- Local Time: 11:16 AM
- Weather: 20 ℃ / 69 ℉
One of the most special and holy sites in Egypt is the great St Antony Monastery located within an oasis in the eastern Sahara since the 4th century which makes it the oldest monastery on the planet. It was constructed by Saint Anthony followers who were the first Christian saint and the first to establish a monastic community in the Coptic age of Egypt. St Antony Monastery is known as the most significant monasteries in Egypt that have a strong influence over the rest of the several Coptic institutions across Egypt. Now, the monastery is a massive complex surrounded by tall walls with a number of smaller churches, a teeming garden a bakery. There are about 120 monks living there who dedicate their lives to seeking God in the isolation and motionless of the desert, totally focused around prayer and worship.
The monastery of St Antony in Egypt was created in 356 AD by St. Antony who was considered the first person to establish Christian monasticism, which originated in the Egyptian desert. During the 6th and 7th centuries, many monks from Wadi Natroun were under attack by Bedouin tribes so they moved to St. Antony's. But this monastery was stolen on various occasions and almost partly put in ruins during the 11th century. It grows in power and importance in-between the 12th & 15th centuries but was plundered again in 1454 AD by Bedouin servants. Because of such attacks, the monastery was built in fortress style where it remains till today where it has gone under several numbers of restorations.
St Anthony Monastery is at the front of Khelsm Mountain which looks over the Red Sea where it is believed to be located where St. Anthony once lived inside a cave as a monk.
The Monastery of St. Anthony is the largest monastery in all of Egypt where it covers an area of more than 18 acres including a huge garden filled with countless fruits & vegetables. Inside the monastery are a number of artifacts such as old paintings dating to the 7th, 8th, and 13th centuries. St Antony Monastery is a village filled with gardens, a bakery, and a mill plus 5 churches, the most known of which is St. Antony's Church which travelers from all over the world come to explore.
St Antony Monastery dates to the 4th Century, rectangular in shape, and measures 20 m by 10 m. It is divided into four sections: one for the monks, one for the priests, one for bishops, and the final for the elderly monks. All 4 parts are covered with 3 huge and colorful majestic domes plus a number of beautiful woodwork to St. Anthony.
It is a little church with 3 altars just like the main church, it has a rectangular shape and is divided into 4 sections, each of them is covered with a dome and connected to the Church of St. Anthony by a small corridor.
It is built on the second floor of the monastery and is relatively small in size and is divided into three sections, each section is separated from the other by a wooden grille.
It dates back to the 19th Century A.D. and is the newest and biggest construction in the monastery. It was constructed with modern architectural designs and contains 12 rooms. The monks don't use it for prayer because the church is not fully guided towards the east which goes against Coptic beliefs.
St Antony Monastery used to have an enormous library filled with books and manuscripts. Unfortunately, most of this treasure of manuscripts was stolen by various 5th-century European invaders who desired to fill their cathedrals with manuscripts. It was estimated that what is left in the library was around 1,000 books and over 1,700 handwritten manuscripts that were transferred to Cairo for safety.
This was a protection sanctuary fort for the monks in times of danger. It was constructed in the 6th century A.D. across 200 sqm. It has three floors and the only door located on the second floor which made it difficult to break into and offered more security in dangerous historical times.
The guesthouse was constructed in the 19th Century and consists of 4 rooms and a long hall, plus being equipped with lots of furniture and facilities making it a great place to stay.
Book your tour to marvelous destinations in Egypt and experience the sight of immortal faith through our Egypt holiday packages from UK where you will witness the magical attractions of Cairo, Luxor, Aswan, and Alexandria with expert tour guides. Let the dream begins & experience Egypt.
From: $65
Cairo Stopover Tour Cairo stopover tour is the ultimate portal for every British traveler to discover th...
From: $55
Day Tour in Cairo and the Pyramids For British Travelers Day Tour in Cairo and The Pyramids is a smashi...
From: $55
Day Trip to Pyramids from Cairo for British Travelers Day trip to the Pyramids from Cairo is a brilliant...
From: $290
Day Trip from Luxor to Cairo by Plane For British Travelers Day trip from Luxor to Cairo by plane is a ...
Egypt Tours Portal
Egypt Tours Portal was established in 1987 and we have more than 33 years of experience in the field of tourism in Egypt. We have defined the word of professionalism throughout the tours that we have arranged through the past years as it is not just business to us but it is a matter of proving to the whole world that we are the best travel agency in the middle east who can arrange perfect well-organized tours in Egypt with the whole required element to make it one of its kind.
There are a lot of churches in Egypt but there is nothing that can come close to the Hanging Church. the ...
Abu Serga Church a.k.a St. Sergius was one of the places visited by the holy family during their escape. ...
Ben Ezra Synagogue Cairo, one of the top Cairo tourist attractions, explore top information about Ben Ezr...
Egypt Tours Portal prides itself on being the best travel agency in Egypt as proven by our numerous positive reviews.
This review is a late, but I had to provide some feedback. My brother and I went on vacation in October 2022 and booked with Egypt Tours Portal. With on-line sc...Read More
My fiancé and I booked a private 5 day tour of Egypt with ETP starting in Cairo followed by Aswan, Abu Simbel and Luxor. We just got home and continue to talk ...Read More
This was the trip of a lifetime that I was able to have with my eldest son - an absolutely amazing experience. To be able to actually see the places and artifac...Read More
Highly recommend this tour company!!! Our guides, Moses, Mahmoud, Magred and Mohamed were exceptional, their knowledge of the history is more that accurate, the...Read More
Egypt Tours Portal is an excellent company to use to arrange your visit to Egypt. They work with phenomenal guides (we had Mahmoud Nour in Upper Egypt and Mohse...Read More
It was an absolutely amazing trip where we saw some of the most historical and beautiful sights in Egypt. Our tour guide Mohamed Elshemei was extremely knowledg...Read More
© Copyright Egypt Tours Portal 2024.
