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Saint Anthony the Great withdrew into the Egyptian desert in the late third century to seek God in solitude, and became the father of Christian monasticism.
After his death his followers built a monastery near his mountain cave, east of the Nile toward the Red Sea. Founded in the fourth century, it is the oldest monastery still in use anywhere in the world.
It is a walled community of churches, gardens and ancient wall paintings, with the cave of Anthony high in the cliff above.
Every monastery in the world, from the deserts of Egypt to the hills of Europe and the highlands of Ethiopia, traces its roots to Anthony and this place.
To come here is to visit the source of the monastic life, the long tradition of prayer, fasting and withdrawal that shaped the whole church. Pilgrims climb to his cave, pray in the ancient churches, and feel the deep quiet of the desert that first called him.
Who was Saint Anthony? A third and fourth century hermit honoured as the father of Christian monasticism.
Why is the monastery special? It is the oldest active Christian monastery in the world.
Where is it? In Egypt's eastern desert, toward the Red Sea.
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