Wadi El Natrun

Built around 360 AD, it was the monastic home to such saints as Saint Macarius of Alexandria, Saint John the Dwarf, and Saint Paphnutius the Ascetic. It is claimed that the crypts of Saint John the Baptist and Elisha the Prophet were discovered under the northern wall of the church during a restoration.

Built in 335 AD by Saint Macarius the Great, it was also the home of Saint Arsenius, Saint Isidore, and Saint Moses the Black. The name Pa-Romeos (that of the Romans) originated from Romans and Roman saints who came to stay there. Five churches are on site, with the oldest dedicated to the VIrgin Mary, and 2.5 km to the northwest is the cave of Pope Cyril VI with relics and icons.

Built in the 4th century and perhaps the most visited of the four monasteries. Among the saints resting here are Saint Pishoy, Saint Paul of Tammah, and Pope Shenouda the third. The body of the first is said to be incorrupt. Here also is the Well of the Martyrs where Berber Muslims supposedly cleaned their swords after slaughtering 49 Christians as well as a keep to ward off Berber attacks at that time.

Also known as Monastery of Saint Mary El-Souria (Dayr al-Suryān) because of its frequent use by Syrian monks from the 8th-14th centuries, was established in the 6th century and likewise went through a series of Bedouin and Berber attacks as well as an instance of plague. Inside is a notable feature called the Door or Gate of Prophecies depicting past and future visions of the Christian faith that the monks had during the 10th century. Frescoes adorn the walls of the church and chapel, and a number of discovered scripts were taken to the British Museum. Just to the west of the monastery is the His Holiness Pope Shenouda III Shrine.