Many of them came from nearby Nitria and Kellia where they had previous experience in solitary desert living; thus the earliest cenobitic communities were a loose consolidation of like-minded monks.
Banyak dari mereka datang dari dekat Nitria dan Kellia di mana mereka memiliki pengalaman sebelumnya di sel gurun hidup; dengan demikian awal masyarakat cenobitic yang longgar konsolidasi berpikiran biarawan.