This is the monastery of St. Anthony hidden deep in the Red Sea Mountains about 200 miles southeast of Cairo. It is considered the oldest monastery in the world. Started in the fourth century by followers of Anthony, St. Anthony's Monastery continues to be an active Coptic Orthodox site. In 2002, the Egyptian government and the Coptic Church started an eight-year project to restore a number of ancient structures here.
They renovated the epic walls around the monastery, the monks' living quarters, and the two main churches, the Church of St. Anthony and the Church of the Holy Apostles. The Church of St. Anthony is the oldest church in the monastery. with the original structure dating back to the 4th century.
This church contains some of the most incredible wall paintings, most of which date to the 13th century. Almost 800 years of dirt and smoke made this artwork unrecognizable until painstaking restoration once again revealed the images, colors, and details. The wall paintings at the Monastery of St. Anthony are now considered the best collection of iconographic art from medieval Egypt. This is the Church of the Holy Apostles, which dates to the 15th century. During the last two decades, it has been beautifully restored.
Remarkably, during renovation work in 2004, this ancient monastic chamber dating to the 4th and 5th centuries, perhaps the oldest in the world, was discovered under the church. The monastery constructed this glass floor so we can view the excavated site below us. The heartbeat of St. Anthony's Monastery is still the cave that Anthony called home for some 43 years. They've built a stairway and trail that take you into the mountains where the original site is preserved.
About halfway up the trail is this church of St. Paul the Simple. Paul was a 4th century desert father who was a faithful disciple of Anthony. He came to the desert as an elderly man after a series of difficult events in the life. He was known as the simple due to his meek and humble nature and his devotion to serving others in the desert community. This church was built over his cave.
I finally made it to the top. About a thousand feet above the monastery. It's also about 2200 feet above the Red Sea, which on a clear day they say you can see from up here. And here it is. St. Anthony's Cave.
Let's go inside. Anthony's cave has three parts to it. The outer terrace we just saw, the connecting tunnel, and this inner cave where he lived.
As you can see, Anthony's cave has been converted to a small chapel to commemorate the spot where Christian monasticism first began. For centuries, the Monastery of St. Anthony has promoted worldwide monasticism and strongly influenced the Coptic Church's character of submission, simplicity, and humility. Over the years, several Coptic patriarchs have come from this special place. Over 2,000 years ago, the man known as Jesus of Nazareth was born in the small town of Bethlehem in the land of Judea.
His extraordinary life, brutal execution, and miraculous resurrection from the dead attest to the fact that he was born in the land of Judea. to the truth of his claim to be the only son of God. This is the story of how Jesus, through the lives of his faithful followers, has become known around the world, impacting all of human history from the first century until today. This is Drive Thru History, Ends of the Earth.
Drive Thru History