St Antony of Egypt, one of the pioneering Desert Fathers, occupies a unique place in Christian monastic tradition. His teachings on ascetic life and his spiritual observances as an ardent monk were decisive in laying the foundations of monastic life in the church. Even though Antony embraced ascetic life at the early age of twenty under the guidance of St Paul of Thebes his unquenchable thirst for a life of absolute solitude took him to mount Pispiry by the river Nile. His solitary life on the mountain witnessed a series of successful encounters with the Devil (a recurring motif in Christian theology and iconography). His experience as a hermit enabled him to instruct and guide the aspirants to religious life, and to reorganize them into communities of monastic life. When religious persecution ended with the Edict of Milan (313) Antony moved to the Eastern Desert to continue his pursuit of monastic ideals. His irrevocable love for the church urged him to preach against Arianism in Alexandria.

Antony was born of Coptic Catholic parents at Qiman al-Arus (Koma) in Egypt on 20th January 251. St Athanasius in his biography of St Antony deftly captures the extraordinary life and exceptional spiritual exploits of the Desert Father. Following the loss of his parents at an early age Antony sold his parental property and began a life of prayer and penance. He wanted to become ‘perfect’ as the Lord has commanded. With this end in view he approached various ascetics in the neighbourhood. Finally, his insatiable quest to become an ideal monk led him first to a desert and later into a cemetery. With meagre meals he managed to live there, shunning visitors as far as possible. During this life of solitude, he was continuously haunted by the Devil with his conventionally insurmountable temptations.

The next phase of his life was spent in an abandoned fort in Pispir. Extreme poverty and absolute solitude exposed him further to the devastating temptations of the Devil. His deep faith in God and unrelenting spiritual courage helped him overcome these diabolic temptations. Long life of prayer and penance transformed Antony. Attracted by his spiritual radiance many wanted to imitate him in monastic life. Under his guidance and supervision there arose many a monastery in Pispir. Antony taught the aspirants effective means of countering the Devil and his powers. They were told that prayer and fasting, personal purity and freedom from temptations were the cornerstones of their spiritual edifice.

Life-long pursuit of holiness and unrelenting fight with the Devil earned for Antony the title of the Father of Christian Monasticism.