St. Bishoy’s Monastery, Wadi El-Natroun

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The monastery of Saint Bishoy is located in the wilderness of Wadi El-Natroun, West of the Nile Delta and East of Cairo. It is half way between the cities of Cairo and Alexandria.

Saint Bishoy’s monastery is considered one of the oldest monasteries in Egypt and the world, since it dates back to the end of the fourth century and was established by Saint Bishoy the Great.

The features of the monastery include:
-the well of the martyrs
-the ancient table
-the ancient mill
-the ancient fort
-the ancient cells
-the fence of the monastery
-the tomb
-Saint Bishoy’s Cathedral
-H.H. Pope Shenouda III’s shrine

The monastery’s churches:
-the ancient Church of Saint Bishoy
-the Church of the martyr Abaskhairoun the Soldier
-the Church of the Virgin Mary and Pope Benyameen (Benjamin) the First
-the Church of Saint George
-the Church of Saint Anthony

The monastery’s abbot: Bishop Aghabious

The monastery of Saint Bishoy and the making of the Myron oil:
The late H.H. Pope Shenouda III made the Myron oil in the monastery of Saint Bishoy six times, between 1981 and 2008. H.H. Pope Tawadros II also made the Myron oil three times; between April 2014 and March 2021. Therefore until now, the Myron oil has been made in Saint Bishoy’s Monastery nine times.

Three of the monastery’s monks were promoted to the Papal throne:
–H.H. Pope Gabriel VIII (97th patriarch)
–H.H. Pope Macarius III (114th patriarch)
–H.H. Pope Tawadros II (118th patriarch). He was ordained as a general bishop of Beheira on the 15th of June 1997 and became the patriarch on the 18th of November 2012.