The Nile is the longest river in Africa and has historically been considered the longest ...

to flood to its normal levels, which would end the current

famine A famine is a widespread scarcity of food, caused by several factors including war, natural disasters, crop failure, population imbalance, widespread poverty, an economic catastrophe or government policies. This phenomenon is usually accompani ...

. Trimingham dismisses this as only a

legend A legend is a genre of folklore that consists of a narrative featuring human actions, believed or perceived, both by teller and listeners, to have taken place in human history. Narratives in this genre may demonstrate human values, and possess ...

. J. Spencer Trimingham, ''Islam in Ethiopia ''(Oxford: Geoffrey Cumberlege for the University Press, 1952), p. 65n. Michael IV departed on 30 Pashons, 818 A.M. (25 May 1102 AD) He remained on the Throne of

Saint Mark Mark the Evangelist ( la, Marcus; grc-gre, Μᾶρκος, Mârkos; arc, ܡܪܩܘܣ, translit=Marqōs; Ge'ez: ማርቆስ; ), also known as Saint Mark, is the person who is traditionally ascribed to be the author of the Gospel of Mark. Acco ...

for 9 years, 7 months, and 17 days.

Notes

Coptic Orthodox saints 1102 deaths 12th-century Christian saints 11th-century Coptic Orthodox popes of Alexandria Year of birth unknown 12th-century Coptic Orthodox popes of Alexandria {{OrientalOrthodox-clergy-stub