Underneath the high altar of St. Mark's Basilica lie the mortal remains of St. Mark the Evangelist. In 828 AD, believing that an angel had prophesied directly to St. Mark that his body would lie in Venice, Venetian merchants Rustic da Torcello and Bona da Malamocco went to Alexandria, Egypt and stole his remains. The remains of the evangelist were eventually re-buried under the altar of the basilica bearing his name.