Saint Catherine's Monastery
Saint Catherine's Monastery (Arabic: دير القدّيسة كاترين Dayr al-Qiddīsa Katrīn; Greek: Μονὴ τῆς Ἁγίας Αἰκατερίνης, officially the Sacred Autonomous Royal Monastery of Saint Catherine of the Holy and God-Trodden Mount Sinai, is a Christian monastery located in the Sinai Peninsula of Egypt. Located at the foot of Mount Sinai, it was built between 548 and 565, and is the world's oldest continuously inhabited Christian monastery.
General view of Saint Catherine's Monastery, looking down from Mount Sinai | |
Location within the Sinai Peninsula Location within Egypt | |
| Monastery information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Sacred Autonomous Royal Monastery of Saint Catherine of the Holy and God-Trodden Mount Sinai Greek: Ιερά Αυτόνομος Βασιλική Μονή Αγίας Αικατερίνης του Αγίου και Θεοβαδίστου Όρους Σινά |
| Other names | Monastery of Saint Katherine Moni tis Agias Aikaterinis |
| Order | Church of Sinai |
| Denomination | Greek Orthodox Church |
| Established | AD 565 |
| People | |
| Founder(s) | Justinian I |
| Site | |
| Location | Saint Catherine, South Sinai Governorate, Egypt |
| Country | Egypt |
| Coordinates | 28°33′20″N 33°58′34″E |
| Visible remains | Catherine of Alexandria |
| Website | www |
| Official name | Saint Catherine Area |
| Type | Cultural |
| Criteria | i, iii, iv, vi |
| Designated | 2002 (26th session) |
| Reference no. | 954 |
| Region | Arab States |
The monastery was built by the orders of the Byzantine 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 (0.62 mi) west); Jebel Arrenziyeb, peak c. 1km south; and Mount Sinai (locally, Jebel Musa, by tradition identified with the biblical Mount Sinai; peak c. 2 km (1.2 mi) south).