Nitria (also called the Mountain of Nitria or Petoou Mpihosm in Greek and Latin sources) is one of the earliest Christian monastic sites in Egypt and is located in the Nitrian Desert. It was the first of the three major centers of Christian monastic activity in the

Lower Egypt Lower Egypt ( ar, مصر السفلى '; ) is the northernmost region of Egypt, which consists of the fertile Nile Delta between Upper Egypt and the Mediterranean Sea, from El Aiyat, south of modern-day Cairo, and Dahshur. Historically, ...

, the other two being

Kellia Kellia ("the Cells"), referred to as "the innermost desert", was a 4th-century Egyptian Christian monastic community spread out over many square kilometers in the Nitrian Desert about 40 miles south of Alexandria. It was one of three centers of ...

and

Scetis Wadi El Natrun (Arabic: "Valley of Natron"; Coptic: , "measure of the hearts") is a depression in northern Egypt that is located below sea level and below the Nile River level. The valley contains several alkaline lakes, natron-rich salt ...

.Roger S. Bagnall, etc. ''Egypt from Alexander to the early Christians: An Archaeological and Historical Guide'', Getty Publications, 2004
pg. 108-112
/ref>

History

Nitria was founded in c. 325-330 by

Amoun of Nitria Ammon, Amun ( cop, Ⲁⲃⲃⲁ Ⲁⲙⲟⲩⲛ), Ammonas ( grc-gre, Ἀμμώνας), Amoun (), or Ammonius the Hermit (; el, Ἀμμώνιος) was a 4th-century Christian ascetic and the founder of one of the most celebrated monastic commu ...

and quickly attracted thousands of monks through the remainder of the 4th century. By 390, it had evolved from a loose collection of solitary monks to an organized settlement of multiple

cenobitic Cenobitic (or coenobitic) monasticism is a monastery, monastic tradition that stresses community life. Often in the West the community belongs to a religious order, and the life of the cenobitic monk is regulated by a Monastic rule, religious ru ...

monasteries, and included bankers, merchants, and sellers.

Jerome Jerome (; la, Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus; grc-gre, Εὐσέβιος Σωφρόνιος Ἱερώνυμος; – 30 September 420), also known as Jerome of Stridon, was a Christian presbyter, priest, Confessor of the Faith, confessor, th ...

, who visited Nitria in 386, said that it had over five-thousand monks.

Palladius of Galatia Palladius of Galatia ( el, Παλλάδιος Γαλατίας) was a Christian chronicler and the bishop of Helenopolis in Bithynia. He was a devoted disciple of Saint John Chrysostom. He is best remembered for his work, the ''Lausiac History.' ...

, who lived there in 390, gave a similar estimate in his
Lausaic History
'. Christian pilgrims from the nearby city of

Alexandria Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandria ...

visited Nitria in large numbers, the monks servicing their needs. Other monks sought more remote areas, away from tourists and merchants, and established a monastic center in

c. 338. The monastic population in Nitria declined during the fifth and sixth centuries, and the site was abandoned sometime in the middle of the seventh century. Nitria should not be confused with the monasteries at

Wadi El Natrun Wadi El Natrun (Arabic: "Valley of Natron"; Coptic: , "measure of the hearts") is a depression in northern Egypt that is located below sea level and below the Nile River level. The valley contains several alkaline lakes, natron-rich salt dep ...

(formally known as Scetis), which are still in existence.

Onomatology

Nitria was named after a nearby town which took its name from the natural deposits of

natron Natron is a naturally occurring mixture of sodium carbonate decahydrate ( Na2CO3·10H2O, a kind of soda ash) and around 17% sodium bicarbonate (also called baking soda, NaHCO3) along with small quantities of sodium chloride and sodium sulfate. ...

, a salt used by the Ancient Egyptians in the

embalming Embalming is the art and science of preserving human remains by treating them (in its modern form with chemicals) to forestall decomposition. This is usually done to make the deceased suitable for public or private viewing as part of the funeral ...

of mummies. The

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

and

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

word "natron" was first a French

cognate In historical linguistics, cognates or lexical cognates are sets of words in different languages that have been inherited in direct descent from an etymology, etymological ancestor in a proto-language, common parent language. Because language c ...

which has its origin from the

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

"natrón" through

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

"natrium" and

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

"nitron" (νίτρον). This root derives from the Ancient Egyptian word "nṯrj". Natron refers to

(English: Natron Valley) in Egypt, where natron salt was mined by the ancient Copts and Egyptians. Natron was also used for washing garments. This led to the symbolism that Nitria is where men's sins were ''washed away''. Although Nitria is often called the ''Mountain of Nitria'', there is little geographical elevation difference between Nitria and the surrounding region. It was likely called this referring to Matthew 5:14 where

Jesus Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...

describes his followers as being a "city on a hill".

Location

The ancient site of Nitria was located by the

archaeologist Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscap ...

