Sacred Ground and Desert Fathers: The Monks and Monasteries of Wadi el Natrun
Kenzy Fahmy
Somewhere in the once-barren desert that stretches from the Mediterranean coast down to Cairo, lies the Valley of Salt, Wadi el Natrun, a sacred site with a history that dates back to Pharaonic times. But what the valley is known for today are the four ancient monasteries, resting quietly in the Wadi for hundreds of years while the world continues to rush by.
Wadi el Natrun, known also as Scetis, was an immensely important site for the ancient Egyptians; it’s where they harvested the salts, specifically natron, that they used to mummify their dead. The Wadi sits at the bottom of a large depression, around 20m below sea level, which has led to the formation of salt lakes that are rich in the nitrites the Egyptians used in their embalming rituals as well as in their ceramics and to decorate temple and tomb walls. The Romans would later use it to make glass.
But it wasn’t just salt that brought people here. Before the area was developed, something that happened only very recently, Wadi el Natrun was nothing more than an isolated desert valley, far from the problems and politics of man. It was the perfect place to hide, a sanctuary for ascetics and persecuted Christians. The valley is also the site where Antoine de Saint-Exupery, author of “The Little Prince”, crashed his plane in 1935, an event that clearly inspired the classic children’s book.
Hermits and monks have been living in the hills and caves of the Wadi since the 4th century, the silent solitude of the desert providing the ideal space to disconnect from the preoccupations of the world and become closer to God. They started to build monasteries, hundreds of them, drawing in pilgrims from all over the world. But the Arab conquest, as well as invasions from the West, saw the vast majority of these monasteries destroyed, leaving only four to survive until today.
Anba Makar (St. Macarius) Monastery
Founded by St. Macarius the Great around 330-360 AD, this is one of the oldest in the world, along with Deir al-Baramus and the Monastery of St. Anthony in the Eastern Desert. Macarius was a Coptic monk from Lower Egypt, a disciple of St. Anthony the Great, and a great leader of the Desert Fathers, as the Scetis monks were known.
Anba Bishoy Monastery
Named after St. Bishoy, a 4th century monk from Menoufiya. It is believed by the Copts that St. Bishoy saw Jesus on more than one occasion and that the body of the saint is incorruptible, preserved until today by his holiness and love for God. His body still rests in the main church of the monastery, along with that of St. Paul of Tammah.
Deir al-Suryan
Known also as the Monastery of St. Mary Deipara or the Syrian Monastery, Deir al-Suryan is the youngest of the four that remain. While the exact date of its foundation is unclear but it was most likely built sometime during the 6th century by monks from the neighboring Monastery of St. Bishoy.
Deir al-Baramus
The Monastery of Baramus, or Paromeos (of the Romans), is said to be the first of the Natrun monasteries to be built, also founded by St. Macarius. The name reportedly comes from two Roman saints, Maximus and Domitius, sons of Emperor Valentinian I, who lived and died at the monastery; Macarius had a small chapel built in their honor.