Italotel Egypt Tours

THE MONASTERY OF WADI EL NATRUN

In Cairo Alexandria Desert Road

In the earliest decades of Christianity, the desert expanses of Wadi el-Natrun became the site of anchoretic settlement and, later, of many monasteries, in spiritual commemoration of the Holy Family's passage through the Valley. Al Syrian Monastery in Wadi el Natrun is one of the places of residence of the Holy Family.

The Door of Prophecies or Gate of Prophecies is a large door inside the Syrian Monastery, of Wadi El Natrun (Natrun Valley) in Egypt, that features symbolic diagrams depicting the past and the future of the Christian faith through the eyes of Christian monks of the tenth century.

The Monastery of The Syrians, Wadi El Natrun

The Monastery of St. Antony

THE MONASTERY OF ST. ANTONY

In the Eastern Desert

The monastery is dedicated to St. Anthony the Great, the father of monasticism, the renowned 3rd-century anchorite. There are chapels dedicated to Saints Seraphim of Sarov, Demetrios of Thessalonica, John the Baptist, George the Great Martyr, Nicholas the Wonderworker, and Panteleimon the Healer.

The main church is dedicated to Saints Anthony and Nectarios the Wonderworker.

THE MONASTERY OF ST. PAUL

In the Eastern Desert

St. Paul's Monastery (Deir Mar Boulos) in the Eastern Desert of Egypt is an ancient monastery dedicated to the hermit St. Paul of Thebes, who moved to this spot in the wilderness around 250 AD. Originally built in the 5th century, the monastery now has three churches and contains many important manuscripts. Born into a wealthy family, Paul abandoned civilization and fled the Decian persecution around 250 AD, when he was only 16 years old, to become a hermit in the Eastern Desert. The hermit is said to have been fed a half-loaf of bread each day by a raven. In the most famous episode of his life, Paul was visited by the desert monk St. Anthony around 345 AD. Nearing the end of his own life of austerity, Anthony had become tempted by vanity in thinking he was the first of the Desert Fathers. So God led him to meet one who had preceded him.

The Monastery of St. Paul