The Monastery of Saint Catherine

Monasticism

Ever since the early Christian Period, South Sinai was a great attraction for the Christian monks. The Monasticism was an escape from the Roman violence which spread in the 4^th Century A.D. Especially in Firan Valley, El-Tur, and Mount Moses, those who fled the Roman persecution have taken shelter in various area in Egypt, particularly those areas near water sources. 

Who was Saint Catherine?

She lived in Alexandria during the persecution of Christians during the reign of Maximinus in 305-313 A.D, and when she converted to Christianity the Roman tortured her severely, finally beheading her in 307 A.D.

Five centuries later, a monk saw a vision in which her body was carried by Angels, gently placing her on top of the peak of the highest mountain in Sinai, so the monks carried her relics to the Church of Transfiguration, which it was named then, next to the monastery that was formerly called “The Virgin”, and ever since then, the name of the monastery has been known as Saint Catherine.   

How to get to St Catherine

By Bus: There is a daily East Delta bus service from Cairo to St. Catherine at 10.30 AM. Buses depart from the Turgoman Bus Station and arrive in st Catherine  around 7 PM.

From St. Katherine to Cairo buses leave at 6.00 AM from the bus station

From Dahab there is a daily bus service at 8.00 AM, buses arrive in Saint Catherine around midday. To Dahab buses start at 1.00 PM daily from the bus station.

Minibus: There are several regular minibuses from St. Katherine to Suez and El Tur between 6.00 AM and 1.00 PM.

Taxi and Microbus: There are many companies and private services that provide transport between St. Katherine and Nuweiba, Dahab or Sharm el Sheikh. Prices vary between LE 200 and LE 700 per vehicle. Other destinations, such as Ain Hudra, the Colored Canyon, Taba etc., might be organized.

The Monastery

In 342 A.D The Empress Helena, mother of Constantine the Great, built a monastery, including the chapel known as the Virgin Mary, at the Burning Bush site; where it is believed that Moses received the two tablets. In the 6^th century A.D the Emperor Justinian ordered the building of the church known today as the Church of Transfiguration; both the church and the monastery were later named for Saint Catherine. Justinian also ordered the building of a high enclosure wall, with towers to protect the monastery, and it is said that he provided it with 200 Roman soldiers to protect it against the attacks of the Bedouins.

The monastery lies at the foot of “Moses Mountain”, a beautiful site, on a high location about 1570 feet above sea level, with a good climate and plenty of fresh well water. To the west of it is the El-Raha Valley.                                                       

The most important Elements of the Monastery are:

1-The Enclosure Wall:

The monastery is similar to the fortresses of the middle ages, and it was built with an enclosure wall of granite stones, including towers at its corners, and inner buildings surrounding it. The height of the wall is between 12m and 15m, while its 4 sides measure 117m, 80m, 77m, and 76m.

The Original Gate:

The original gate is actually located on the western side, but it is now blocked! To its left is the gate that is used at present, which was made in 1801.

2-The Main Church  (The Great Church):

It was built on the northern side of the monastery. It takes the shape of a basilica and it consists of a central nave and two aisles that lead to small chapels. The central nave ends with the altar at its eastern side, and the aisles end with 2 rooms. Near to the altar on the right there is a reliquary of marble, which contains the relics of St. Catherine. A wonderful Byzantine mosaic covers the apse. The visitors to this church must take off their shoes outside before they enter, imitating Moses when he approached this Holyplace.

*The monastery contains about 2000 icons, which is considered as one of the most important collections of icons in the world. Some of them date back to the 5^th and 8^th centuries. You can see some of them hanging on the walls of the vestibule, which leads to the entrance of the main church.                                                        

3-The Mosque    

It was built during the Caliphate of Al-Amer Be Ahkam Allah in 500 A.H (1106 A.D) to be a resting place for the pilgrims who pass by the monastery on their way to Mecca (or Makkah), and is situated on the southwest of the main church. It is a small Mosque, rectangular in shape, and measures 11m long by 7m wide, with walls built of granite mortared with loam clay, covered with loam clay plaster. The Mosque consists of 3 riwaqs; the middle one being the biggest, with a main mihrab flanked by 2 others. The floor of the Mosque is covered with hip tiles, but not the original ones! The roof is covered with wood and reed, tiled with hip tiles, standing on circular arches, supported on 2 piers.    

The minaret is 12m in height, ending with a balcony projecting 50cm and bearing a semi-ball shaped dome at the top.

The minbar (pulpit) is made of cedar wood decorated with floral decorations of a Fatimid style, which is one of the 3 famous minbars built in this style.

The Mosque contained 2 silver candlesticks, still preserved in good condition. There is a chair on which 4 lines of inscription were written in Floral Kufic mentioning that the Prince Anoshteken Al-Amer built the Mosque during the reign of the Caliph Al-Amer Be Ahkam Allah in 500 A.H (1106 A.D).

4-The Library

The monastery has one of the most important religious libraries in the world, containing a great number of very rare and old manuscripts. This library also has a large number of decrees of the Caliphs and the rulers. In recent years it has received a lot of attention by many scholars, as Alexandria University, and the Congress Library in Washington, has microfilmed most of the manuscripts.

5-The Wells

There are many wells inside the monastery; the most important are “the Well of Moses”, north of the main church, and “The Burning Bush Well” and “Saint Stephen's Well”, which are south of the main church.                                   

6-The Oil Press

It is situated below the Mosque’s courtyard, and is used for squeezing olives to extract the oil. Its ceiling is roofed by wooden beams, and reed ties, resting on granite arches. The floor of the yard is provided with lanterns, to lighten the oil press.

7-The Garden

In the front of the monastery there is a garden, including a cemetery, for the monks, with a “skull house” beside it. The monks used to bury their dead, leave the bodies for a certain period, and then collect their bones and deposit them in the “skull house”.

8-The Guests Dwellings (or the Guest House)

Inside the enclosure wall there is a small building that was constructed in 1863 during the reign of Khedive Ishmael. It is dedicated for the dwelling of the visitors, and the guests of the monastery.