Coptic Monastery
The Christian tradition of monasticism began in the deserts of Egypt in the 4th century AD. All other Christian monasticism flows either directly or indirectly from the Egyptian example. One of Egypt's oldest monasteries is the Monastery of St. Macarius the Great, founded in 360 AD in Wadi Natrun, about 100 km northwest of Cairo. It has been continually inhabited by Coptic monks since its founding until today.
