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"Pay attention to what I tell you: whoever you may be, always have God before your eyes; whatever you do, do it according to the testimony of the holy Scriptures; in whatever place you live, do not easily leave it. Keep these three precepts and you will be saved."

- St Anthony the Great

St Anthony the great was born in 251 A.D. as a child of a wealthy family. He lost his parents at the age of 18. Six months later, he happened to hear the Gospel read during liturgy of that days. The Gospel said, “ If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell all that thou hast and give the poor.” (Matthew 19:21)

Influenced by this text, St Anthony sold all his possessions and gave the money to the poor. After living for years into a mountain near Quoman, St Anthony retired further into the eastern desert and occupied a cave on mount Kolzom.

St. Anthony’s monastery is still active. It is a home for more than 100 respected monks, under the leadership of HG Bishop Yostos . It also welcomes any visitor, who wants to witness how lovely and spiritual the place is.

The first Christian monastic community was established in 305 A.D. under the leadership of St Anthony the Great. Some of his disciples came and settled with him and began to the history of the monastery. From this monastery, monasticism spread everywhere in Egypt and the whole world.

His Holiness Pope Shenouda III of Alexandria