The Nicene Age · AD 313–400
Amun of Nitria
c. 288 – c. 356 · Founder of the monastic colony of Nitria · Nitria, Lower Egypt
The Nicene Age
Who Amun of Nitria was
An Egyptian pressed into marriage who persuaded his bride, on their wedding night, to a life of continence; after eighteen years of shared celibacy the two parted by consent to serve God apart, and Amun withdrew to the desert of Nitria, where he founded the great semi-eremitic colony that, with neighbouring Kellia and Scetis, became the heartland of Lower-Egyptian monasticism. Anthony is said to have seen his soul carried to heaven. Through Nitria and its offshoots passed Evagrius, the Macarii, and Palladius — the intellectual desert.
Common questions
When did Amun live?
Amun of Nitria is dated c. 288 – c. 356 in the archive, which places Amun in the Nicene Age (AD 313–400). The dating is traditional and approximate; the archive marks it as uncertain rather than fixing a year the sources do not give.
Which early sources mention Amun?
Amun of Nitria is named in 3 primary-source passages catalogued here, drawn from Athanasius of Alexandria, Palladius and The desert tradition. Every passage is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.
Where was Amun from?
The archive associates Amun of Nitria with Nitria, Lower Egypt. The sources record more than one location, so the places are listed in the order the record moves through them.
Who were Amun’s contemporaries?
The archive links Amun of Nitria to 6 other figures, including Anthony the Great, Macarius the Great (of Egypt), Evagrius Ponticus and Paul the Simple. Each connection is drawn from a source that places them together, not from inference.
Primary-source mentions (3)
Every passage below is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.
Life of Antony 60 (Antony sees Amun's soul carried to heaven)
c. AD 357He saw a soul borne aloft with much rejoicing — it was the soul of Amun, the monk of Nitria.Athanasius of Alexandria · Life of Antony 60 · source text
Lausiac History 8
c. AD 420Amoun of Nitria, whose soul the blessed Antony saw borne aloft by angels… was the first to make his dwelling in Nitria, and after him the multitude of the brethren.Palladius · 8 · source text
Sayings of the Desert Fathers (Amun of Nitria)
c. AD 450Connected in the archive
People
- Anthony the Great
- Macarius the Great (of Egypt)
- Evagrius Ponticus
- Paul the Simple
- Pambo of Nitria
- Macarius of Alexandria
Events in this lifetime
- AD 301 · Hripsime and her company, AD 301
- AD 303 · The Great Persecution begins, AD 303
- AD 303 · The search of the church at Cirta, AD 303
- AD 306 · The Council of Elvira, AD 306
- AD 311 · Galerius’ edict of Serdica, AD 311
- AD 313 · The Edict of Milan, AD 313
- AD 314 · The Council of Arles, AD 314
- AD 320 · Silvanus tried before Zenophilus, AD 320
- AD 325 · The Council of Nicaea, AD 325
- AD 339 · The persecution of Shapur II, AD 339
- AD 343 · The Council of Serdica, AD 343
Place
Places served
The one place the sources put Amun.