At the stroke of nine on a Sunday morning as Mass concludes at the Virgin Mary Church in the Shubra district of Cairo, George Wagih opens the doors of his shop selling monastery products. 

“I choose this time so that my customers who attend Mass can pick up their favourite monastery goods afterwards,” he says.

Egypt’s Christian monasteries have long produced various foodstuffs including vegetables, cheese, meats, pickles, and other products, each with its loyal clientele.

Wagih started selling the products five months ago. He bought an existing store from its previous owner and chose to continue in the same business, benefiting from a steady flow of customers. 

“I have a diverse customer base that includes Muslim and Christian neighbours and visitors to the nearby church. My customers have refined palates, and they seek out superior products like grapes, mangoes, and pickled olives from the St Macarius Monastery in Wadi Al-Natroun in Beheira governorate,” he says.

“They also ask for honey, meats, and pickles from the St Menas Monastery on Cairo-Alexandria road.”

According to Wagih, demand fluctuates. During festive seasons, there is a higher demand for meats, while on church Mass days customers come looking for Abarka, a grape juice blessed during the Mass that symbolises the blood of Christ and is drunk by worshippers. 

Monasteries also produce specific fasting products that adhere to Christian dietary guidelines during fasting periods, along with sweets made from sesame and chickpeas. They provide dairy products like milk, cheese, butter, yoghurt, and ice cream, all delivered in refrigerated trucks to preserve them in high temperatures.

“The customers are the ultimate judges when it comes to the quality of the products. They visit monasteries across Egypt and purchase products, and when they come back they ask for their favourites from outlets selling monastery goods in Cairo,” Wagih said.

“These then order the most sought-after products from each monastery.”

Christine William, a housewife, recalls her first visit to a monastery, saying that “I was eight years old when I went with my family to the St Menas Monastery. I recall the serenity and peace I experienced inside it, as well as the grapes we purchased at its store.”

“With each trip to the monasteries, I have enjoyed the blessings I felt, along with purchasing some of the unique honey produced in the apiaries, as well as many other products that the monasteries are known for making,” she added.

Within a monastery’s serene walls, work unfolds to a tranquil and methodical rhythm, harmoniously accompanied by the gentle murmur of the monks as they read and recite psalms during their prayers and as they labour.

Father Bestavros of the St Menas Monastery in Mariout told Al-Ahram Weekly “that the monastic life emerged from the desire of some Christians to live austere lives and follow the example of Christ by isolating themselves in remote places far from other people and worldly temptations.”

“The monastic movement began to spread in Egypt around 300 CE when a patriarch, an archbishop in the Orthodox Church, wrote about the life of St Anthony, the first leader of the monastic movement. Many monks became his disciples, withdrawing from society and living as hermits either in mountain caves or in huts made of palm leaves and reeds.”

“Later on, St Pachomius established the monastic system, in which monks share a life of worship and work within one space known as a monastery.” 

“In the past, the monks lived alone and supported themselves by making items like palm products, which they then sold to buy flour to make bread. They would eat some of the bread and donate the rest to the underprivileged,” Father Bestavros said.

“But within the communal system of the monasteries, the monks now engage in private and collective prayers, and each monk works according to his talents and abilities, whether in carpentry, farming, cooking, weaving, or other things, as assigned by the head of the monastery.”

“There is a verse in the New Testament in one of the letters of St Paul that says that ‘he who does not work shall not eat.’ Therefore, monks do not rely on donations but work to cover their living expenses and to give to those in need.”

According to Father Abanoub, also of the St Menas Monastery, monastic life is based on three pillars: reading, work, and prayer. The early saints emphasised the importance of work in the monks’ lives, explaining how it enabled them to earn their living through labour, give donations to others, and alleviate boredom. 

When a monk works with his hands, he feels the reward of helping those in need and becomes more productive.

“A monk does not work to receive praise from others or to become wealthy. Work is not an end in itself,” Father Abanoub said. “The early saints regarded work as a sign of love for others, and sometimes it serves as a way to cultivate the virtues of endurance and patience.”

“Therefore, it is essential to ensure that work does not become a goal that distracts a monk from the spiritual life.”

DAILY WORK: Sharing her experience of such work, Sister Rahil of the Daughters of Mary Monastery in Beni Sweif explained that “since 1997, I have worked in the monastery’s kitchen and in 2008 I moved to its farm.”

“In 2013, I was entrusted with overseeing the farm, where we cultivate wheat and vegetables, and I also managed a poultry farm with the help of workers and various specialists.”

“My day begins with private prayer followed by Mass and communal prayers with the sisters from 5 to 7:30am, after which I head to the farm. Later, I return to my room, only leaving for meals and group prayers. I have learned from the more experienced among us that work and worship are inseparable, so I recite the psalms while I pray or work.”

“I seek guidance on anything I need for my work. Although our farm is small and limited in resources, I occasionally consult one of the monks for advice on making a product I have never tried before, such as producing cheese without preservatives. I also rely on the expertise of specialists to ensure the work is done perfectly.”

“We have an agricultural engineer who manages the crops we plant, and I oversee the process and fulfil various needs. I guarantee that pesticides are used safely and monitor the harvest. I ensure that all the products are made with integrity and are of high quality. I learned all this from the elders in the community,” Sister Rahil said.

