Monastery of Saint Anthony

We stand at the foot of the rugged Red Sea Mountains, approximately 200 miles southeast of Cairo, at the Monastery of Saint Anthony. This is not merely a religious site; it is a living monument to the very birth of Christian…

Standing before the massive defensive tower, or keep, we see a vital part of the monastery's survival strategy. In the ancient days, this was a fortress designed to protect the monks from the frequent attacks of Bedouin raiders. …

We now enter the heart of the monastery: the Church of Saint Anthony. Parts of this structure date back to the 4th century, making it one of the oldest churches in existence. …

Next, we visit the Church of the Holy Apostles, which dates primarily to the 15th century. While younger than the Church of St. …

No visit to the monastery is complete without seeing the source of its life: the sacred spring. For over 1,700 years, this natural spring has provided water for the monks in the middle of a barren desert. …

For the more adventurous visitor, a stairway and trail lead from the monastery walls up into the steep mountains. This path consists of over 1,000 steps, winding nearly a thousand feet above the monastery floor. …

At the end of the long climb, we reach the site where Christian monasticism truly began: the Cave of Saint Anthony. This small, cramped space in the rock was Anthony’s home for some 43 years. …

As we descend back to the monastery floor, we carry with us the spirit of this extraordinary place—a character of submission, simplicity, and humility that has endured for nearly two thousand years. The Monastery of Saint Anthony…