Monastery of St Macarius (Deir Abu Makar)
The monastery of St Macarius the Great, founder of monastic life in Scetis — a centre of Coptic monastic revival.
The founder of Scetis
The Monastery of St Macarius, Deir Abu Makar, stands in the south-eastern part of Wadi el-Natrun. It is named after St Macarius the Great (c. 300–390), a disciple of St Anthony, who settled in the desert of Scetis around 330 and gathered around him the community of hermits that made Wadi el-Natrun one of the great centres of early monasticism. For centuries, the monastery was one of the most important in Egypt; many Coptic patriarchs were chosen from its monks, and it preserves the relics of St Macarius and of other saints, as well as relics venerated as those of St John the Baptist and the prophet Elisha.
Revival
By the mid-twentieth century the monastery had declined to only a handful of monks. In 1969, a group of monks led by Father Matta el-Meskeen (Matthew the Poor), one of the most influential Coptic spiritual writers of the twentieth century, settled here and began a remarkable revival, rebuilding the monastery, reclaiming large areas of desert for agriculture and publishing spiritual writings. The ancient churches and keep were restored, and the monastery became a centre of study and prayer.
Visiting
The monastery preserves several ancient churches, including the Church of St Macarius with medieval wall paintings, and a keep. Unlike the other monasteries of Wadi el-Natrun, it usually requires visitors to arrange their visit in advance, out of respect for the monks' way of life.
Exhibo editorial
This is where it all began: the desert where Macarius the Great settled around 330 and where Egyptian monasticism took the form that spread across the Christian world. The monastery is large, prosperous and very much alive, surrounded by fields reclaimed from the sand by its monks.
It's also the most private of the Wadi el-Natrun monasteries — arrange your visit in advance, and you may be shown the ancient churches and the keep by a monk who knows every stone. A rare chance to see a monastic revival from the inside.
How to find it
Deir Abu Makar lies in the south-eastern part of Wadi el-Natrun, close to the Cairo–Alexandria Desert Road, reached by its own access road; contact the monastery before visiting to arrange a time.
