Tbew (also spelled Thbew, Tbewe, or Tbow) was an Egyptian

Coptic Orthodox The Coptic Orthodox Church (), also known as the Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria, is an Oriental Orthodox Churches, Oriental Orthodox Christian church based in Egypt. The head of the church and the Apostolic see, See of Alexandria i ...

monastery that was established in the mid-4th century. It was one of the

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 ...

History

Egypt is known as the birthplace of Christian

cenobitic monasticism Cenobitic (or coenobitic) monasticism is a 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 religious rule, a collection of pre ...

. Tbew was founded by

Petronius Gaius Petronius Arbiter"Gaius Petronius Arbiter"
Britannica.com. (; ; ; s ...

, a wealthy Christian and fourth-century monk who briefly succeeded Saint Pachomius as leader of the Koinonia. Petronius is also revered as a

saint In Christianity, Christian belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of sanctification in Christianity, holiness, imitation of God, likeness, or closeness to God in Christianity, God. However, the use of the ...

in the

Coptic Church The Coptic Orthodox Church (), also known as the Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria, is an Oriental Orthodox Churches, Oriental Orthodox Christian church based in Egypt. The head of the church and the Apostolic see, See of Alexandria i ...

. Tbew would be the seventh monastery to join

Pachomius 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. Copts, Coptic churches celebrate his feast day on 9 May, and Eastern Or ...

' community of monks (known as the

Koinonia (), communion, or fellowship in Christianity is the bond uniting Christians as individuals and groups with each other and with Jesus Christ. It refers to group cohesiveness among Christians. Pre-Christian antecedents is a transliterated form ...

). Pachomian monasteries are widely considered to be the first Christian monasteries which regulated the behavior, prayer, and daily lives of its monks. Tbew was the last of the five core monasteries to join the Koinonia along the Nile. Petronius first gathered men on his family's estate who wanted to spend their lives worshiping Christ. After doing so, Petronius went to Pachomius about turning his estate into a monastery after hearing of Koinonia. The rules at the Pachomian monasteries, including Tbew, were influential on the history of Christian monasticism. The rules were adapted by the anonymous author of the Rule of the Master and influenced the

Benedictine Rule The ''Rule of Saint Benedict'' () is a book of precepts written in Latin by St. Benedict of Nursia (c. AD 480–550) for monks living communally under the authority of an abbot. The spirit of Saint Benedict's Rule is summed up in the motto of th ...

Archaeology

Although not much is known about the architecture of the monastery, historians hypothesized that it was located within a fertile valley.

References

{{coord missing, Egypt Coptic Orthodox monasteries in Egypt Archaeological sites in Egypt Pachomian monasteries Buildings and structures in Qena Governorate