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St. Antony's Monastery, which lies at the foot of
Al-Qalzam
Mountain near Al Zaafarana,
was founded in 356 AD just after the saint's death and is the oldest
active monastery in the world.. We do know that St. Antony founded
several monasteries during his life (though they would not have been
recognizable in the modern use of the term), but alas they are no more.
We know little of the monastery's very early period. However, during the
sixth and seventh centuries many monks from Wadi Natroun who were under
frequent attacks by Bedouins migrated to St. Antony's. But this
monastery was plundered on many occasions also, being partly destroyed
in the 11th century. Between the 12th and 15th centuries, the monastery
flourished but was plundered again in 1454 by Bedouin servants. Due to
such attacks, this is a fortress style monastery. Though Coptic today,
over its many years the monastery was often multi-faith, housing monks
of several different Christian religions. Today it is a self-contained
village with gardens, a mill, a bakery and five churches, the best of
which is St. Antony's Church . It is accessible by special tours from Cairo,
Suez
or Hurghada and a stay in either monastery can be arranged in advance.
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The Monastery of St. Paul probably dates to the fifth century and was
founded in memory of one of Egypt's greatest
saints and anchorites, who is said to have lived in a cave over which it
was built for a period of some eighty years. St. Paul was apparently born to rich parents
in the year 228, However, by the age of sixteen, he had lost his
parents. This would have corresponded with the terrible period of
Christian persecution perpetuated by Decius and Valerian between 249 and
260 AD. After the death of his parents, Paul renounced his inheritance
and consecrated his life to God, eventually seeking refuge in the
wilderness of Egypt's Eastern Desert.
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