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Monastery of Saint Paul the Anchorite

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]

Also known as: Monastery of Saint Paul · Dayr Anba Bula · Dayr al-Numurah · Monastery of the Tigers

Published 10/1/2026Updated 3 revisionsPage history

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.13 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 401.34 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 570.35

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.58 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 1701.59 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

References

Sources

  1. 1.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 626)
    Peter decided in his early youth to retire to the ancient monastery of Saint Paul (DAYR ANBA BULA) in the Eastern Desert.
  2. 2.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 3 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 197)
    The monastery has four churches, of which three are situated in the ancient part. The Church of Saint Paul of Thebes is the spiritual center and occupies the cave in which Saint Paul is believed to have lived. Here, his relics are venerated. The inscription on the tomb reads: "Born in Alexandria in A.D. 228, died in the year A.D. 343." The walls are adorned with eighteenth-century paintings executed by a monk of the monastery and several fifteenth-century Gothic graffiti. The three altars are dedicated to the Twenty-four Elders (north), Saint Antony the Great (center), Saint Paul of Thebes (so
  3. 3.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 3 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 196)
    The Monastery of Saint Paul (Anba Bula) is situated 26 miles (39 km) southwest of the Red Sea lighthouse station of Ras Za‘faranah. ... The monastery was founded in memory of the first hermit (Saint JEROME) in the latter part of the fourth or the fifth century. Antoninus Martyr visited it between 560 and 570. ... ABU AL-MAKARIM stated that the monastery was totally dependent upon the Monastery of Saint Antony. In 1395 Ogier de Saint-Chéron counted sixty monks at the monastery being "of the same habit, rite and piety as the brotherhood of Saint Antony." In the first half of the fifteenth centur
  4. 4.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 3 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 198)
    If Paul of Thebes is a historical personage very different from the one presented by Saint Jerome (Delehaye, 1926, pp. 64-65), the origins of his monastery remain obscure. The first mention of the site appears to have been that of Postumian ... Hence, at this period (401), in contrast with its neighbor, the Monastery of Saint Paul did not yet exist.
  5. 5.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 3 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 199)
    In 570 the anonymous pilgrim from Placentia noted only the spring (1898, p. 151). ... In 1484 the monastery was pillaged by the bedouin; it remained in ruins for 119 years. It seems that the patriarch GABRIEL VII restored the monastery, but the bedouin plundered it a second time (Coquin and Laferrière, 1978, pp. 278, n. 2, and 279). In 1638-1639 Coppin (1971, pp. 233ff.) paid a visit to the monastery and stated that the Monastery of Saint Paul was in ruins and uninhabited. In 1665 Gonzales (1977, Vol. 1, pt. 2, pp. 33, 654) confirmed that the monastery was still uninhabited.
  6. 6.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 3 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 197)
    For several centuries, the administration of the monastery was entrusted to the abbot of the Monastery of Saint Antony (DAYR ANBA ANTUNIYUS), a situation that prevailed until the nineteenth century.
  7. 7.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 3 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 199)
    In 1701 the patriarch JOHN XVI restored the monastery and repopulated it with the aid of Mark, hegumenos of the Monastery of Saint Antony. ... In 1718 the hegumenos of Saint Paul was elected patriarch of Alexandria under the name of PETER VI. In 1726 his successor, JOHN XVII, was a monk of Saint Paul. In 1745 his successor, a monk of Saint Paul, became patriarch under the name of MARK VII. The library, which is less important than that of the Monastery of Saint Antony, is described by Simaykah (1930, Vol. 2, p. 122) as containing the following classes and numbers of manuscripts: biblical (122)
  8. 8.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 4 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 318)
    Gabriel did much to restore a number of monasteries, especially those in the Eastern Desert near the Red Sea. They included Saint Antony's (DAYR ANBA ANTUNIYUS), Saint Paul's (DAYR ANBA BULA), and DAYR AL-MAYMUN. ... Unfortunately, the refurbished monastery of Saint Paul was again destroyed by the bedouins during Gabriel's lifetime.
  9. 9.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 3 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 157)
    1676: A monk of Saint Antony is elected patriarch under the name of JOHN XVI. He repeoples the Monastery of Saint Paul in 1701, after an interruption of 119 years (Nakhlah, 1954, Pt. 4, p. 146).
  10. 10.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 3 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 197)
    Close to the Church of Saint Paul, almost above it, is the Church of Abu Sayfayn (Saint Mercurius), built in the latter part of the eighteenth century. This church is used once a year during the week prior to Lent. The Church of the Holy Virgin Mary is situated on the third floor of the keep. The Church of Saint Michael, situated southwest of the Church of Saint Paul, is the largest and the main church of the monastery. The church has two sanctuaries; the northern altar is dedicated to the Archangel Michael, and the southern altar, to Saint John the Baptist.
  11. 11.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 3 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 200)
    Although the history of this church is still to be written, the hypothesis could be put forward that the room in which the relics of the saint are preserved belongs to the older parts. ... These four parts (the room for the relics, the adjoining sanctuary, the old staircase, and its corridor) have been cut into the rock
  12. 12.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 3 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 197)
    The library occupies a small room on the north side of this church. There are altogether thirty-two cells in the monastery. The water is supplied by two sources, the Spring of Saint Paul in the western part of the monastery and the Pool of Miriam, about 300 feet south of the monastery.

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This article was drafted from the sources listed above with AI assistance and reviewed by an editor before publication.