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St. Antony Monastery

The inner church portal in the monastery. See larger photo

When you enter the monastery you will see this grand church portal first of all. Below this portal you find agriculture fields, and behind the portal you meet the monk cells, and maybe most of all for us visitors; the legendary old church in the St. Antony monastery.

Kirkeportalen med ørkenfjellene i bakgrunnen. See larger photo

The monastery is literally as a green oasis in the desert and behind it the beautiful Galalah mountain plateau in the Araba valley (Wadi Araba), not too far from the lighthouse in Zafarana by the Red Sea.

The Coptic cross in the church portal. See larger photo

Unlike the cross we are used to - the "two dimensional cross", the Coptic cross goes out in all four directions. This church that is supposed to have its origin from the teachings of evangelist Mark. The monasteries in Egypt are Coptic monasteries apart from St. Catherine monastery that is totally a Greek orthodox monastery.

Up to recently, the only entrance to the monastery See larger photo

As shown earlier, the St. Antony monastery had as other desert monasteries in Egypt, a high surrounding wall for protection against Bedouin tribes. Up to a few years ago the St. Antony monastery had no entrance gate so visitors had to be lifted up and in to the monastery through a lift arrangement. On the photo above you can see the room people was lifted up to (or down from).

The smaller lift for goods. See larger photo

Even if the monastery grows a lot of vegetables and fruit, there are still other things needed for the monks. Therefore there is a smaller lift for goods and food in an own room.

Door to one of the monk cells. See larger photo

A Coptic monk cell is still based upon the old pattern for cells. It has a small hall for work and studies, and a room for prayer and sleep. The monk cells are designed for prayer so a monk can be there many days in a row without having to leave the cell (therefore a small kitchen is added in addition to the mentioned cell rooms).

The water source of the monastery See larger photo

As seen on other photos, the St. Antony monastery is a green oasis in the desert - and for that a lot of water is needed. In medieval times written sources tells that the monastery had three water sources, but today there is only one. Still, this water source gives enough water to the monks, and in addition all needed for the gardens and agriculture areas.

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