Monastery of Saint Paul

The only way to get to St. Paul’s Monastery is through a complicated maze of narrow stone steps. St. Paul was born into a wealthy family in Alexandria in 228 AD. At age 16, he ran away to the Eastern Desert and became the first person in history to live alone there. Saint Paul was an actual person who lived from 228 to 348.

The cave where he had lived for the first 30 years of his life was made a part of the monastery by building the turreted walls all the way around it. There are paintings of the Virgin and Child as well as the archangels on the walls of the main church building where St. Paul’s congregation meets. The ceilings of the chapels are decorated with many icons and ostrich eggs, which are a sign of the resurrection.

Behind the cathedral, a five-story keep was built and linked to a secret canal that brought water to the monks. This was done to protect them from Bedouin attacks. The safety of the monks was our top priority, so we did these things.