He was an Evangelist, the disciple of Saint Peter and the first Bishop of Alexandria, in Egypt, and the writer of the second Gospel. His full name was John Mark. He was a cousin of Saint Barnabas. His mother, Saint Mary, has her feast day on June 29. Saint Mark dropped the John from his name in favor of Saint John the Evangelist, who lived in his house. Saint Mark was martyred in Alexandria. His body was tied to a rope and dragged around the streets until he died, of bleeding and exhaustion. His body was taken in 828 to Venice, where a cathedral was built for him in 830, the famous Cathedral of Saint Mark in Venice.
The martyrdom of Saint Mark (detail [credits])
From Très Riches Heures du duc de Berry (Musée Condé, Chantilly), c. 1412 and 1416
