The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1877-11-04
TIE OLDEST MONASTERY IN rUt
NNHI u.

..
pnrt OF the khcdivc's doninlons lvln, so,,,,, 10,
the twcnty-ninth parallel. between the Nh. .u.'
the Gulf Of Suez, mud which. although NJ, ,'',,
Of the grcnt Arabian peninsula. is KNOW, os,i.,
Arabian desert. In the hearl ~, thu. ,,..,
moro arid and impenctrnblc than any trn,4
tie western Sahara. lie two Corjic monn,,,,ts
uususucctcd 10y the ordinary Nilc lourls,.u.i
nj which urior 10 Srhwcinfurths vs!, no trust,
worthy account was cHtnnt
As well by their antiquity ms by their isolated
position the converts Of ~. Antony and <,
Paul are invested with peculiar interest Tho
former lies on tho southern slopc Of tho ,,,l.
lla range Of mountains In the region kn,nrn
rs Wadi ARABIA. and the latter OF n spur Of tho
snrno chain trcndns toward the Rod soa.
There IL close resemblance in the style n mr..
chtccturc and interior arrangement Of tho two
rlOnastcrles. and We may theroioreconOpc our.
selves to n description of the lnrcor and moro
stately. the cloistcr fortress Of s.. Antony.
five except some Buddhist foundations thorn
seems to be 10 doubt TINT these conycnts In,
Oldest in the world. 1t wis In the year $50 of
our era. during the persecution in-tlsatcd bv
the Emperor Dccus that Christian uamed
Paul Ned TO this part Of tho desert whore lie ia
said 10 hay" led FOR upward o. hall "a century an
uScctic and solitary cyistcncr. Some vnnrs
dltorward he was followed by O second convert.
ono Antonius who had been man Of wealth
and Influence in Alexandria. The reputation
! for eanctity which these aurhoritcs arou,rcl ia
iucsted 10y history. md nhoGt the beginning ~
! tho fourth century II appears t. hava drawn n
them number of young mon. who thus bsc,.rle
acquainted with the exceptional resources az
thctwo oases. some d0z"n m les apart whore the
holy men hai dwolt. rnthis lato nro referred
the founding Of ihc mnuastcries which are now
q to al.
til" Mar Artonus and the Mar Bolos. the latter
/ anpciativo being the Arabic synonym Of Paul"
The first monks doubtless belonged to the gen.
eral Christian organ cation. hut tl SUCCESSORS
were comprchcnd,h in tho COpiic Church
which took shape in Egypt after tho Crcat mon
ophyse DISPUTE OF the ilth and sixth centuries.
81 much for the past record Of the strange CON.
muntics to which Or. Sehweinfurth and hi.
companion. DR.. Gassfoldt. have introduced us
For fifteen centuries the convent OF St. Antony
has been exposed to the shock OF tho political
revolutions which have sucHcodcl one mother
IN the not remote Nile valley. and to the tnccs.
SAINT assaults OF Bcdouin nomnds VIZ ire No,
surprised therefore, 10 hear that Il IS entirely
enclosed by massive wall forty feet higl THO
ono door is walled up. and onll opened 81 the
rarc occas on of n visit from m" Coptic Metro.
poiitan. At the loot N tho wall beneath Il niche
r'h Nhl'n utpthup" II N'hE TOP. Tue uaFcAcf
loun" " MONK VINO 'Nani'u''' 'he'f ct"dentlt''.
Ihe9e proving isactory' NOS wer' ho's'Fl
10 the top Of the platform Herr ;hcv found
themselves on a lofty platform constructed Of
broad stones. and sloppg by = eeutlo incline 10
plaza. from which diverged tvo streets lnod
with the cells II tho cenobit 's 81 the eui ~
thu larger street rise the older aud later church
os, and botween them the keen or castle. from
wien you Vonui"nl view o, tno "uoi' m
Gun" u i've - uiil- u's'r' 'cnNn'h-
'"''n WIS cou"ue'e" 10 r''h' H."Ie '~hc"'S
N"' ''' VIZ ''' P''9 N"''u Sp''' III "''ui, '1
W. ',S' ~ ''iis p"7r' D"i noi' ~, r'Nc'''t
,'S'' i'''u ','' pi.'', u" ora anu "iD''' eIkn
less num- Whos' features Nie un impressive
stamp o' ul~hDF an" resignation "hlle inc
i'''i' ~ '"' '"Ns' ~ ",S "f'n' 'R"'Dn"'o
~'," y ". - go anu i'll. 'Hu''
'1''l 'I' r. " ne "'',uu. % ourr' w
''N'N anu 'Sp .I'.'y ~ me Ap's7Ih,Hh WIT
WIS "i "'''i ',''or.s' ue Vop''r n'oh"S u,aN-
s,ninn Chris,,ons We mnv hero mention tsn,
,vhio the Arab Shell who md onidod tbo frov-
ellers tbrougb The wnste hpd hsan snnarad n
entcr the enclosure. nh tho other Bodoujn NJ.
PENDANTS remained without.
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