Phnoum was a

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 ...

monastery established by

Pachomius the Great Pachomius (; ''Pakhomios''; ; c. 292 – 9 May 348 AD), also known as Saint Pachomius the Great, is generally recognized as the founder of Christian cenobitic monasticism. Coptic churches celebrate his feast day on 9 May, and Eastern Orthodox ...

during the 4th century A.D. Located near

Latopolis Esna ( , or ; ''Snē'' from ''tꜣ-snt''; ''Latópolis'' or (''Pólis Látōn'') or (''Lattōn''); Latin: ''Lato'') is a city of Egypt. It is located on the west bank of the Nile some south of Luxor. The city was formerly part of the ...

Upper Egypt Upper Egypt ( ', shortened to , , locally: ) is the southern portion of Egypt and is composed of the Nile River valley south of the delta and the 30th parallel North. It thus consists of the entire Nile River valley from Cairo south to Lake N ...

, it was the southernmost of the nine

Pachomian monasteries The Pachomian monasteries or the ''Koinonia'' of Upper Egypt were a group of Christian cenobitic monasteries founded by Pachomius the Great during the 4th century A.D. Altogether, by the mid-300s A.D., nine Pachomian monasteries formed a network or ...

. According to the ''Bohairic Life of Pachomius'' (58), the construction of the monastery created tensions between the local Egyptian pagans and the Christian monks.

References

Pachomian monasteries Coptic Orthodox monasteries in Egypt Christian monasteries established in the 4th century Buildings and structures in Luxor Governorate Archaeological sites in Egypt {{Egypt-church-stub