It is located near the Upper Egyptian city of Souhag, and about two and a half miles (4.0 km) north-west of the White Monastery.

The monastery's name is derived from the colour of the construction material of its outside walls, consisting of red (burnt) brick.

It lies about two miles (3.2 km) north of the White Monastery at the extreme western edge of the cultivated land.

Its name is derived from the colour of its construction material, consisting of red (burnt) brick, of its outside walls, distinguishing it from its nearby neighbor, the White Monastery, which is made of stone.

These walls are considerably thicker at the base than at the top, and like ancient Pharaonic temples, as well as the White Monastery, are surmounted by cavetto moldings.

The church still serves the Coptic communities of the surrounding villages and pilgrims who come here during the big feasts of the liturgical year.

The relative narrowness of the triumphal arch, for reasons of stability, created a discordance between the wide nave and the narrow passage into the chancel, and the two columns were a clever artistic and architectural solution which resolved the aesthetic problems by removing the discrepancy between the dimensions of the nave and those of the entry to the sanctuary.

Attached to the chancel screen that shields the sanctuary from the public areas are icons of the saints Shenute, Pishoi, and Bgul.

The several churches (most new) still serve the Copts of the surrounding villages and pilgrims who visit during the big feasts of the Coptic liturgical year.

Since 2003, the American Research Center in Egypt has undertaken a restoration and conservation project with grant funding from the United States Agency for International Development.