Veterinarian George Nasih Hakim, who has worked at a cattle farm affiliated with a monastery, emphasises the same point. “During my time working in the monastery, we were committed to producing high-quality, unadulterated milk, to the extent that some of the largest dairy companies in the Egyptian market purchased the milk we produced.” 

“The National Food Safety Authority supervises the milk produced at monasteries to ensure it meets the required production standards. At our monastery, we adhered to the highest standards. When we needed to treat a cow with antibiotics, for example, we did not sell its milk, slaughter it, or sell its meat until the treatment had ended and a month has passed,” Hakim said.

“In addition to milk, some monasteries also offer meat products. As feed costs have escalated, the profits from milk and meat sales no longer cover the expenses of the farms, which presents a significant challenge to expanding the herd as is typical in cattle farming,” he added.

“As a result, some monasteries have been compelled to sell off their cattle to manage costs. Alternatively, they might import frozen meat products, such as burgers, sausages, and mincemeat, while maintaining the herds of cows solely for milk and dairy production.”

“When selling frozen meat products, the monastery chooses reputable suppliers that adhere to high-quality standards. Although most monasteries own their own farms, their agricultural and commercial projects are non-profit. The monastery uses the revenue from these products to cover its expenses and support those in need.”

“Such activities do not take place within the monastery itself, as this is a place for prayer and worship and is a residential space for the monks. Instead, they take place on land in areas where land prices are lower, often several km away from the monastery itself,” Hakim added.

“The monasteries themselves were usually established in remote desert areas where a few monks leading simple and austere live away from population centres.”  

“At the beginning of their work within the monasteries, the monks may undertake the hardship of building and establishing the monastery. Elder monks can sometimes recount how they had to carry bricks and mortar to construct the monastery with their own hands due to the lack of funds to hire labourers or because such labour was unavailable in the remote desert areas where the monasteries were built,” Father Bestavros said.

“Most of the time, the elder monks guide us not through words but by the example of their work and worship, allowing new monks to learn through experience,” he added.

“New monks are on probation for three years before being officially recognised. From the very first day, they are assigned specific manual tasks. Not all monks engage in such activities — some may serve in the chapels affiliated with the monasteries or assist visitors, as determined by the head of the monastery himself.”

“We have learned from the elder monks the importance of work and dedication in helping others, and we have applied these principles to developing the monastery’s products. For example, when we started working on our farm, it only had basic crops. Five years ago, we introduced Moringa plants to our farm due to their numerous health benefits, thus providing value to others. In doing so, we consulted an expert from the Agricultural Research Centre,” Father Bestavros said.

OUTSIDE EFFORTS: “In addition to the monks and experts, our monastery also benefits from the experience and efforts of the people who love it. For example, we utilised the expertise of a friend of the monastery to build an egg production facility,” Father Bestavros said.

“We then advanced this project by collaborating with a factory in Germany. We have also introduced ornamental plants into the monastery’s gardens, which were unusual at the time.”

“Even for traditional crops like olives, which have been cultivated since the early days of the Egyptian monasteries, we have improved production by using modern machines. For instance, we previously used presses for extracting the olive oil, which were neither effective nor practical. Therefore, we imported a modern centrifugal machine from Spain that enhances the quality. Similarly, the workshop for making the monks’ clothing has also now been mechanised.”

“Alongside advances in product quality, marketing techniques have also evolved,” says Liza Refaat, an online marketeer in Cairo.

“I initially sold food products online, but after encountering some quality issues, I turned to monastery products because I knew they were all well-produced. Since then, I have been selling these products online, where social media has helped me reach a broader customer base than I could find with a traditional store. However, I still dream of owning a physical store to sell monastery products.”

“When I started marketing monastery products, I selected different products and showcased them in live video streams to my followers. Positive feedback on Facebook led me to contact the monasteries concerned to purchase more of their products,” Refaat said.

“My followers trust my recommendations, especially since I test them out live on camera and share my experiences. Sometimes, they request items they like or know are of high quality from particular monasteries. Most followers are drawn to monastery products made using traditional methods and with natural ingredients, like cheese and butter.” 

“Just as each monastery has its own unique characteristics, convents run by nuns also aim to offer distinct products, sometimes offering ready-to-eat products like kofta, chicken slices, and liver. The nuns of the St Demiana Monastery in Mansoura are particularly renowned for their foodstuffs, for example.”

“My customers also sometimes choose monastery foods due to price advantages. For instance, a kg of local beef from a monastery can cost around LE380, while it can cost around LE450 in a butcher’s shop. Monastery products are designed to meet the monastery’s essential needs and expenses and are not produced to make a profit. The monks require that I do not mark up prices excessively, which also helps to keep the cost of products down,” she added.

“The monasteries have provided job opportunities for me and for others. I employ about 11 sales representatives, and I also hire food-delivery vehicles, some of which are monastery-owned, while others are arranged through shipping companies. These employment opportunities create a community-based work system that brings together people of all ages and from diverse backgrounds, both Muslim and Christian,” Refaat concluded. 

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* A version of this article appears in print in the 12 September, 2024 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly