Open Collections

Schachterle, Joshua

Database of Religious History (DRH)

Saint Catherine's Monastery (official name: Sacred Autonomous Royal Monastery of Saint Katherine of the Holy and God-Trodden Mount Sinai) is believed to be the oldest continuously inhabited Christian monastery in the world. Located in Egypt at the foot of Mount Sinai, it was commissioned by the Emperor Justinian I in 565 C.E. In fact, there are two inscriptions from the time of the monastery's founding that survive. One says " For the salvation of our most august emperor Justinian.” The other says, “For the memory and repose of our departed empress Theodora.” The monastery is said to have been built around the original burning bush encountered by Moses. It also houses a large collection of early Christian icons and one of the oldest continuously functioning libraries in world. The monastery complex, surrounded by thick, granite walls, consists of a main church surrounded by nine smaller chapels, with monks' quarters along parts of the surrounding walls. It has been occupied continuously by monks since the 6th century. In the Middle Ages, Crusaders briefly visited the monastery as a site of pilgrimage, and inscriptions in Frankish in the refectory built by the Crusaders still survive. After the Ottoman conquest of Egypt in 1517, the monastery fell under the protection of Sultan Selim I. Today, it is a fully functioning monastery within the Orthodox Church. Part of the monks' duty is to protect the monastery and surrounding holy sites for the sake of pilgrims.

Other

eng

Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library

10.14288/1.0438232

Non UBC

Unreviewed

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/