Excursion to the monasteries of Wadi Natrun from the port of Alexandria

Tour Details:

We will meet you at your cruise at the port of Alexandria; You will recognize our driver by the sign with your name in his hands.

It will take you to Wadi Natrun, the Natrun Valley, also known as the Hermitage, which gets its name from the presence of more than ten small soda-rich lakes in it. As early as the time of the pharaohs, people began to benefit from this deposit, using it for funeral rites and mummification. Even the Holy Family is said to have visited these places.

Wadi Natrun is considered one of the most sacred attractions for the Christian pilgrim and at the beginning of the Middle Ages attracted hundreds of thousands of people who lived on the grounds of the hundreds of monasteries that existed in the area at that time. In addition, many hermits chose solitude in the desert and mountains to repent and dedicate their lives to God. The Muslims who conquered Egypt in 641 AD stopped the dawn of the valley’s Christian era,  Many monasteries were destroyed and plundered. Today, there are only four ancient monasteries that are more than 1,600 years old. These holy places of prayer, resembling small fortresses with high, powerful walls, protected the monks from numerous attacks by Berbers and Bedouin tribes. Throughout their history, they have served as the homes of monks, among whom were major Coptic saints and priests.

Monastery of St. Macarius the Great was founded around 360 AD by Saint Macarius of Egypt, who was the spiritual mentor of more than 4,000 monks. Monks lived there permanently. In 1970, the monastery was restored and today about 100 monks have found shelter here. On the territory of the monastery there are relics of many saints; During the restoration work, two crypts were discovered,  which are supposed to belong to St. John the Baptist and the prophet Elisha.

The Roman monastery (El-Baramus) was founded sometime in 335 AD, and is believed to be the oldest of the four in existence. It consists of five churches in which some relics are preserved. The oldest of all existing dates back to the 6th century AD and is dedicated to the Virgin Mary. The monastery has been renovated and expanded, and now its infrastructure includes about fifty monks’ houses.

The Monastery of St. Bichon was founded in the 4th century A.D. In its main temple, in addition to many Christian relics, there is the incorrupt body of the founder himself, St. Bichon. The monastery consists of five churches (early 5th century AD) and a four-storey castle. There is a spring called the “Spring of the Martyrs”. According to legend, hostile Berbers washed their swords in this spring after killing the “49 martyrs of the Skete”. Christians buried the abandoned bodies in a nearby Monastery of St. Macarius the Great. Recently, the monastery has been renovated and expanded.

The Syrian Monastery of the Blessed Virgin Mary is believed to have been founded in the 6th century A.D. Inside it is a large door known as  the Door of Prophecy. It depicts the monks who lived here in the 10th century AD, diagrams of the past and the future. There is also a miraculous tree of St. Ephraim. The monastery is still surrounded by high walls and provides a unique opportunity to study religion through Coptic wall paintings and frescoes; It consists of five well-preserved churches (5th century AD) and a four-storey castle surrounded by high walls. The monastery has recently been renovated and expanded.

After visiting these holy places, our driver will take you back to your cruise, to the port of Alexandria.