DEIR ABU MAKAR (HOLY MONASTERY)
This remakable monastery in Wadi Natroun is one of the oldest in the world, home to thousands of monks.
The most remarkable monastery in Wadi Natroun is home to 120 monks. Founded in 360 AD, it welcomed thousands of monks in the5th century. It is one of the oldest monasteries in the world. In 330, Saint Macaire lived in the region as a hermit. Joined by others, he migrated here in 360 and remained until his death in 390. The monastery has been destroyed and rebuilt several times, its two most important reconstructions dating from the 7th century and 1969, when only 6 monks remained on site!
The Saint-Macaire church you'll see was built over the 4th-century church. Note its 10th-century wooden door with Coptic inscriptions and its 7th-century cupola. The altar is dedicated to St. John the Baptist, with 12th-century paintings. You'll also see relics of St. John the Baptist, as well as relics of St. Macarius and other Orthodox saints and patriarchs. The monastery's fortress, the largest in Wadi Natroum, is the protected area where the monks lived in case of danger.
The chapel is dedicated to a 3rd-century martyr and features a 12th-century dome. You can also see two 17th-century cells and the 12th-century refectory. In the chapel dedicated to the 49 martyrs of Scété, the 49 monks who were killed during an attack in 444 when they refused to take refuge in the tower, you can see an illuminated painting, which you may be told is the first evocation of the balance of hearts in Christianity, in the tradition of ancient Egyptian beliefs.
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