I.       The geographical location:

Wadi n’Natrun, in Arabic Wadi al-Natroun, also known as Scetis[1], is a valley about twenty-two miles long and five miles wide. In this valley, there are about eight salty lakes. These lakes contain varying quantities of Chloride and Sodium Carbonate[2]. Wadi n’Natrun is located in the Egyptian Great Western Desert, west of the Nile. The valley runs between two sides of undulating hills. These hills slope down to the sandy valley which is seventy to eighty feet below the level of the Mediterranean Sea at Alexandria.[3]

II.      The historical context:

Wadi n’Natrun has a long History; Pharaonic and Christian. Otto Meinardus[4] wrote about the evidences that lead us to suppose that this region was considered sacred around the year 2000 B.C. Also, according to the Coptic tradition, the Holy Family visited Wadi n’Natrun during their flight into Egypt. Virgin Mary blessed the valley.[5]

After about three centuries of this blessed visit, Wadi n’Natrun became one of the three basic ascetic communities in the Egyptian Great Western Desert. These three ascetic communities were Nitria, Kellia and Scetis. Scetis is located about forty miles from Kellia and about fifty two miles from Nitria.[6] The term “Scetis” is sometimes used in the old sources to cover Nitria. But the term “Nitria” is never used to cover Scetis.[7] The ascetic community in Nitria and Kellia were founded by Amoun[8]. The ascetic community in Scetis or Wadi n’Natrun was founded by Abba Macarius the Egyptian. By the sixth century, the rest of the ascetic community in Nitria immigrated to Kellia and Scetis.[9] By the ninth century, the rest of the ascetic community in Kellia immigrated to Scetis.[10] Finally, Scetis or Wadi n’Natrun became the main center of monasticism in this area.

III.       Abba Macarius and the founding of the monastic community in Wadi n’Natrun:

Abba Macarius the great (300- 390), in the sources, is called St. Macarius the Egyptian to distinguish him from his namesake, Macarius the Alexandrian. The name Macarius means “blessed”[11]. St. Macarius the great was born in Jijber[12] around the year 300. Before becoming a monk, he was a camel driver and a gatherer of Natroun. Around the year 330, Macarius went to Wadi n’Natrun where he first lived his ascetic life alone. Then this kind of life began to attract disciples and a small community formed.[13]

 

St. Macarius visited St. Antony[14] twice. In the first visit, St. Antony taught Macarius his monastic tradition. And in the second, Antony clothed Abba Macarius in the monastic habit.[15] These two visits gave the reason why Macarius is called the disciple of Abba Antony[16]. Macarius’ life filled with the heavenly wonders and signs. Year 390 is common as the year of his death[17], the 5^th of April is considered the feast day of St. Macarius in the Coptic Orthodox church[18]. According to the Coptic tradition, Macarius is the legal inheritor to the monastic tradition of St. Antony. This inheritance gave Wadi n’Natrun a special importance among the monastic studies.

IV.       The four monasteries of Wadi n’Natrun: Monastery of al-Baramus, Monastery of St. Macarius, Monastery of Abba Bishoi and Monastery of al-Surian

During the life of Abba Macarius, there were four ascetic communities raised in Wadi n’Natrun.[19] The places of these ascetic communities are the contemporary four monasteries in Scetis. First, around the year 340, Abba Macarius himself founded the first community in the place of the monastery of al-Baramus.[20] Also, around the year 360, he founded the second in the place of the Monastery of St. Macarius.[21] Then, his disciples, Abba Bishoi and Abba John the little, founded the other two ascetic communities. Abba Bishoi founded his ascetic community in the place of the Monastery of Abba Bishoi. And Abba John the little founded his ascetic community in the place of the Monastery of al-Surian.[22] Among these four monasteries, the Monastery of St. Macarius represents a very significant role in the monastic history. Abba Macarius spent the rest of his life with his ascetic community in the place of this monastery.

V.       The significant role of the Monastery of St. Macarius:

One of the reasons that gave Wadi n’Natrun its importance is the significant role of the Monastery of St. Macarius in the Christian history. After the Council of Chalcedon[23], the whole tradition of the school of Alexandria moved to the Monastery of St. Macarius. The monastery and its library became the successor of the Theological School of Alexandria.[24] In the middle of the sixth century, the monastery became the official residence of the Coptic Patriarchs of Alexandria.[25] During the centuries of the Islamic role, the Macarian monks faced the persecution with patience. They rebuilt the old buildings in the monastery many times from the rubbish.[26] Some scholars argue that the Monastery of St.Macarius was the only place where the Coptic monasticism continued to be strong during some Islamic eras.[27] The Macarian resistance to the difficult circumstances did not protect the buildings from reaching a bad situation from the fourteen to the twentieth centuries. In 1969, Father Matthew the Poor[28] and his disciples went to live their ascetic life in the Monastery of Abba Macarius. Since this date, the monastery entered a very significant period of an architectural and spiritual revival.[29]

VI.        A brief about the insights which the researcher gained from many visits to the Monastery of St. Macarius in Wadi n’Natrun:

The great insight was to understand that Church History is a living history. In his classical book “Great leaders of the Christian church”, Moyer[30] wrote: “Church History can be and should be read as a story for that is exactly what it is.”[31] A visit to Wadi n’Natrun, especially to the Monastery of St. Macarius, can affirm this fact in a very clear way. The visitor can feel the flavor of the ancient centuries mixed with a very mature contemporary ascetic life. Also, the mature architectural revival stands as a witness for the mature spiritual revival. The visitor can easily understand that without a mature spiritual sense, this architectural revival could not be existed.

Bibliography:

• Badr, Habib, Sa’ad Salim, and Joseph Abu Nahra. Christianity: A History in the Middle East, trans. George Sabrs, Nuha Jurayj, and Najla Salman Prothro. Beirut: Middle East Council of Churches, 2001.
• Chitty, Derwas. The Desert City. Crestwood, New York: St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 1966.
• Harmless, William. Desert Fathers: an introduction to the literature of the Early Monasticism. Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press, 2004.
• Mattá al-Miskīn. Coptic Monasticism. Wadi Al-Natroun: St. Macarius’ Monastery Press, 1972.
  ________The Monastery of St. Macarius: A Short History. Wadi Al-Natroun: St. Macarius’ Monastery Press, 1984.
• Meinardus, Otto. Monks and Monasteries of the Egyptian Desert. Cairo: The American University in Cairo Press, 1961.
• Monks of St. Macarius’ Monastery. Our Father Matthew the Poor: A detailed biography. Wadi El-Natroun: St. Macarius’ Monastery Press, 2008.
• Moyer, Elgin S. Great leaders of the Christian Church. Chicago: Moody Press, 1951.
• Vivian, Tim. St. Macarius the Spiritbearer: Coptic texts relating to Saint Macarius the Great. Crestwood, New York: St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 2004.