St. Samuel Monastery

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Coptic monastery dedicated to Saint Samuel the Confessor.
anchorites.tripod.com/copticanchorites/id4.html
www.coptic.net/boston/heroes/samuel.html

Born in 597 AD in the city of Daklube, St. Samuel spent most of his early years in the Macarius Monastery at Wadi el Natrun. It is said that he was a disciple of Abba Aghathon, and that God gave him the gift of healing and performing miracles. He worked diligently at studying the scriptures, meditating and praying with his teacher, as well as probably worked in the (farm)land as did St. Marcarius three centuries earlier.
Problems between the Western and Eastern Christian churches existed at this time, resulting in considerable conflict, including a foreign Pope being installed in Alexandria. Military unites were sent to the Monastery of St. Macarius. Samuel was among the monks arrested, and later beaten almost to his deal(death) because he refused the decision of the council of Chalcedony. After these events, Samuel left the monastery accompanied by four other monks and traveled to Mount Kalamoun (Qalamon) in the region of the Fayoum Oasis where they established a small monastery. Dedicated to the Virgin, this monastery named for St. Samuel continues to flourish even today.