Modern Coptic Monasticism
The Coptic Orthodox Church has many Monasteries and convents that host many Monks and Nuns. All of the Coptic Bishops are chosen from monks, although this was not necessary traditionally.
Coptic Monasticism saw a revival that started in the 1960s during the papacy of Pope Cyril VI of Alexandria, and currently there are Coptic Monasteries and Convents in Egypt, the United States and Europe that have been recognised by the Holy Synod of the Coptic Orthodox Church.
There are currently 33 monasteries in Egypt and in the lands of the immigration with a total of more than 1,000 monks, and six convents with about 300 nuns. The largest monasteries, and most famous, are at Wadi Natrun, about 60 miles northwest of Cairo. They are the only four of the ancient fortified self-sufficient monasteries which have survived out of many that were in the Wadi Natroun valley.
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