Saint Catherine's Monastery (Saint Catherine's Monastery)
Saint Catherine's Monastery (دير القدّيسة كاترين; Μονὴ τῆς Ἁγίας Αἰκατερίνης), officially the Sacred Autonomous Royal Monastery of Saint Katherine of the Holy and God-Trodden Mount Sinai, is an Eastern Orthodox Christian monastery located at the foot of Mount Sinai, in the Sinai Peninsula, Egypt. Built between 548 and 565, it is the oldest continuously inhabited Christian monastery in the world.
The monastery was built by order of Emperor Justinian I, enclosing what is claimed to be the burning bush seen by Moses. Centuries later, the purported body of Saint Catherine of Alexandria, said to have been found in the area, was taken to the monastery; Saint Catherine's relics turned it into an important pilgrimage site, and the monastery was eventually renamed after the saint.
Controlled by the autonomous Church of Sinai, which is part of the wider Greek Orthodox Church, the monastery became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2002 for its unique importance in the traditions of Christianity, Islam, and Judaism.
The site also holds the world's oldest continually operating library, with unique or extremely rare works, such as the Codex Sinaiticus and the Syriac Sinaiticus, as well as possibly the largest collection of early Christian icons, including the earliest known depiction of Jesus as Christ Pantocrator.
Saint Catherine's has as its backdrop the three mountains it lies near: Ras Sufsafeh (possibly the Biblical Mount Horeb, peak c.1 km west); Jebel Arrenziyeb, peak c.1km south; and Mount Sinai (locally,, by tradition identified with the biblical Mount Sinai; peak c. 2 km south).
The monastery was built around the location of what is traditionally considered to be the place of the burning bush seen by Moses. The patronal feast of the monastery is the Feast of the Transfiguration.
Centuries after its foundation, the body of Saint Catherine of Alexandria was said to be found in a cave in the area. Catherine was a popular saint in Europe during the Middle Ages; her story says that, for defending Christianity, she was sentenced to death on a spiked breaking wheel, but, at her touch, the wheel shattered. It was then ordered that she was beheaded.
The relics of Saint Catherine, kept to this day inside the monastery, have made it a favorite site of pilgrimage.
The monastery was built by order of Emperor Justinian I, enclosing what is claimed to be the burning bush seen by Moses. Centuries later, the purported body of Saint Catherine of Alexandria, said to have been found in the area, was taken to the monastery; Saint Catherine's relics turned it into an important pilgrimage site, and the monastery was eventually renamed after the saint.
Controlled by the autonomous Church of Sinai, which is part of the wider Greek Orthodox Church, the monastery became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2002 for its unique importance in the traditions of Christianity, Islam, and Judaism.
The site also holds the world's oldest continually operating library, with unique or extremely rare works, such as the Codex Sinaiticus and the Syriac Sinaiticus, as well as possibly the largest collection of early Christian icons, including the earliest known depiction of Jesus as Christ Pantocrator.
Saint Catherine's has as its backdrop the three mountains it lies near: Ras Sufsafeh (possibly the Biblical Mount Horeb, peak c.1 km west); Jebel Arrenziyeb, peak c.1km south; and Mount Sinai (locally,, by tradition identified with the biblical Mount Sinai; peak c. 2 km south).
The monastery was built around the location of what is traditionally considered to be the place of the burning bush seen by Moses. The patronal feast of the monastery is the Feast of the Transfiguration.
Centuries after its foundation, the body of Saint Catherine of Alexandria was said to be found in a cave in the area. Catherine was a popular saint in Europe during the Middle Ages; her story says that, for defending Christianity, she was sentenced to death on a spiked breaking wheel, but, at her touch, the wheel shattered. It was then ordered that she was beheaded.
The relics of Saint Catherine, kept to this day inside the monastery, have made it a favorite site of pilgrimage.
Map - Saint Catherine's Monastery (Saint Catherine's Monastery)
Map
Country - United_Arab_Republic
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| Flag of Egypt | |
The republic was led by Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser. The UAR was a member of the United Arab States, a loose confederation with the Mutawakkilite Kingdom of Yemen, which was dissolved in 1961.
Currency / Language
| ISO | Currency | Symbol | Significant figures |
|---|---|---|---|
| EGP | Egyptian pound | £ or جم | 2 |
| ISO | Language |
|---|---|
| AR | Arabic language |
| EN | English language |
| FR | French language |