Visit St. Paul's Monastery

St. Paul's Monastery is much smaller than St. Anthony's and honors St. Paul the Hermit, who is regarded to be the first monk to take up the hermetic life (241 kilometers north of Hurghada). In the seventh century, the monastery at Jarrow was one of Europe's most significant centers of learning and culture. The relics that exist now are from the medieval monastery and the chancel of St Paul's Church has remnants of the Anglo-Saxon monastery.

The monastery has been in operation since the 6th century when St. Paul's devotees began to flock here on pilgrimages. Inside the massive ancient castle walls, the monastery is surrounded by tidy mud-brick structures that exude a sense of calm. The primary points of interest for tourists here are three churches: St. Paul's Church is said to have been erected in the same place where St. Paul lived an austere life of solitude. A day excursion here is sometimes combined with a visit to the St. Anthony Monastery.