Hugh Evelyn-White Hugh Evelyn-White (1884, Ipswich - 1924) was a classicist, egyptologist, coptologist and archaeologist. In 1907 he graduated with a degree in classics from Wadham College. He is noted for his many translations of ancient Greek works, most notable ...

(1884-1924) sometime between 1917 and 1922. It is located approximately 13.7 Kilometers southwest of

Damanhur Damanhur ( ar, دمنهور ', ; Egyptian: ''Dmỉ-n-Ḥr.w''; cop, ⲡϯⲙⲓⲛ̀ϩⲱⲣ '; ; grc, Ἑρμοῦ πόλις μικρά ') is a city in Lower Egypt, and the capital of the Beheira Governorate. It is located northwest of Cai ...

by the village o
Al Barnuji
19.3 Kilometers from

, and about 50 Kilometers south of

. The coordinates of Nitria ar
30.928651°N, 30.385628°E
Nitria is not as far in the desert at Scetis, and according to ''

Historia Monachorum in Aegypto The ''Historia monachorum in Aegypto'', also called the ''Lives of the Desert Fathers'', is a combination travelogue and hagiography from the late 4th century AD. It recounts the travels of a band of seven Palestinian monks on a pilgrimage through ...

,'' it takes 24 hours to walk from Nitria to Scetis.

List

Partial list of monks who inhabited Nitria. *

Or of Nitria Abba Or of Nitria (also ''Hor or Horus'') was an Egyptian Orthodox Christian ascetic who lived around the 4th century AD in Egypt in Dalga, Nitria ( Lower Egypt), the Thebaid, and in the deserts around Shaina. He is one of the lesser-kno ...

Serapion of Nitria Serapion of Nitria or Serapion of Thmuis (; ) was an early Christian monasticism, Christian monk in Nitria (monastic site), Nitria, Egypt (region), Lower Egypt, born in the third century AD. He was a companion of Anthony the Great, the abbot of ...

Cronius of Nitria Cronius of Nitria ( – ) was an Egyptian Christian monk who lived in Nitria, Lower Egypt. He was one of the Desert Fathers. Biography Cronius was born about 285 A.D. He first lived in a monastery. Later, he left the monastery to serve as a Gree ...

Anthony the Great Anthony the Great ( grc-gre, Ἀντώνιος ''Antṓnios''; ar, القديس أنطونيوس الكبير; la, Antonius; ; c. 12 January 251 – 17 January 356), was a Christian monk from Egypt, revered since his death as a saint. He is d ...

Bessarion of Egypt Bessarion of Egypt, also known as Bessarion of Scetis or Bessarion the Great (4th century – 5th century) was an Egyptian Christian monk who lived around the 4th to 5th century in Egypt, wandering in the Nitrian Desert. As a Desert Father, he is ...

* Chaeremon of Nitria * The Tall Brothers * Isaac of the Cells * John of Egypt *

Macarius of Alexandria Saint Macarius of Alexandria (died 395) was a monk in the Nitrian Desert. He was a slightly younger contemporary of Macarius of Egypt, and is thus also known as Macarius the Younger. Life Macarius was born about the year 300 in Alexandria. He ...

Macarius of Egypt Macarius of Egypt, ''Osios Makarios o Egyptios''; cop, ⲁⲃⲃⲁ ⲙⲁⲕⲁⲣⲓ. (c. 300 – 391) was a Christian monk and hermit. He is also known as Macarius the Elder or Macarius the Great. Life St. Macarius was born in Lower Egypt. ...

* Albianos *

Pambo Saint Pambo (also known as Pemwah and Bemwah - Όσιος Παμβώ in Greek) (died c. 375) is a Coptic Desert Father of the fourth century. Saint Pambo is venerated by the Oriental Orthodox Churches, the Eastern Orthodox Churches and the Roma ...

Pishoy Pishoy of Scetis ( Coptic: ''Abba Pišoi''; Greek: Ὅσιος Παΐσιος ὁ Μέγας; 320 – 417 AD), known in the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria as the ''Star of the Desert'' and the ''Beloved of our Good Savior'', was a Cop ...

Sisoes the Great Saint Sisoës the Great (also Sisoi the Great, Sisoy the Great, Sisoes of Sceté or Shishoy; †429 AD) was an early Christian desert father, a solitary monk pursuing asceticism in the Egyptian desert in a cave of his predecessor, St Anthony the ...

Ammonas of Egypt Ammonas of Egypt (also ''Amtnonas'', ''Ammon'', ''Ammonius'', ) was an eastern Christian anchorite, monastic, and Desert Father who was born around the early 4th century. He is a saint in the Eastern Orthodox Church. Ammonas was a disciple of ...

References

External links

Map of Al Barnuji
via

Google Maps Google Maps is a web mapping platform and consumer application offered by Google. It offers satellite imagery, aerial photography, street maps, 360° interactive panoramic views of streets ( Street View), real-time traffic conditions, and rou ...