The current Coptic Orthodox Monastery of St. Macarius the Great, which lies in Wadi Natrun, the ancient Scetis, 92 kilometers from the city of Cairo on the western side of the desert road to Alexandria, was founded in 360 A.D. by the saint, who during his lifetime was spiritual father to more than four thousand monks of different nationalities - Egyptians, Greeks, Ethiopians, Armenians, Nubians, Cappadocians, Persians, Romans, Puns, and Spaniards. His rule remains in effect in that Coptic monastery for the last sixteen centuries.