Although St. Paul, the Hermit, was the first man to
retreat into the desert, his life was one of utter solitude, and
he was not discovered except towards its end. St. Antoni,
on the other hand, was the first Christian to blaze the trail of
a consecrated life of solitude, and to live in a manner that
attracted many followers. When he became surrounded by
disciples, he laid for them a simple rule of life and of spiritual
self-discipline. Hence he gained the titles of "Father of
monks" and "Star of the desert". Furthermore the story of
his life was written by one of Christianity's most renowned
leaders Athanasius the Apostolic,l who was his disciple and
had a very close relationship with him.^2
Antoni was born about the year 250 AD of very
wealthy parents, both of whom had died before he reached
the age of twenty. One Sunday as he was entering the
