© Dahabiya Nile Sailing Egypt 2025
The name of this Coptic Orthodox monastery refers to the white limestone of its outside walls. Shenouta of Atripe, also known as Sheoute the Great of Saint Shenoute the Archimandrite, lived in the 5th century AD and was the abbot of the monastery. He is considered a saint by the Coptic church. He became head of a monastic federation comprising several monasteries for men and women, where the Pachomian Rule of shared work and prayer was strictly interpreted. He was the first prolific writer in Coptic, the language of the common people. Much of his work survives and is an excellent source of information on aspects of 5th and 6th century monastic life in the region.
The monastery was still functioning in the 12th century, but was reported as being in ruins. The church, which was built in the middle of the 5th century, survives. In the 7th century, fire heavily damaged the church. It was renovated to the old plan, and columns and capitals were reused. A khurus was inserted in front of the sanctuary, although the existing khurus was most likely built in the eleventh or twelfth century.
Paintings survive in the central and southern semi-domes and on the ground floor. Inscriptions in Coptic and Armenian date some of the paintings to the 12th century and document the presence of Armenians in the monastery at that time. Excavations of the monastic settlement surrounding the church are in progress, and a study of the literary corpus of Saint Shenouta is being undertaken by an international group of scholars.
A Coptic monastery that dates to the 5th century AD and still functions as a church, the Red Monastery is considered to be one of the most important monasteries established during the early history of Christianity. It is known as the “Red Monastery” because of the red bricks that make up most of its masonry. White limestone was also used in the construction, as well as pink and black granite columns.
The monastery was founded by Saint Bishoy at the beginning of the 4th century AD. It suffered two fires, the first during the Roman Period and the second as a result of Berber attacks. All that remains is the church and the surrounding fortification walls to the south. Remains of a structure north of the church also survived and are thought to belong to an industrial area.
For decades, visitors to the church saw only darkened suggestions of what once was among Byzantine Egypt’s most beautiful painted sanctuaries. Many of the paintings date back between the 6th and 8th centuries. The central basilica had been in ruins for periods of its 1,400-year history, and conservation was challenging. There were problems with the previous, faulty restoration. A major conservation project was carried out between 2004 and 2014 by the American Research Center in Egypt with funds from the USAID (U.S. Agency for International Development). From lighting to stonework, a new altar to re-used columns, a multinational preservation team dealt with everything from termite and bird damage to leaky roofs and replacement doors. The team consolidated, cleaned, and conserved the paintings, which revealed their original beauty. Now we visit the church in its full splendor.
A virtual tour of the Red Monastery gives just a hint of what you will see. https://my.matterport.com/show/?m=Yyw1F5eGxxZ&mls=1
Read about the architectural conservation project here: https://www.arce.org/project/red-monastery-architectural-conservation
© Dahabiya Nile Sailing Egypt 2025