Nestling at the foot of Mount Sinai, the Greek Orthodox monastery of St Catherine is thought to be the oldest continuously inhabited Christian monastery in the world.
Founded in AD 527 by Emperor Justinian, it replaced a chapel built by Empress Helena in AD 337 on the site where it is believed that Moses saw the Burning Bush.
The monastery was renamed St Catherine in the 9th or 10th century after monks claimed to have found the intact body of the saint on a nearby mountain.
Saint Catherine’s Monastery Features
Icon Collection
The monastery holds 2,000 icons, including this of St Peter. A selection is kept on view in the Basilica.
Library
The collection of priceless early Christian manuscripts is one of the most important in the world.
Basilica of the Transfiguration
This richly decorated church owes its name to a rare 6th-century Mosaic of the Transfiguration in the apse. The mosaic is located behind the gilded 17th-century iconostasis.
The Burning Bush
This evergreen is said to be from the same stock as the bush from which God instructed Moses to lead his people out of Egypt to the Promised Land.”
Bell Tower
Built in 1871, the tower houses nine bells donated by Tsar Alexander II of Russia. They are only rung on religious festivals.
Monastery Gardens
Acemetery is located in the orchard from where monks’ bones are periodically exhumed and taken to the Charnel House.
Well of Moses
Inside the outer wall lies the monastery’s main water source where Moses is said to have met his future wife, Zipporah, Jethro’s daughter.
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