Monastery of St Paul the Hermit
A desert monastery around the cave of St Paul of Thebes, with a cave church painted in the thirteenth and eighteenth centuries.
The first hermit
The Monastery of St Paul stands in the mountains of the Eastern Desert, on the southern side of the South Galala plateau, about 25 kilometres inland from the Red Sea coast south of Zafarana. It is built around the cave where, according to tradition, St Paul of Thebes — regarded as the first Christian hermit — lived for decades in solitude until his death in the mid-fourth century. The story, told by St Jerome, relates that St Anthony visited him shortly before he died and buried him with the help of two lions. The monastery is separated from that of St Anthony by the plateau, which monks traditionally crossed on foot.
The cave church
The heart of the monastery is the Church of St Paul, built into and around the hermit's cave. Its walls preserve paintings from two main periods: medieval paintings of around the thirteenth century, and a larger cycle painted in the early eighteenth century, around 1713, by a monk, depicting saints, angels, warrior saints and scenes from the lives of the desert fathers. The cave contains the saint's tomb.
The monastery
The monastery is enclosed by high walls with a keep and has several churches, gardens and a spring. It belongs to the Coptic Orthodox Church and is home to a community of monks, who welcome visitors and show them the old church and the cave.
Exhibo editorial
St Paul's is smaller and quieter than St Anthony's, and many people find it even more moving. The road climbs into the desert mountains until the monastery appears in a fold of the hills, walled like a fortress; inside, a monk leads you down into the cave church, low and dim, its walls crowded with painted saints.
The story of the two hermits — Paul alone in his cave for decades, Anthony coming to find him before he died — gives the place a tenderness that stays with you. Visit both monasteries in a day if you can, and take your time in the silence.
Gallery
How to find it
From Zafarana, drive south along the Red Sea coast road and take the signposted turn-off west to the monastery, then follow the road about 13 km into the mountains. Enter through the main gate; a monk will usually guide visitors to the cave Church of St Paul.
