Excursions to St Antony and St Paul Monasteries — Egyptian Monastery in Cairo — this Cairo excursion from Sempre Travel Egypt brings you to the two oldest monasteries in Egypt, the St Anthony Monastery and the St. Paul Monastery, both of which are located in Galala, Egypt.

Egypt Monastery

Join us on a cultural tour to two of the world’s oldest hermit monasteries, dating back to the fourth century, in an Egyptian Monastery in Cairo trip.

We should not talk about memorable Egypt excursions nor include trips to the Egyptian Monastery.

So we have taken great care to present this trip to you with unique details that you will not find in any journey with any other company.

What is the purpose of this trip?

The goal of the Egyptian Monastery in Cairo trip is to visit unique places with the highest possible enjoyment.

Read the following paragraphs to know the places you will go to on the trip, in order:

Egyptian Monastery in Cairo
Egyptian Monastery in Cairo

The beginning will be to the magnificent Galala Plateau

Our Sempre Travel Egypt tour guide will pick you up from your Cairo hotel and take you to two of Egypt’s most stunning Coptic monasteries.

The Monastery St Anthony Egypt and the St. Paul Monastery.

The history began:

When two young men decided to meditate in the seclusion of the steep Galala Plateau.

Enjoy the ride through the Galala Mountain with our small group to our first stop.

Second visit to St Anthony Monastery

The hermit monastery of St Anthony and the Sinai St. Catherine Monastery in Egypt is one of the world’s oldest monasteries.

A young man, the son of Christian parents, moved to the desert at 19 from his village of Beni Suef around 250 AD.

Anthony has always been fascinated by God’s messages and would rather live as a hermit than in his prior existence.

His successors constructed the St Anthony monastery beneath the cave where Anthony lived until he died in 356 AD.

Visit the chapel where St Anthony is buried and the cave above where he resided till his death.

Then climb the 1200 steps to the cave, where you will be rewarded with a spectacular view of the mountains, the Red Sea, and the desert landscape.

You will not also be sorry for putting forth the effort to get to this mountainous location!

Hopefully, we will make our way to the next Monastery with some great keepsakes, photos, and beautiful impressions.

Last destination to Monastery of St. Paul

The Galala Mountain also houses St. Paul Monastery, also separated from St. Anthony Monastery by the Galala Plateau’s southern fork.

Monks used the Monastery to translate theological literature into Arabic from the 12th to the 15th centuries.

At the age of 16, St. Paul was the youngest recluse in Alexandria, escaping Roman persecution.

Hermits erected the St. Paul monastery in the fourth century, and four churches were built on the site, including:

The cave church (where St Paul lived from 251 to 325 AD) is in the center.

Beautiful frescoes adorn the cave church walls, where his bones are still preserved.

After Bedouins destroyed the Monastery’s interior, including the library and its manuscripts, in 1483.

The ARCE (American Research Center Egypt) began restoration work from 1997 to 2005.

Before returning to your Cairo lodging from our Cairo excursions to Egyptian Monastery in Cairo trips, St Antony Monastery and St. Paul Monastery.

We stop for a lunch break near the Galala Plateau.