# Monastery of Saint Paul the Anchorite

Source: https://coptic-lore-forge.lovable.app/wiki/monastery-of-saint-paul-the-anchorite — Coptic Orthodox Wiki (updated 2026-10-02)

The Monastery of Saint Paul, or Dayr Anba Bula, lies in Egypt’s Eastern Desert and preserves a church associated with the cave and relics of Saint Paul of Thebes.[^1][^2]

## Location and identity

The Monastery of Saint Paul, also called Dayr Anba Bula, lies in Egypt’s Eastern Desert, southwest of the Red Sea lighthouse station of Ras Za‘faranah.[^1][^3] Its Church of Saint Paul of Thebes occupies the cave in which the saint is believed to have lived and contains his venerated relics.[^2] Al-Maqrizi called the monastery Dayr al-Numurah, or the Monastery of the Tigers, in the first half of the fifteenth century.[^3]

## Origins and early history

The monastery’s beginnings are assessed differently: its foundation is placed in the latter fourth or fifth century, whereas its origins are also considered obscure, with the conclusion that a monastery did not yet exist when Postumian visited the site in 401.[^3][^4] The sixth-century evidence is also interpreted differently: Antoninus Martyr is described as visiting the monastery between 560 and 570, while the pilgrim from Placentia is also said to have noted only the spring in 570.[^3][^5]

Abu al-Makarim described the monastery as entirely dependent on the Monastery of Saint Antony; in 1395, Ogier de Saint-Chéron counted sixty monks there.[^3] Administration by Saint Antony’s abbot continued for several centuries, until the nineteenth century.[^6]

## Destruction and restoration

The historical account records a Bedouin attack in 1484 and associates Patriarch Gabriel VII with a subsequent restoration; Gabriel’s biography states that the restored monastery was destroyed again during his lifetime.[^5][^8] Coppin reported the monastery ruined and uninhabited in 1638–1639, and Gonzales confirmed that it remained uninhabited in 1665.[^5]

In 1701, Patriarch John XVI restored and repopulated the monastery with the assistance of Mark, hegumenos of Saint Antony’s.[^7] The sources differ over the placement of a 119-year interruption: one associates it with the aftermath of the 1484 attack, while another places it immediately before the repopulation of 1701.[^5][^9] Monks associated with Saint Paul’s who later became patriarchs included Peter VI, John XVII, and Mark VII.[^7]

## Churches and buildings

There are four churches, three within the ancient part of the monastery.[^2]

- **Saint Paul of Thebes:** The spiritual center contains eighteenth-century paintings and fifteenth-century Gothic graffiti, with altars dedicated to the Twenty-four Elders, Saint Antony, and Saint Paul.[^2]
- **Saint Mercurius, or Abu Sayfayn:** Built in the latter eighteenth century, this church stands close to and almost above Saint Paul’s church.[^10]
- **The Holy Virgin Mary:** This church is situated on the third floor of the keep.[^10]
- **Saint Michael:** Described as the largest and principal church, it has altars dedicated to the Archangel Michael and Saint John the Baptist.[^10]

The architectural account identifies a rock-cut group comprising the relic chamber, adjoining sanctuary, old staircase, and corridor; it cautiously suggests that the relic chamber belongs among the church’s older portions.[^11]

## Library and water supply

The library occupies a room on the north side of Saint Michael’s church, while the Spring of Saint Paul and the Pool of Miriam supply water.[^12] A catalogue description attributed to Simaykah in 1930 lists 764 manuscripts, most dating from the fourteenth, seventeenth, and eighteenth centuries, covering biblical, theological, historical, ecclesiastical, and miscellaneous subjects.[^7]

## Sources
[^1]: The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6, Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 626)
[^2]: The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 3, Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 197)
[^3]: The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 3, Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 196)
[^4]: The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 3, Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 198)
[^5]: The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 3, Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 199)
[^6]: The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 3, Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 197)
[^7]: The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 3, Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 199)
[^8]: The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 4, Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 318)
[^9]: The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 3, Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 157)
[^10]: The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 3, Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 197)
[^11]: The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 3, Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 200)
[^12]: The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 3, Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 197)