Cosmas was the first residential Chalcedonian (Melkite) patriarch to be established in Alexandria following the Muslim conquest of Egypt in the 640s. The see had remained vacant since, but Cosmas was appointed with the consent of both the Umayyad Caliph and the Byzantine Emperor.
Cosmas became the first Chalcedonian (Melkite) patriarch to reside in Alexandria after the Muslim conquest of Egypt in the 640s. The position had been vacant since then, but Cosmas was appointed with the agreement of both the Umayyad Caliph and the Byzantine Emperor.