The Christian Coptic Church Of Egypt

Old Cairo is the oldest part of Cairo and is the original site of the Babylon Fort. Many churches were built in this area as well as Egypt's oldest synagogue.

The Coptic Church has certain privileges distinguishing her from other churches of the world, which privileges are demonstrated in the Holy Scriptures and in history. The following is a demonstration of all this based on concrete facts:

• A Prophecy Concerning the Coptic Church

• The church of Egypt is the only one among the churches of the nations on which a prophecy has been given in the Old Testament concerning her foundation.

• This prophecy has been recorded in the Book of Isaiah the Prophet. The divine inspiration, speaking about the foundation of the Egyptian church, says, " In that day there will be an altar to the Lord in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a pillar to the Lord at its border. And it will be for a sign and for a witness to the Lord of hosts in the land of Egypt …Then the Lord will be known to Egypt, and the Egyptians will know the Lord in that day, and will make sacrifice and offering." (Isaiah 19:19-21)

• This altar mentioned in the above prophecy is not a pagan altar, for it is an altar to the Lord; nor a Jewish altar, for the Jews were not allowed to sacrifice outside Jerusalem.

• It is then the Christian altar on which the Egyptians offered sacrifice to the Lord when they knew the Lord and He became known to Egypt. And it is a sign and a witness to the Lord according to the Prophecy in the Book of Isaiah the prophet.

But for the importance of this altar, no prophecy would have been given on it. However, the altar is denied in general by the Protestants, and we used to say to them: Many indeed are the biblical texts proving the existence of the altar in Christianity. But even if there is no altar in any Christian country, suffice at least that the Scriptures mention the altar in the land of Egypt to the Lord according to the prophecy of Isaiah.  And the Lord blessed Egypt for this.

Christianity was introduced to Egypt in a limited form early in the faith's history. The Coptic Orthodox Church is based on the teachings of Saint Mark who traveled to Egypt in 61 A.D. The name Copt comes from the early Greek name for Egypt, Aigyptos. The Coptic Church has given the world St. Cyril, the philosopher Origen, and began the monastic tradition in Christianity. While the Coptic Church has flourished and spread around the world, it does maintain its own Papal Leadership separate from that of Rome and is often categorized as one of the Eastern Orthodox faiths.

Daily, in all Coptic Churches all over the world, Copts pray for the reunion of all Christian Churches. They pray for Egypt, its Nile, its crops, its president, its army, its government, and above all its people. They pray for the world's peace and for the well-being of the human race.
 

Coptic Churches In Egypt

Coptic Monasteries

In Egypt
 

Christian monasticism was founded towards the end of the 3rd century A.D. in the Eastern desert of Egypt by St. Antony the Great, who is one of the patron saints of our church.

 In 330 A.D. one of St. Antony's disciples, St. Macarius the Great (300-390) established ascetic life in the Natrun Valley (Wadi el Natrun) assisted by St. Ammon who was another disciple of St. Antony .

At first, monks used to live in separate caves or cells which later increased in number. Later on, simple forts called "keeps" were where the monks used to live because they were constantly attacked by foreign invaders. The monastery evolved when these keeps and cells were enclosed by a wall to secure the safety of the monks and thus, become a community within itself.

The following options are summaries of various monasteries in Egypt. These monasteries have a substantial history and their presence in Egypt has been a source of great blessings for the Copts of Egypt as well as those who visit them. In the following options, you will be introduced to the history of a particular monastery and (in most cases) be presented with photos to accompany the text. We hope that these pages will help you in understanding the Coptic monastery in general and we urge you to continue to visit this page, as we update our current monastery information regularly as well as add new monasteries to enjoy.

May God bless you as He has blessed us with these monasteries.