Category

Monasteries & Deserts

Where silence became a vocation.

Desert monasteries and mountain monastic communities preserve the oldest continuous Christian life in the world. Visit Mount Athos in Greece, St Catherine's Monastery at Mount Sinai, the rock monasteries of Meteora and the desert fathers' cells of Wadi el-Natrun — with visiting rules, permits, dress codes and the history of Orthodox and Coptic monasticism behind each ancient monastery.

10 destinations

5/5 Significance

Saint Catherine, Egypt

Mount Sinai

The 2,285-metre mountain where, according to Jewish, Christian and Muslim tradition, Moses received the Ten Commandments.

5/5 · Scripturally central

5/5 Significance

Saint Catherine, Egypt

Saint Catherine's Monastery

The oldest monastery still in use, built around the bush where God spoke to Moses. It holds a world-famous library.

5/5 · Scripturally central

5/5 Significance

Qumran, Israel

Qumran

Caves above the Dead Sea where a shepherd boy found the Dead Sea Scrolls, the oldest Bible texts we have.

5/5 · Scripturally central

5/5 Significance

Chora, Greece

Patmos

The Greek island where John was sent away as a prisoner and wrote the book of Revelation. His cave is still there.

5/5 · Scripturally central

4/5 Significance

Wadi El Natrun, Egypt

Wadi El Natrun

The Egyptian desert where monk life began. Four Coptic monasteries still work the same land today.

4/5 · Major biblical site

3/5 Significance

Kalambaka, Greece

Meteora

Six monasteries built on top of tall rock towers, 300 metres above the plains of Greece.

3/5 · Well attested

3/5 Significance

Karyes, Greece

Mount Athos

A Greek peninsula with 20 Orthodox monasteries. It has its own rules, keeps the old calendar, and women may not enter.

3/5 · Well attested

3/5 Significance

Holy Island, United Kingdom

Lindisfarne

A small island you can only reach at low tide. Irish monks brought Christianity to northern England from here.

3/5 · Well attested

3/5 Significance

Isle of Iona, United Kingdom

Iona Abbey

A tiny Scottish island where the monk Columba landed in 563. Christianity spread across Scotland from here.

3/5 · Well attested

3/5 Significance

Bethlehem Governorate, Palestine

Mar Saba

A monastery clinging to a desert cliff since the 400s. Monks still live there and still use oil lamps.

3/5 · Well attested