Monastery of Saint Paul the Anchorite, Coptic Orthodox monastery in Eastern Desert, Egypt.

The Monastery of Saint Paul the Anchorite is a Coptic Orthodox complex in the Eastern Desert, about 155 km southeast of Cairo. Its tan stone and mud-brick buildings rise in stepped masses: a long flat-topped wall with small square openings, a tall square tower with an arched opening and a second arched niche near its top, and an external stone staircase climbing diagonally to the tower. Low walls with arched doorways connect the lower buildings.

Founded in the fourth century over the cave where Paul the Anchorite lived for more than eighty years, the monastery was first described by Antoninus Martyr, who visited the tomb between 560 and 570. A Bedouin raid in 1484 killed many monks and burned the library; Pope Gabriel VII sponsored rebuilding, and after 119 deserted years monks from the Monastery of Saint Anthony repopulated it under Pope John XVI, who promoted reconstruction in 1701.

The monastery is also called the Monastery of the Tigers, and its church of Saint Paul was dug into the cave where the hermit lived and where his remains are kept. Two further churches are dedicated to Saint Mercurius and the Archangel Michael. A spring believed to have served Paul during his eighty years of seclusion still supplies the site, and a second spring, the Pool of Mary, is named after the sister of Moses.

The site lies in a remote desert area, so reaching it requires driving or joining a guided tour as it is far from main roads. Visitors should prepare for hot, dry weather and bring plenty of water, as the terrain is exposed and sparsely populated.

The monastery is also called the Monastery of the Tigers. Its library keeps illustrated manuscripts, among them a Coptic version of the Divine Liturgy and John Chrysostom's Commentary on the Epistle to Titus. A second spring, the Pool of Mary, is named for the sister of Moses, who is said to have washed her feet there during the Exodus.