Saint Catherine Monastery

Historical background

The Greek Orthodox Monastery of St Catherine, officially the ‘Sacred Monastery of the God-Trodden Mount Sinai’, lies at the foot of Mount Decalogue, where God is said to have appeared to Moses. The relics of St Catherine are kept here.

The monastery has been lived in continuously for more than seventeen centuries, which has preserved its buildings and art. UNESCO listed it as a World Heritage Site in 2002.

Saint Catherine was martyred for her faith in Jesus Christ in the fourth century AD, during the reign of Emperor Maxentius. Her feast is celebrated every year on the twenty-fifth of November.

Structure of the monastery

The monastery has two churches, six wells, four springs, a large garden, a guesthouse, a library and a mosque. The first church, built in the sixth century AD, stands near the Burning Bush of Moses. The second is the Church of the Dead.

St Catherine’s relics lie in a marble chest on the south side of the sanctuary, which makes the monastery a place of pilgrimage.

Letter of Protection

The library holds more than 4500 manuscripts, mainly Greek, and early printed books. Among the manuscripts is the “Letter of Protection” sent by the Prophet Muhammed (PBUH), written in the second year of the Hijra (623 AD). In 1517 AD the Ottoman Sultan Selim I confirmed the monastery’s rights, but he took the original letter to Constantinople and left a certified copy, which is still kept in the library.

The monastery’s collections of Greek and Roman Christian art include pre-iconoclastic panel icons and large collections of icons of Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary and the Sinaite Fathers and Saints.