From Tarsus to Rome
In the footsteps of Paul
Trace Paul’s recorded travels from Tarsus and Damascus through Cyprus, Anatolia and Greece to Malta and Rome, with Bible references and the stories behind later memorials.
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6 stops
Egypt’s desert monasteries
Discover early monastic roots and their later legacies through painted churches, desert communities and the small details of daily life.
What sustains a community in the desert? These six places offer different answers: patrons who funded Saint Anthony’s paintings, a well and gardens at Saint Bishoy’s, and a printing press at Saint Macarius’s. Read from the Eastern Desert to Wadi El Natrun, Sohag and Sinai, following early monastic roots and centuries of renewal.
Look for the layers: a saint’s memory, an early community, and the buildings and artwork added later. They do not all belong to the same century.
Start this journeyWhere the stops are
The dots locate the stops. Their reading order is not a verified travel route or advice on access.
1 stop has no mapped location. All stops are listed below.
Stop 1 of 6
Saint Anthony Monastery
Eastern Desert · Coptic Orthodox
MONASTERYThis Eastern Desert monastery honours Anthony, a formative figure in Christian monasticism.
Read the full profileBerthold Werner / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0 · resized for display Stop 2 of 6
Saint Paul the Anchorite Monastery
Zafarana · Eastern Desert · Coptic Orthodox
MONASTERYThis desert monastery preserves the traditional cave of Paul the Anchorite.
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Saint Macarius the Great Monastery
Wadi El-Natrun · Coptic Orthodox
MONASTERYThis monastery traces its origins to the fourth-century community of Saint Macarius.
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Berthold Werner / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0 · resized for display Stop 4 of 6
Saint Bishoy Monastery
Wadi El-Natrun · Coptic Orthodox
MONASTERYSaint Bishoy’s monastery grew from a fourth-century monastic foundation in Wadi El Natrun.
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Red Monastery
Sohag · Coptic Orthodox
MONASTERYThe Red Monastery’s church near Sohag dates to the late fifth century.
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Saint Catherine’s Monastery
South Sinai · Eastern Orthodox heritage
MONASTERYEmperor Justinian commissioned this fortified monastery in the sixth century for monks already living in Sinai.
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Gérard Janot / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0 · resized for display
Sources for this story
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6 stops
Around the Sea of Galilee
Explore six places where Gospel stories, ancient remains and later churches meet, from Capernaum and Tabgha to Magdala and Tiberias.
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7 stops
Armenian Christian heritage
Follow Armenian Christian art and community history through seven churches and monasteries, from Jerusalem, Aleppo and Beirut to Iran.
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