▁monaster y ▁was ▁provided ▁by ▁Anton inus ▁Mart yr , ▁a ▁native ▁of ▁Pla cent ia , ▁who ▁visited ▁the ▁tomb ▁of ▁Saint ▁Paul ▁the ▁An chor ite ▁between ▁the ▁years ▁ 5 6 0 ▁and ▁ 5 7 0 ▁AD . ▁The ▁first ▁mon ks ▁to ▁occup y ▁the ▁monaster y ▁were ▁some ▁of ▁the ▁dis ci ples ▁of ▁Anthony ▁the ▁Great ▁after ▁they ▁knew ▁the ▁story ▁of ▁Saint ▁Paul ▁the ▁An chor ite ▁it ▁might ▁have ▁been ▁occupied ▁by ▁Mel k ites ▁for ▁a ▁short ▁period ▁, ▁but ▁they ▁were ▁followed ▁by ▁Egypt ian ▁ ▁again ▁and ▁Sy rian ▁mon ks . ▁The ▁Sy ri ans ▁may ▁have ▁had ▁a ▁sust ained ▁existence ▁at ▁the ▁monaster y , ▁for ▁it ▁appears ▁that ▁they ▁also ▁occupied ▁the ▁monaster y ▁during ▁the ▁first ▁half ▁of ▁the ▁fif teenth ▁century , ▁after ▁which ▁their ▁presence ▁disappeared . ▁According ▁to ▁an ▁isolated ▁Eth iop ian ▁reference , ▁the ▁ 7 0 th ▁Co ptic ▁Orth odox ▁Pope , ▁Gabriel ▁II ▁( 1 1 3 1 – 4 5 ▁AD ), ▁was ▁ban ished ▁to ▁the ▁monaster y ▁of ▁Saint ▁Paul ▁the ▁An chor ite ▁for ▁three ▁years . ▁ ▁Like ▁most ▁of ▁Egypt ' s ▁monaster ies , ▁this ▁one ▁suffered ▁repeatedly ▁at ▁the ▁hands ▁of ▁Bed ou in ▁tribes . ▁The ▁most ▁destruct ive ▁of ▁their ▁ra ids ▁was ▁in ▁ 1 4 8 4 ▁AD , ▁when ▁many ▁of ▁the ▁monaster y ' s ▁mon ks ▁were ▁killed ▁and ▁the ▁library ▁was ▁put