Christian monasticism was founded towards the end of the 3rd century A.D. in the Eastern desert of Egypt by St. Antony the Great, who is one of the patron saints of our church (click here). In 330 A.D. one of St. Antony's disciples, St. Macarius the Great (300-390) established ascetic life in the Natrun Valley (Wadi el Natrun) assisted by St. Ammon who was another disicple of St. Antony. 

At first, monks used to live in separate caves or cells which later increased in number. Later on, simple forts called "keeps" were where the monks used to live because they were constantly attacked by foreign invaders. The monastery evolved when these keeps and cells were enclosed by a wall to secure the safety of the monks and thus, become a community within itself. 

The following options are summaries of various monasteries in Egypt. These monasteries have a substantial history and their presence in Egypt has been a source of great blessings for the Copts of Egypt as well as those who visit them. In the following options, you will be introduced to the history of a particular monastery and (in most cases) be presented with photos to accompany the text. We hope that these pages will help you in understanding the Coptic monastery in general and we urge you to continue to visit this page, as we update our current monastery information regularly as well as add new monasteries to enjoy. 

May God bless you as He has blessed us with these monasteries.