Quite close to Berba, “just” 24km south on the western edge of the desert you find the monastery of Abu Vena. He was a Saint and monk from the end of 4th century. The old monastery founded by him was hidden in the desert for centuries. The monastery was most likely built around the burial site of Saint Fana. His tomb was found during excavations of an international team representing seven European academic institutions and led by Austrian scholar Prof. Dr. Helmut Buschhausen in 1992.

We visited it already for the third time and again enjoyed the quiet atmosphere of the desert and the strong spiritual feeling of the monks. One of the monks was even speaking a little bit German and telling us his touching personal story.