Saint Paul monastery - Visit Egypt
St. Anthony and the monasteries of St. Paul
Organizations like the YMCA and the Patriarchate are developing tourist excursions organized specifically religious character from Cairo. In Hurghada, the bus drops you off at the foot of the mountain, about 13 kilometers away from monasteries. Furthermore, it is highly recommended in this case, to adhere to private transport which are the best way to get there.
During your trip to Egypt, you probably know the story of St. Anthony the Great, who, when an orphan at the age of 18, became a hermit, has survived 105 years. He lived like a hermit, as it still exists in Egypt, and it is said often that he was tormented all his life by the flattery and temptations of the devil. He and St. Pachomius were two of the first interpreters of Christian monasticism, born in the Egyptian desert. He was buried in one of the oldest churches (St. Anthony), the monastery.
Deir Mar Antonios Monastery of Saint Anthony and his neighbor, St. Paul, are the oldest monasteries in Egypt. Nestled deep in the mountains of the Red Sea and using springs for their water supply, the two monasteries still practice rituals that have hardly changed over many centuries. They are still available through some travel agencies that organize special tours from Cairo, Suez or Hurghada. Also, if you wish to stay in a monastery, it can plan ahead.
St. Anthony was founded in 356 AD, just after the death of saints. Between the twelfth and fifteenth century, the monastery flourished but was seized in 1454 by officials of the Bedouins. Today is an autonomous village with its own gardens, mill, a bakery and five churches with exceptional wall paintings of holy knights made from bright colors along with the founding of the monastery hermits illustrated with muted colors. There was a library with more than 1,700 manuscripts, but the Bedouin servants who entered the monastery also took many manuscripts as cooking fuel. At one time, there should be a much larger library. The Cave Saint-Antoine (Maghara), where St. Anthony lived as a hermit, at 2 kilometers away from the monastery and 680 meters above the Red Sea lies the mountain. The latter offers a breathtaking view of the surrounding mountains and the sea, and especially the chance to see many birds.
