Principal Monasteries of Egypt and Sinai

• Monastery of Saint Anthony – Red Sea Desert, Egypt. The oldest monastery in the world.
• Monastery of Saint Paul the Anchorite – Red Sea Desert, Egypt. One of the great monasteries of the Egyptian desert.
• Monastery of Saint Macarius the Great – Wadi El Natrun. Principal monastery of the Egyptian desert tradition.
• Monastery of the Syrians – Wadi El Natrun. Historic Coptic monastery with important manuscripts.
• Monastery of Saint Bishoy – Wadi El Natrun. Major monastery of the Coptic Orthodox Church.
• Monastery of Saint Catherine – Sinai Peninsula. The oldest continuously inhabited Christian monastery in the world.
• White Monastery – Sohag, Upper Egypt. Historic monastery of the Thebaid.

Wadi El Natrun

• Monastery of Saint Macarius the Great – Wadi El Natrun. One of the most important monasteries of Egyptian monasticism.
• Monastery of the Syrians – Wadi El Natrun. Historic monastery famous for its library and manuscripts.
• Monastery of Saint Bishoy – Wadi El Natrun. Major pilgrimage monastery.
• Paromeos Monastery – Wadi El Natrun. One of the four great monasteries of the Nitrian Desert.
• Monastery of Saint John the Little – Wadi El Natrun. Historic monastery of the Desert Fathers.

The Red Sea Desert and the Thebaid

• Monastery of Saint Anthony – Red Sea Desert. The oldest monastery in Christian history.
• Monastery of Saint Paul the Anchorite – Red Sea Desert. Ancient desert monastery.
• White Monastery – Sohag. Great monastic centre of Upper Egypt.
• Red Monastery – Sohag. Historic sister monastery of the White Monastery.
• Monastery of Saint Pachomius – Upper Egypt. Historic monastery associated with cenobitic monasticism.
• Monastery of the Archangel Michael – Upper Egypt. Important monastery of the Thebaid.

Cairo and Northern Egypt

• Convent of Saint George – Old Cairo. One of the principal Coptic convents.
• Convent of Saint Demiana – northern Egypt. Major women’s monastery and pilgrimage site.
• Monastery of Saint Mina – near Alexandria. Important modern Coptic monastery.
• Monastery of Saint Mercurius – Cairo region. Orthodox monastery associated with the Coptic Church.

Sinai Peninsula

• Monastery of Saint Catherine – Mount Sinai. The most famous monastery of Sinai and one of the greatest monasteries of Christianity.
• Monastery of the Forty Martyrs – Sinai region. Small Orthodox monastic community.
• Monastery of Saint Episteme – Sinai. Ancient monastic site associated with Saint Catherine.
• Skete of Saint Galaktion and Episteme – Sinai. Historic monastic residence.

Female Monasteries and Convents of Special Importance

• Convent of Saint George – Cairo. Principal women’s monastery of the Coptic Orthodox Church.
• Convent of Saint Demiana – northern Egypt. One of the largest women’s monasteries in Egypt.
• Convent of Saint Mary – Egypt. Important Coptic women’s monastery.
• Convent of Saint Theodora – Egypt. Orthodox women’s monastic community.

Observations

• Egypt is the birthplace of Christian monasticism and remains one of the greatest centres of Orthodox monastic life.
• Wadi El Natrun preserves the classical monastic tradition of the Desert Fathers.
• The monasteries of Saint Anthony and Saint Paul are the oldest surviving monasteries in the world.
• Saint Catherine in Sinai is the oldest continuously inhabited monastery in Christianity.
• The majority of monasteries in Egypt belong to the Coptic Orthodox Church, while Sinai belongs historically to the Greek Orthodox tradition.