St. Catherine's Monastery

The Monastery of St. Catherine is an Orthodox monastic center with a continuous life since the 6th century.

It has stood for 1400 years in the heart of the Sinai Desert, on the spot of the Burning Bush where God first spoke to Moses at the foot of the God-trod Mount of Sinai, and has preserved its special character since its erection in the era of Justinian (527-565 AD).

Mohammed the founder of Islam, Arab Caliphs, Turkish sultans, and Napoleon all took the Monastery under their protection, thereby preserving it from pillage.

It has never in its long history been conquered, looted or destroyed, and has through the ages kept its image as a sacred Biblical site, where the symbolic meaning of the events of the Old Testament is illuminated and interpreted in the worship of the Lord Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary.

The yearning to be near God and far from the persecutions of pagan Rome brought many early Christians to Sinai in search of tranquility, silence, isolation and holiness. From the 3rd Century AD onwards, monks settled in small monastic communities near sacred places around Mount Horeb, such as the site of the Burning Bush, the Firan Oasis and in other places in southern Sinai. (The exact location of this holy place has been preserved in the memory of the native population through the centuries.

This was the same mystical movement that brought others to the Holy Land, to the scorched mountains of the Judean Desert, in quest of holiness.

The first monks suffered constant privations. Nature was unkind to man, and many fell prey to marauding nomads. But the monks continued to trickle into Sinai. By and large the first monks were hermits who lived alone in caves in utter poverty, praying alone, and were self-sufficient, except for holy days when they gathered near the site of the Burning Bush in order to listen to their spiritual leaders and to receive the Holy Communion. The narratives of their lives were recorded in the Apophthegmata, the Ladder of Divine Ascent by St. John Climacus of Sinai, and in the histories of Anastastios of Sinai.

Because of their holy lives, the Christian hermits of Sinai were natural missionaries among the pagan tribes of Sinai. By the time of the Arab conquest, in the 7th century, most of Sinai's inhabitants were Christian.

Pilgrims have long endured any difficulty to visit the Holy Places. As early as the 4th century the pilgrim Egeria recorded her pilgrimage to Sinai with such precision that her route can still be followed and the sites identified. After 1600 years prayer is still offered on the Holy Summit, at Prophet Elias on Horeb, and at the Burning Bush.

Walls and Basilica from 6th century

The real turning point in the history of Sinai monasticism came in the 6th century, when Emperor Justinian (527-565) oredered the building of the great walled monastery fortress and the magnificent basilica church which remain to this day. Within this monastic enclosure are the monastic cells, refectory, kitchens and bakery, storerooms, library and all the necessary structures for the life of the monastery. These inner structures date from the earliest monastic presence through the new library which was constructed in this century.

Because of its isolated location and the care of generations of monks, the Monastery has preserved many treasures the like of which has rarely survived elsewhere. Over 2,000 icons are preserved there, including the largest and finest collection of pre-fifteenth century Byzantine icons in one place in the world. The library contains nearly 4,000 manuscripts in 11 languages dating back to the fourth century.

Today, for the first time in history, a small portion of these historic treasures have been brought on loan to the United States. From March 11 till July 6 several unique 12th and 13th century icons from Sinai will be part of the Glory of Byzantium exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum in New York City. The icons which have been brought by Archbishop Damianos, Abbot of the Monastery, have specifically been selected because they are examples of icons painted in the Monastery - often using techniques used nowhere else. Also a single but magnificent example of the illuminated manuscripts of the Monastery has been included. The treasurer of the Monastery has come for the opening of the exhibiton and will remain throughout.

HRH the Prince of Wales was the guest of honor at the Gala Inaugaration for Founding Sponsors of the Americcan Associates of the Saint Catherine Foundation on Tuesday evening, March 11 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. He was joined by President George Bush, Honorary Patron HRH The Princes Sumaya of Jordan, and His Excellency Mr. Kofi Annan, Secretary General of the United Nations.

As Royal Patron, the Prince of Wales, following a visit to Sinai, helped establish the Foundation in London last year to assist the Monastery of Saint Catherine at Mount Sinai in Egypt--a site to three religions--particularly to work to conserve the Monastery's priceless manuscripts and icons.

Also in attendance at the Gala were Patrons of the Foundation led by Archbishop Damianos of Sinai, Archbishop Spyridon of America. The evening began with a vewing of "The Glory of Byzantium" exhibition at 6:30 p.m., followed by dinner at 8:00 p.m.

It is hoped that the establishment of the Foundation in the United States will facilitate the protection of the Monastery and the ongoing support of the life there.