Mark was not one of the 12 apostles, and scholars are not certain whether or not he knew Jesus personally. Some scholars belive that the evangelist is speaking of himself when describing the arrest of Jesus in Gethsemane: “Now a young man followed him wearing nothing but a linen cloth about his body. They seized him, but he left the cloth behind and ran off naked” (Mark 14:51-52).
Some scholars claim that Mark was the first bishop of Alexandria, Egypt. Venice, famous for the Piazza San Marco, claims Mark as its patron saint, and the large basilica there is believed to contain his remains.