Red Monastery

The Red Monastery is located 21 km west of Sohag province.

It is considered one of the most important monasteries founded in the early history of Christianity.

Because of the red bricks that make up its masonry, it is known as the Red Monastery.

During the construction of the building, white limestone, columns of pink and black granite were used.

The monastery was founded by Saint Bishoi at the beginning of the fourth century AD.

It suffered two fires, the first in the Roman period and the second in Berber attacks.

All that remains of the Red Monastery is its church and the surrounding fortress walls from the south.

Remnants of the structure

North of the church belongs to the industrial zone.

The main church is a long rectangular space of three wings. The middle wing is the largest of the three.

To its southwest corner is a church known as the Church of the Virgin Mary.

At the eastern end, the monastery church ends with a three-sided structure decorated with frescoes with tempera paint.

The fort occupies an area south of the church to which its buildings adjoin.

Most likely, it dates from the reign of Empress Helena.

This is a building of four floors, 1 and 2 floors of burned brick and the upper ones of mud brick.

The fort itself contains several units that allowed monks to reside in it for a long time.