Dating to the 4th century, the Monastery of St Paul began as a grouping of hermitages in the cliffs around the site where St Paul had his hermitage. The complex's heart is the Church of St Paul , which was built in and around the cave where Paul lived. It’s cluttered with altars, candles, ostrich eggs (the symbol of the Resurrection) and murals representing saints and biblical stories. The fortress above the church was where the monks retreated during Bedouin raids.
St Paul’s monastery is quieter and much more low-key than nearby St Anthony’s, and is often bypassed in favour of its larger neighbour. But a visit is well worthwhile, and gives a glimpse into the life of silence, prayer and asceticism that has flowered here in the Eastern Desert for almost two millennia. Visitors are welcome and can wander freely around the monastery but taking a guided tour with an English-speaking monk will allow you to access many of the locked areas.
St Paul himself was born into a wealthy family in Alexandria in the mid-3rd century and originally fled to the Eastern Desert to escape Roman persecution. He lived alone in a cave here for more than 90 years, finding bodily sustenance in a nearby spring and palm tree. According to tradition, in AD 343 the then 90-year-old St Anthony had a vision of Paul. After making a difficult trek through the mountains to visit him, Paul died, and was buried by Anthony’s hands.
