Monasticism St. Anthony is regarded as the founder of the cenobitic way of life. He lived at Alexandria, and the fame of his sanctity, gentleness, and knowledge, drew many disciples to him. Most of his followers later accompanied him when he set off to live in the desert. One of his disciples, St. Pachomius, later founded a monastery on an island in the Nile River. Pachomius also made up a list of monastic rules, the first ever monastic regulations. Thousands of disciples flocked to him, and he founded several other monasteries for men and one for women under the direction of his sister. All of these houses recognized the authority of a single superior, an abbot or archimandr